Best of our wild blogs: 20 Jun 16

Juvenile Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) being scavenged by Weaver Ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) @ Pasir Ris
Monday Morgue

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Crocodiles and sharks seen off Woodlands

My Paper AsiaOne 20 Jun 16;

Crocodiles and sharks have been sighted lurking in the sea off Woodlands Waterfront Park, triggering concern about the safety of the public, especially children who like to hunt for crabs along the shore, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Although the park's jetty and promenade are fenced off from the waters of the Strait of Johor with railings, the "no swimming" notices posted along these stretches carry no warnings about sharks or crocodiles.

But just two weeks ago, an angler fishing at the jetty snared a crocodile which had bitten on his fish hook, reported the Chinese evening daily.

"The fishing rod was suddenly yanked by a huge force. On closer look, I realised it was a crocodile about 3m long that was caught," Suhairi told the newspaper on Saturday.

"I had a tug of war with it for about three minutes before it broke away, snapping the line," added the 27-year-old.

A video clip of the incident showed the angler using all his strength to pull the crocodile on shore but the reptile proved too strong for him.

Mr Suhairi said he had seen three crocodiles swimming in the area before the incident.

Chen Yongping, 60, had also seen two crocodiles in the waters and wondered whether there was a crocodile habitat near the park.

The cleaner said he feared especially for the safety of those who come into the waters in kayaks from Sembawang.

"They would be in danger if they run into crocodiles," he told Shin Min.

Francis Toh, a frequent visitor to the park, said children, mostly in small groups, are often seen scouring for crabs on the marshland bordering the sea.

Shin Min noted that the 1m-high barricade would be easy for children to climb over, and the muddy shore, strewn with stones of all sizes, just lies beyond some thickets.

But it is hard to tell the depth of the waters at the sea's edge, it pointed out.

Mr Chen said besides crocodiles, sharks are also often spotted in the area.

"At least six baby sharks have been caught this year," he noted.

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Indonesia: Flooding, landslides hit areas in southern Central Java

The Jakarta Post 19 Jun 16;

High intensity rain in southern Central Java on Saturday caused floods and landslides across several areas. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) records that flooding and landslides have occurred in at least eight areas.

“Temporary reports from the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agencies [BPBDs] to the BNPB post reveal that floods and landslides have occurred in seven regencies, namely Banjarnegara, Banyumas, Karanganyar, Kebumen, Purworejo, Wonogiri and Wonosobo and in Surakarta,” BNPB spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said as quoted by kompas.com in a statement on Sunday.

According to the BNPB, flash floods hit the Jatiroto and Purbowangi villages in Buayan district, Kebumen, at around 7 p.m., local time, on Saturday. The flooding reached 50 to 100 centimeters in height as the rivers in the two villages overflowed.

While BPBD officials and other elements strived to evacuate local residents to safer places, a landslide reportedly occurred in Semampir, Sampang village, Sempor district, Kebumen. Three people are feared to be buried under the mud. As of Sunday, authorities continued to search for the buried people but rescue operations for Kebumen’s landslide have been hampered due to the incessant rain.

A landslide also reportedly occurred in Gumelem Kulon village, Susukan district, Banjarnegara on Saturday afternoon. Heavy rain across several areas in the regency caused thick mud to cover roads in the village. Another landslide occurred when Gumelem Kulon villagers worked together to clean the road of mud. Three people were reportedly killed in the incident. They are Sudarno, 40, Ahmad Bahrudin, 40, and Wato, 40. A landslide in a different part of Banjarnegara buried two houses and demolished the Setia Abadi early childhood education center building.

The BPBD Banjarnegara’s quick-response team was deployed to the location to carry out emergency operations. A joint team comprising personnel from the Military District Command (Kodim) 0704/Banjarnegara, the Banjarnegara Police, the Susukan community health center and volunteers coordinated with related authorities to carry out evacuation operations. (ebf)


13 killed as landslides bury Central Java villages
Agus Maryono The Jakarta Post 19 Jun 16;

At least 13 people have been killed in landslides caused by heavy rain in the Central Java regencies of Banjarnegara and Kebumen.

The torrential rain, which fell all day Saturday, also caused flooding in Tambak and Sumpiuh districts in Banyumas regency, washing away two houses but causing no reported fatalities.

“The flood water has receded now, yet our worries remain. It seems the rain will continue to fall; there are dark clouds across the sky,” Sumpiuh resident Saridin, 43, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

On Saturday evening, a landslide buried three houses in Sampang village, Sempor district, Kebumen. Six people are feared buried in the mud; search operations remain ongoing.

Moel Wahyono, commander of the Cilacap-chapter National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), which handles natural disasters in southern Central Java, said a landslide had buried a house in Gumelem village, Susukan district, resulting in seven deaths.

“We are focused on handling landslides and flooding in Banjarnegara, Banyumas and Kebumen. We are striving to evacuate victims in Banjarnegara, but the situation on the ground complicates the evacuation,” said Wahyono.

The head of the Banjarnegara Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD)’s rapid response team, Andri Sulistyo, said the seven landslide victims killed in Gumelem were still working to clear a road covered by mud from a previous landslide in the village when the incident took place.

“They were removing the mud and debris from the road when another landslide suddenly hit,” said Andri.

The flooding in Sumpiuh district in Banyumas regency engendered major delays to the rail link between Tambak and Sumpiuh, submerging and damaging the tracks.

“By around 9 p.m. local time, we had managed to repair all rail tracks and bridges, returning them to normal operation,” said Surono, a spokesperson for state-owned railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia’s Operation Region V Purwokerto. (ebf)


No emergency status yet for C. Java floods, landslides
Suherdjoko The Jakarta Post 19 Jun 16;

Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo has yet to issue an emergency alert status in response to the flooding and landslides that struck 16 of the province’s regencies and municipalities over the weekend.

Temporary data reveal that 24 people were killed in landslides caused by torrential rain in several areas across Central Java beginning on Saturday. The areas worst hit include Banjarnegara, Banyumas, Karanganyar, Kebumen, Purworejo, Surakarta and Sukoharjo.

Ganjar said on Sunday that his administration had not yet decided to increase the emergency alert status of the natural disasters. “If the flooding has not receded by [Monday], we will evaluate the status,” he said in Surakarta, where he was supervising relief efforts for those affected by flooding.

The added that the Central Java administration, together with the Central Java Disaster Mitigation Agencies (BPBD), was prioritizing the evacuation and handling of refugees, assuring reporters and residents that supplies were sufficient to cater to all those who needed them.

“If there is a lack of supplies, regents and mayors will directly coordinate with us,” Ganjar said, after visits to some of the worst-hit villages, including Demangan, Jaten and Ngeringo.

Visiting the Bengawan Solo River, Ganjar registered shock that there was no clear distinction between the river’s surface and town settlements, the river having burst its bank and inundated a number of areas.

Ganjar expressed hope that all residents who insisted on remaining in their homes could be quickly evacuated if rain continued to fall and further flooding occurred.

To anticipate similar incidents in the future, the governor said the administration had coordinated with the Bengawan Solo River Management Agency to build a green belt along the river.

“For the time being, we are preparing public kitchens and other facilities for refugees.” (ebf)


24 killed in Central Java`s floods, landslides
Antara 19 Jun 16;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - A total of 24 people were killed and 26 others were reported missing in floods and landslides that hit 16 districts in Central Java, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said.

"The natural disasters were triggered by heavy rain which fell since Saturday afternoon until mid night," Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the head of the Data and Information Center of the BNPB, said in a press statement here on Sunday.

The districts/municipal cities which were hit by the floods and landslides in Central Java were Purworejo, Banjarnegara, Kendal, Sragen, Purbalingga, Banyumas, Sukoharjo, Kebumen, Wonosobo, Pemalang, Klaten, Magelang, Wonogiri, Cilacap, Karanganyar and Kota Solo.

Sutopo said the disaster also caused damage to tens of houses buried by landslides and thousands of others inundated by flood waters.

Most of the dead victims were found in Purworejo District. Five residents of Karangrejo village of Loano subdistrict were buried by landslides while nine others (non local residents) were also found dead. Rescue workers are still searching for those being buried by landslides.

"When a small landslide blocked the road in the location, three passenger of a truck tried to move away the rocks. Behind the truck were several motorcyclists. All of a sudden a major landslides happened and buried the vehicles and people on the road. Nine dead victims have been evacuated," Sutopo said.

Landslides also took place in Donorati village of Purworejo District where 15 residents were reported missing. Two were killed in Sidomulyo and Pacekelan villages, four were still missing.

In Jelog village, Kaligesing, two were reported missing and tens of houses were buried by landslides.

Floods as a result of the overflow of Bogowonto River in Purworejo District claimed the lives of four and caused two others missing.

In Kebumen District, hundreds of houses were inundated and one resident was killed.

Six were found dead in the landslides in Sampang Village, Sempor Subdistrict.

Landslides also occurred in Banjarnegara District, killing six people and causing damage to tens of houses.

The Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) is still carrying out emergency response. It is assisted by various sides including police and military personnel.(*)


Banjarnegara landslides claim six lives
Antara 19 Jun 16;

Banjarnegara, C Java (ANTARA News) - Landslides claimed six lives in two areas in Gumelem Kulon Village, Banjarnegara District, Central Java Provinces, on Saturday.

"They were victims of landslides on Saturday. (The landslides) hit two separate locations. Three (bodies were found) in Grumbul Wanarata and three others in Grumbul Gunung Duwur in Gumelem Kulon Village," Catur Subandrio, head of the Banjarnegara disaster mitigation office, said here, Sunday.

The victims in Grumbul Gunung Duwur are Tariwen (52), Riatin Fauzi (10), and Fina Sritanti (10). They were evacuated on Saturday at 10:30 p.m. local time.

In Grumbul Wanarata, the dead victims are Ahmad Hidayatulloh (40), Sudarno Dasimin (45), and Ahmad Bahrudin (40). They were evacuated on Saturday at 9:23 pm. local time.

Three residents of Grumbul Wanarata were injured in the disaster.

In the meantime, a landslide buried six residents of Duku Phkumbang, Sampang Village, Sempor, Kebumen District, Central Java Province, on Saturday evening.

The landslide also destroyed six houses, Sempor Sub-District Head Joko Ganjar Supramono said in Kebumen, Sunday.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has instructed its regional branch offices (BPBD) to stay vigilant in anticipation of possible floods and landslides following signs of climate change impact.(*)

Number of dead victims in Java`s landslides reaches 31
Antara 20 Jun 16;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Rescuers found seven dead victims out of the 26 persons reported missing in floods and landslides that hit 16 districts in Central Java on Sunday.

"Until Sunday afternoon, the number of dead victims reaches 31 people," according to head of the Data and Information Center of the

National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Sutopo Purwo Nugroho here on Sunday.

The seven bodies were found in Purworejo Sub-district, Sutopo stated, adding that the rescue team continued searching the other 19 people who were reported missing.

Sutopo earlier stated that 24 people were killed and 26 others went missing in floods and landslides that hit 16 districts in the Central Java.

"The natural disasters were triggered by heavy rain which fell since Saturday afternoon until mid night," Sutopo said in a press statement.

The districts/municipal cities which were hit by the floods and landslides in Central Java were Purworejo, Banjarnegara, Kendal, Sragen, Purbalingga, Banyumas, Sukoharjo, Kebumen, Wonosobo, Pemalang, Klaten, Magelang, Wonogiri, Cilacap, Karanganyar and Kota Solo.

Sutopo said the disaster also caused damage to tens of houses buried by landslides and thousands of others inundated by flood waters.

Most of the dead victims were found in Purworejo District. Five residents of Karangrejo village of Loano subdistrict were buried by landslides while nine others (non local residents) were also found dead.

"When a small landslide blocked the road in the location, three passenger of a truck tried to move away the rocks. Behind the truck were several motorcyclists. All of a sudden a major landslides happened and buried the vehicles and people on the road. Nine dead victims have been evacuated," Sutopo pointed out.(*)

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Best of our wild blogs: 19 Jun 16

“Streaming” at Lentor
a.t.Bukit Brown. Heritage. Habitat. History.

Life History of the Chestnut Angle
Butterflies of Singapore

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Indonesia rebuffs Singapore on haze again

Tama Salim The Jakarta Post 18 Jun 16;

Indonesia has rejected a request by the Singaporean government for access to information on companies suspected of causing annual haze and has called on the city state to deal with the issue under the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP).

The Indonesian Foreign Ministry maintained that the agreement, signed in 2002 and ratified by all ASEAN countries by 2014, was the most effective tool to tackle the haze issue, which the ASEAN expected to be solved by 2020.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir said the agreement provided a platform for devising collective efforts to prevent, monitor and mitigate transboundary haze, set up region-wide quick response measures and establish legal means of cooperation.

“We encourage all ASEAN members to use this mechanism to address the issue of transboundary haze in our region,” he said.

Arrmanatha added that at the national level, the Indonesian government had made progress in mitigating the haze problem, which occurs in Sumatra, Kalimantan and some other parts of the country every year.

The ministry’s spokesman was responding to Singapore’s bid to obtain information on companies suspected of illegal burning in Indonesia.

Earlier, Singapore’s Ministry of Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) had issued a statement demanding prosecution of companies linked to last year’s fires, regardless of their origin.

The MEWR said the companies’ blatant disregard for the environmental and social consequences of the haze, which affected millions of people in the region, should not go unchecked.

It said actions under Singapore’s Transboundary Haze Pollution Act (THPA) were aimed at deterring and prosecuting entities responsible for transboundary haze pollution.

“Indonesia should welcome this additional tool to curtail irresponsible activities that have affected the health, social and economic well-being of Indonesians and people in the region,” an MEWR spokesperson said.

The law allows regulators to sue individuals or companies in neighboring countries that cause severe air pollution in Singapore through agricultural slash-and-burn practices.

It was first proposed in 2013 after a huge rise in the number of forest fires in the neighboring Indonesian province of Riau caused thick smoke that blanketed Singapore in a choking haze.

Previously, Indonesia raised concerns that the THPA would disregard individuals’ rights to legal and consular assistance abroad, after procedures pursued by Singapore involving an unnamed Indonesian private executive went awry.

Last month, Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) asked a local court to issue an arrest warrant against the director of an Indonesian company who had failed to turn up for questioning with authorities in Singapore, an act that evoked a strong reaction from Jakarta.

The businessperson, who has since left the country, may be detained “for the purpose of investigations” if they try to reenter the country, an NEA spokesman said.

The NEA’s actions are part of a previous attempt to glean information on six Indonesian private firms’ environmental responsibilities with regard to their respective land concessions.

Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar has lashed out at Singapore, saying the country could not “tread on the realm of law that was under Indonesia” and that Singapore “did not respect Indonesia”.

Separately, Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore Ngurah Swajaya said Indonesia was ready to work with Singapore to prevent future forest and peatland fires, but he also wanted the Singaporean government to acknowledge what local authorities in the country had already achieved.

Smoke from fires last year sent air pollution to record levels, resulting in at least 19 deaths from haze-related illnesses and more than half a million Indonesians suffering from respiratory diseases.

The World Bank estimates that the fires and haze caused at least US$16 billion in economic losses to Indonesia alone.

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Malaysia: Hail can occur three times a year

BERNAMA New Straits Times 19 Jun 16;

KUALA LUMPUR: The hail which hit the capital earlier this month can occur three times a year, says Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Madius Tangau.

“Hail is not an unusual phenomenon, but it’s very rare in our country.

Based on our records, it can occur with a frequency of one to three times in a year,” he told Bernama here.

Madius said the phenomenon results when there is a strong thunderstorm and when the cumulonimbi clouds (the main source of the formation of thunderstorms) reached a height of 40,000 feet.

“When the temperature goes below freezing point, the rain drops become ice lumps sized between five millimetres or 1.5 centimetre, about the size of a marble.

“Hail usually occurs locally around areas under cumulonimbus clouds and lasts for a relatively short time, which is about 20 minutes,” he said.

In the hailstorm that hit the capital on the evening of June 3, Petaling Jaya Meteorological Station records show rain measuring 60.2mm and winds of up to 46.8 kilometres per hour was the cause of the phenomenon.

Madius advised people facing similar hail incidents to stay away from the window and immediately seek refuge in a safe place.

“If in a vehicle, make sure you park under a bridge or a sturdy structure,” added Madius. --BERNAMA


MJO phenomenon cause of excessive rainfall in Klang Valley
BERNAMA New Straits Times 19 Jun 16;

KUALA LUMPUR: The excessive rainfall recently, especially in the Klang Valley has been due to the impact of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) phenomenon, says an expert.

Climatology and Oceanography Specialist from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Prof Dr Fredolin Tangang said the country was currently in the midst of the Southwest monsoon season, and the weather should be hot and dry.

“The MJO phenomenon is part of climate variability between seasons in tropical regions that oscillate with the frequency of once in 20 to 60 days, which occurs in eight phases.

“MJO occurs as a result of interaction between the ocean and the atmosphere, which causes a large-scale atmospheric convection system in the western part of the Indian Ocean which moves eastward across the Pacific Ocean, crossing Malaysia and Indonesia,” he told Bernama here.

He said this when asked to comment on the massive rainfall occurring in the Klang Valley in the late afternoons, including some unusual storms, of late.

In the meantime, Fredolin said through studies conducted, the Southwest monsoon season between June to August has been found to yield higher rainfall in the west coast, compared to the east.

He said based on the report from the Climate Prediction Centre at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States, MJO would occur in the Indian Ocean with large-scale increase in atmospheric convection in the first week of this month, and was currently in phase 3.

“This situation has led to the high rainfall rate currently experienced, similar to that in April and May, where the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia usually experiences rain in the afternoon, until late at night.

“However, this situation will only last for another one to two weeks, when the phenomenon moves more towards the east, and the centre of the convection passes our region,” he said.

He added that the country was expected to experience warmer and drier weather once MJO shifted eastwards, in phases 4 to 7 of the phenomenon. --BERNAMA

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Indonesia: Weather agency warns of heavy rain over weekend

The Jakarta Post 18 Jun 16;

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has warned people to be wary about potential natural disasters as a result of the heavy downpours expected to recur over the weekend.

The BMKG has predicted there will be heavy rain from June 17 to 20 in several areas in Indonesia based on atmospheric indications, Yunus S. Swarinoto, meteorology deputy at the agency said in a press statement on Friday.

There is also potential for thunder storms and high winds during the rain, Yunus said.

"We strongly urge people to be aware of potential flooding, flash floods, landslides and fallen trees," he said in the statement.

Areas predicted to have a high intensity of rain include Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Riau, Bengkulu, Bangka Belitung, South Sumatra, Lampung, Jakarta, Banten, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, Maluku and Papua.

The BMKG has also warned sea transportation operators to watch out for heavy rain and heavy swells in the southern part of Sumatra, Java, Bali and East Nusa Tenggara.

People can contact the BMKG on its 24-hour call center 021-6546315/18 to get the latest information on weather forecasts or log on to its official website web.meteo.bmkg.go.id. (rin)


Padang airport inoperable due to extreme weather
Syofiardi Bachyul Jb The Jakarta Post 18 Jun 16;

Extreme rainfall over Padang, West Sumatra, from Thursday night until early Friday morning forced Minangkabau International Airport (BIM) to cease its operations for over seven hours.

The heavy downpour triggered flooding that inundated thousands of houses across the city, forcing people to evacuate. At over half a meter deep, floodwaters also submerged most of the city’s roads, paralyzing traffic.

One person is reported to have died due to the disaster.

BIM spokesperson Yoserizal said the airport was unable to operate from 6 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. local time, forcing three flights to be diverted to Medan, North Sumatra, and three to Pekanbaru, Riau. A further four flights failed to take off.

“The weather caused unfavorable landing conditions,” Yoserizal told The Jakarta Post, adding that diverted flights included those of Garuda Indonesia, Batik Air, Citilink and Lion Air.

Irene, a West Sumatra Health Agency employee, a passenger of the Garuda Indonesia flight that departed from Jakarta at 4 p.m., said that when the plane was about to land in Padang at 5:55 p.m., it had circled over the airport before finally diverting to the Sultan Syarif Kasim II Airport in Pekanbaru.

Irene said they waited for about half an hour in Pekanbaru before the plane returned to Padang but, as the plane still could not land at BIM, it returned to Pekanbaru and stayed there for another half an hour.

“The flight back to Padang was finally able to land in Padang at 1:30 a.m.,” she said.

Weather agency head Budi Iman Samiaji said the planes could not land at BIM because the rainfall was extreme, leaving a visibility of only 250 meters for five hours.

“It was impossible for a plane to land. A plane can only land if there is visibility of over 900 meters,” said Budi, the head of information and observation at the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency’s (BMKG) Padang branch in Ketaping

Rainfall at the airport reached 368 mm. At Teluk Bayur Port it was 305 mm for 12 hours and 167 mm for three hours. This was categorized as very extreme, 100 mm is considered to be extreme.

“Extreme weather occurred in almost all regions along the west coast of West Sumatra and the Mentawai Islands,” said Budi, predicting that rain would continue to fall in Padang and surrounding areas but suggested that the intensity would decrease.

Disaster mitigation official Rivalno Pagar Negara said 20 rubber boats had been deployed to evacuate people trapped in houses inundated by floodwaters across Padang.

Over 1,000 houses are reported to have been inundated in Padang, in 14 subdistricts, with floodwaters recorded at up to two meters deep, from Thursday evening until Friday morning.

A 63-year-old resident of the Arai Pinang residential complex is reported to have died after he slipped during the evacuation and caught a chill.

A major road connecting Padang and Bengkulu was blocked due to landslides in three locations in Painan, South Pesisir.

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Indonesia: Govt to put moratorium on firms with idle concessions

Hans Nicholas Jong The Jakarta Post 18 Jun 16;

Soon, palm oil and forestry resource companies will be forbidden from starting any activities on any of their concessions that are idle, as the government plans to expand a moratorium on peatland use in a bid to curb the annual land and forest fires.

The government is currently revising Presidential Instruction (Inpres) No. 8/2015 on a permit moratorium for primary forests and peatlands, which has been in effect since May last year.

The moratorium on clearing primary forests and peatlands was first introduced by then president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2010 and was extended by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo through the Inpres last year.

The original moratorium only banned permits to be issued allowing the use of peatland that has not yet been turned into concessions.

However, following Jokowi’s instructions, the Inpres will be revised once again to impose a total moratorium on the use of peatland, including land that has been turned into concessions but left idle.

Jokowi called for a stronger moratorium because 10 people, mostly children, were killed by smoke pollution from last year’s fires.

“The President has announced that for the concession holders of areas have not been cultivated yet, they will not be able to cultivate them once the new moratorium is in place,” Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG) planning and cooperation deputy Budi Wardhana said.

Therefore, the total amount of peatland affected by the moratorium will increase. Currently, there are 8.4 million hectares of peatland affected by the moratorium, out of a total of 20.6 million ha of peatland in the country.

“The BRG itself estimates that there are 4.4 million hectares of peatland in concession areas that should be put under moratorium,” Budi said.

Environment and Forestry Ministry secretary-general Bambang Hendroyono said the revision of the moratorium was being discussed in the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister.

“If possible the revision will be finished in one or two months,” he said, adding that all ministries must have agreed to the revision considering how it was an instruction from the President.

The moratorium on peatland use is a part of the government’s effort to reduce rampant slash-and-burn practices in peatland areas, which have largely caused the annual land and forest fires in the archipelago.

Besides the moratorium, the government also recently started a nationwide effort to restore more than 2 million hectares of peatland in the next five years through the establishment of the BRG.

Much of the burden to restore the environmental damage to peatland lies with the private sector, which is in control of concession areas as 531 companies are operating in areas to be restored. A mapping by the BRG
revealed that as many as 2.7 million ha of peatland had to be restored in the next five years to prevent the recurring land and forest fires.

Out of the 2.7 million ha, 87 percent of them, 2.3 million ha, are in concession areas.

Since the majority of the restoration areas are in concession areas, the BRG has to work closely with companies as they are the ones that have to do the restoration work with their own money.

BRG head Nazir Foead said most firms had cooperated with the agency by submitting their data and maps.

The country’s largest pulp and paper producer, Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), initially refused to submit its documents directly to the BRG. APP finally submitted its documents to the BRG on June 13.

“The documents are complete now and we will verify this data together,” said Budi.

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Indonesia: Judges blamed for lenient sentences in forest fires

Hans Nicholas Jong The Jakarta Post 18 Jun 16;

A lack of understanding among judges in environmental cases has led to companies and individuals, allegedly responsible for the annual land and forest fires in Indonesia, escaping serious sanction.

Recently, the North Jakarta District Court found palm oil company PT Jatim Jaya Perkasa (JJP), affiliated with agribusiness giant Wilmar Group, responsible for slash-and-burn activities on its concession in 2013.

The Environment and Forestry Ministry, the plaintiff in the case, believed that the total burned area was 1,000 hectares, while the panel of judges believed that only 120 ha had been burned.

Therefore, the court ordered PT JJP to pay only Rp 7.2 billion (US$540,000) in damages as well as Rp 22.2 billion in recovery costs, less than the Rp 491 billion demanded by the ministry.

The ministry plans to appeal the case, as the fine was far lower than that demanded and given the fact that the company had been planting oil palm trees on the burned concession.

PT JJP lawyer Efrizal H. Sharief said his client was not guilty of causing the fire as it was a result of slash-and-burn activities carried out by local people. This argument led to the panel of judges only ruling on the 120 ha, since they believed that the rest of the burned concession was caused by locals.

Efrizal also argued that the company should not have been required to pay any fines given that the concession could still be cultivated and thus there must have been no environmental damage.

The same reasoning was used by Parlas Nababan, the chair of a three-judge panel in Palembang district court, South Sumatra, in his controversial ruling on pulpwood plantation company PT Bumi Mekar Hijau (BMH).

He declared the company was not guilty of causing fires on a 20,000-ha plot in Ogan Komering Ilir, South Sumatra in 2014, saying that there was no evidence of environmental damage as the burned land could still be planted.

The controversial verdict caused public uproar, with many saying that Parlas’ reasoning was not logical.

Nonetheless, Parlas was appointed as the head of the Palangkaraya High Court in Central Kalimantan earlier this month.

“There’s a problem with the Supreme Court, which doesn’t have any awareness in cases like this. Parlas had a bad reputation in environmental cases because his judgement was so bad, and yet he was transferred to Palangkaraya, which handles more complex environmental cases,” Indonesian Center for Environmental Law (ICEL) deputy director Reynaldo Sembiring told The Jakarta Post.

The cases of PT BMH and PT JJP are among a recent series of cases where the government decided to appeal because the results were not satisfactory.

“Starting from 2015 to early 2016, many environmental cases were not being presided over by judges with environmental certificates, such as those of PT BMH and PT LIH,” Reynaldo said.

He was referring to the case of PT Langgam Inti Hibrindo (LIH), whose manager, Frans Katihotang, was declared not guilty on all charges by the Pangkalan Kerinci District Court.

At an earlier court hearing, prosecutors charged the defendant with negligence for an act that eventually caused fires on PT LIH’s concession in 2015, but the panel of judges said witness testimony did not support the charges.

Reynaldo believed that the presiding judge delivered the not-guilty verdict because he was not certified. The same applied to the PT BMH case.

“His reasoning was not satisfactory because he’s clearly not a judge specializing in environmental cases. From these two cases, we can see that environmental cases need special handling by certified judges,” he said.

Last year, the number of judges with environmental certification stood at 219, with the government planning to increase this number by working with the Supreme Court.

A certified judge has greater understanding of environmental laws and cases and thus is more likely to use the concept of strict liability, which experts believe is the key in upholding justice in environmental cases.

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Thailand: Tourism adding heat to bleaching emergency

Thailand's coral reefs are in trouble, and the country's reliance on foreign visitors poses a major threat to their survival
PARITTA WANGKIAT Bangkok Post 19 Jun 16;

A Chinese woman was perplexed when she saw that her luggage was causing concern as it passed through an X-ray scanner at Don Mueang airport.

She reached for a red plastic bag after it had passed through the machine, but a young airport security official snatched it and said "No!"
A group of her friends were waiting nearby. They were puzzled too. Some of them wore floral clothes indicating they had been on holidays at the beach.

"You're not allowed to carry this back home," the official insisted. He tried to explain the situation for about a minute, but the woman eventually passed through the security area without being fined or charged and without the red bag.

When the security official opened the plastic bag, a piece of white, dead coral about the size of an outstretched hand was inside. It was still damp with seawater.

That happened two weeks ago, and came amid wider fears that coral bleaching caused by human interaction and warming waters could decimate reefs in Thailand and across the globe.

On June 7, Krabi International Airport said it had seized 171 kilogrammes of coral from tourists in the departure terminal -- in the space of just one month. Over 10 types of corals such as brain, staghorn and hump were found. Even though the removal of coral from the ocean can carry heavy fines and even jail terms, airport officials said most tourists did not know it was illegal. Many said they had taken the coral as a souvenir.

Government marine biologist Nalinee Thongtham, who has monitored a recent surge in severe coral bleaching in Thailand, says tourists behaving badly is just as detrimental to the sensitive organism as global warming.

"Coral bleaching is certainly caused by global warming," said Ms Nalinee, who is based at the Phuket Marine Biological Centre. "But the chance for it to recover relies on human inactivity. Coral's overexposure to tourism and pollution will leave it with only a small chance to survive."

FEELING THE HEAT

The most recent El Nino event, which began around the middle of 2014, has seen sea temperatures rise across much of the planet. Severe damage occurred at one of the seven natural wonders of the world, Australia's 2,300km Great Barrier Reef, where scientists say 35% of coral in its northern and central sections has been destroyed by bleaching.

"For many areas around the globe, the damage from this [El Nino] event has been the worst ever," said Mark Eakin, coordinator of Coral Reef Watch under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an American scientific agency.

"Because this event has gone on for so long, about half of the locations stressed by this event have been hit twice already," he told Spectrum. "Some may be hit three times before the event is over."

Bleaching is caused when water is too warm, forcing coral to expel the algae living in their tissues and causing them to turn completely white. When a coral bleaches, it is not dead. Coral can survive a bleaching event, but they are under more stress and are subject to mortality.

Reef Watch's bleaching models, based on satellite images and sea surface temperatures, indicate Thai waters will continue to be unusually warm for the next two months. The worst bleaching is likely to occur in the Gulf of Thailand, but bleaching is likely to continue on Andaman Sea reefs as well.

According to the NOAA, Thailand and Southeast Asia suffered severe bleaching in 1998, 2010, 2015 and this year.

While 1998, 2015 and 2016 were strong El Nino years, 2010 was a mild El Nino, suggesting the regular climate event is not the sole cause of bleaching.

"As we have raised the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere, most of the excess heat has been absorbed by the ocean. That raises the baseline temperature of the ocean, making it easier for smaller climate anomalies to cause mass coral bleaching," Mr Eakin said.

"Thailand and Southeast Asia are likely to see more frequent and severe coral bleaching in years not associated with El Nino."

Since early this year, the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources has recorded high sea temperatures of between 32C and 33C in many coastal areas. The highest temperature for Thai waters this year was recorded on May 11 at 33.85C.

The threshold for coral bleaching is 30.5C, according to the DMCR. Severe bleaching was reported in the Gulf of Thailand in March, with Ma Prao Island in Chumphon the worst affected with up to 80% of the coral bleached.

Bleaching was later reported around Koh Samui, then spread to the Andaman Sea in April affecting more than 50% of coral in Racha Yai, Racha Noi and Mai Ton islands off the Phuket coast, as well as parts of the Phi Phi islands in Krabi and Hat Chao Mai National Park in Trang.
The DMCR found 81 sites had suffered bleaching, 48 of which were classified as critical.

HOPE OF RECOVERY

Despite the US agency's warning of rising sea temperatures over the next two months, Ms Nalinee said the ocean has in fact cooled by one to two degrees recently due to the subsiding of El Nino.

Ms Nalinee has surveyed some diving sites and found colour pigmentation returning to some bleached coral. But this hasn't reassured her that all coral will recover fully.

In 2010, Thailand was hit by its most severe bout of coral bleaching. About 70% of coral in the Andaman Sea, covering 80 square kilometres, was damaged. Between 30% and 95% of the affected coral died.

Ms Nalinee said human activity also plays a major role in the coral's chances of recovering.

Coral growth in areas with intense human activity, especially tourism, is already weak and the problem only worsens when warmer water arrives, she said.

She noted a "unique" snorkelling spot off Phangnga's Koh Khai Island, where visitors could see large plains of staghorn coral in 2008. Six years after the 2010 bleaching event, only 20% of the coral survives.

Koh Khai Island, covering an area of only about 10 rai, has been intensely exploited by tourism. More than 40 tourist boats flock there each day during peak seasons, throwing their anchors onto the brittle reef below.

Tourists feed fish and pollute the once pristine waters. Some step on the coral, or collect pieces from the sea floor to take home as souvenirs. Tour guides rarely give instructions on not damaging the coral.

Similar tales of coral struggling to recover after the 2010 bleaching were reported at other popular tourist islands, including Similan and Surin islands, and Phuket and Phi Phi islands, which have long suffered problems with tourist wastewater being discharged directly into the sea.

Damage to coral from bleaching, which was aggravated by human activity, was worse than the harm caused to Thailand's reefs by the 2004 tsunami, according to a DMCR report.

"Tourism is the main revenue source for the Thai economy. But without good management of that tourism, coral will likely not survive," said Ms Nalinee.

The situation prompted some marine experts and environmentalists to call for the shutdown of several at-risk islands, as well as caps on tourist numbers.

TOURISM FIRST

More than 28 million foreign tourists visited Thailand last year. That number is expected to jump to 45 million in 2020 and 67 million in 2030, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

More than half of the visitors come for "ocean tourism", raising concern about the ability of coral to survive the increased strain.

Every year, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) closes down islands and coral reefs far off the coast during the monsoon season to allow the areas time to recover.

But reefs near the coast, such as off Phi Phi Island, remain open year-round.

"In fact, Thailand has never announced a shutdown of any bleaching sites," said Thon Thamrongnawasawat, a marine expert from Kasetsart University's Fisheries faculty.

"There's concern from local people who depend solely on tourism for their living. It's something that we have to think a lot about before taking action. Tourism will have to continue with strong measures to prevent damage to nature."

Only about 1% of coral surrounding Phi Phi Island recovered after the 2010 bleaching, which Mr Thon said was an indication of the need to better manage tourism activities.

He launched the "Phi Phi Model" as a way to involve local tour operators in the protection of marine wildlife, which started by campaigning to stop selling sharks and parrot fish as meals for tourists.

Two months ago, Mr Thon pushed the government to indefinitely shut down coral sites at Tachai Island off Phangnga and Koh Young off Phi Phi Island, where coral has been seriously damaged by tourist activities. Both areas have also been affected by recent bleaching.

The government's move only came after reaching an agreement with local tour operators.

Mr Thon said another snorkelling site near Thale Waek and four dive sites near Phi Phi Island, including Whaleshark Wall, will be closed to help the coral recover.

Another major problem is the lack of marine scientists at the DNP, which manages marine national parks around the country. Mr Thon said there is only one marine scientist working for the DNP, while at least 20 were needed to manage marine tourism sites alone.

In response to the coral bleaching, the DNP plans to close down more than 10 dive spots, but it has yet to specify where and when.

Last month, the DMCR issued an urgent regulation to restrict tourist activities in coral bleaching areas including Koh Man Nai off the Rayong coast, Koh Khai in Chumphon, Racha Yai Island, Mai Ton Island and Laem Panwa in Phuket.

Tourists can visit the areas but are prohibited from catching animals, feeding fish and picking up and stepping on coral.

Tour operators were instructed not to throw anchors into coral areas or dump garbage and wastewater into the ocean.

A Chinese tourist, 45, was the first to be charged under this new regulation after officials found he had fed fish in Phangnga to attract them for a photo opportunity.

He faced a maximum penalty of a year in jail or a 100,000 baht fine or both. Bail was set at 100,000 baht.

But he was eventually let off with a 2,000 baht fine, which the presiding judge slashed in half due to the defendant's guilty plea.

Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, director of the Global Change Institute at the University of Queensland, which monitors global bleaching, said stress from tourism, pollution and overfishing was not the only factor that affects coral recovery.

"Unfortunately, mass coral bleaching events like we are currently experiencing are predicted to become almost annual events within the next 20 years unless we deal with the problem of fossil fuels," he said.

"We must have a renewable energy revolution to reduce the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases building up in the atmosphere."

Unless both climate change and local stresses are addressed, Mr Hoegh-Guldberg believes those working in ocean-related tourism industries will not have careers within 20 years.

The current spate of very warm weather in the Pacific and Indian oceans suggests a lot of coral will die over the next couple of months. In this case, he said, it will take between 10 and 20 years for coral populations to grow back.

This will have serious consequences for countries like Thailand which depend on people coming to see the beautiful coral, he said, as well as reducing food sources for millions of people throughout Southeast Asia as reefs become sick and die.

"This is now a global emergency, and must be treated as such by all governments on the planet," he said.

Coral reefs in the southwest are at risk of bleaching over the next two months, in both the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea. This is the forecast as of Monday.

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Torrential rain in Singapore causes flash floods, fallen trees

A woman was taken to hospital after a tree fell at the junction of Woodlands Avenue 1 and Woodlands Street 32 on Friday evening.
Channel NewsAsia 17 Jun 16;

SINGAPORE: Torrential rains in Singapore on Friday (Jun 17) caused flash floods and felled trees in parts of Singapore.

In a Facebook post, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said waist-high flash floods on Friday afternoon caused some vehicles to stall along Enterprise Road. It was alerted to the floods at about 4.30pm. A total of 11 people - including the elderly - were evacuated in life vests, SCDF said, adding that there were no injuries.

In a Facebook post on Friday evening, eyewitness Thessa Huiying detailed her experience of being stuck in the floods while aboard a bus. "Things happened real quickly. Within 10 minutes, water was rising rapidly. Thank you to the SBS bus driver uncle (Bus No. 252) who took the wise choice of not driving through (for the safety of everyone)," she wrote.

In a separate incident, a woman was taken to hospital after a tree fell at the junction of Woodlands Avenue 1 and Woodlands Street 32 on Friday evening.

SCDF said it was alerted to the incident at about 6.25pm and sent an ambulance to the scene. They then conveyed the woman, who is in her 30s, to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

Channel NewsAsia understands that the tree is under the National Parks Board's purview and was cleared from the road at about 8.30pm.

At about 7pm on Friday, another tree fell along Tiong Bahru Road. No injuries occurred as a result, according to SCDF.

Channel NewsAsia understands that the tree was cleared by about 9.30pm.

- CNA/dl


Flash floods trap 11 in Jurong West
WONG PEI TING Today Online 18 Jun 16;

SINGAPORE – A few vehicles, including an SBS bus with passengers on board, were stranded in a flash flood along Enterprise Road in Jurong West following heavy rain on Friday afternoon (June 17).

The waters were “waist high” said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), which had deployed life vests in its rescue.

A total of 11 people, some of whom were elderly, were evacuated from the stranded vehicles to safety. No injuries were reported.

In a video that was shared on Facebook at 4.22pm, floodwaters could be seen seeping onto the platform of Bus 252. Facebook user Thessa Huiying said: “I’m stuck in the bus flooded by the heavy downpour ... water is rising rapidly. I hope I make it out alive.”


Heavy rain causes commuters to be stranded in flooded bus
AsiaOne 18 Jun 16;

SINGAPORE - The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) had to be called in after waist-high flash floods caused some bus commuters to be stranded at Enterprise Road on Friday (June 17) afternoon.

Facebook user Thessa Huiying, who was travelling on bus service 252 at the time, wrote that water rose rapidly within a span of 10 minutes.

She posted photos of the flooded bus and road, as well as videos that show lorries driving through the murky water despite being partially submerged.

In her post, she thanked the bus captain for choosing to stop the vehicle, adding that he apologised to commuters for the delay even though he did not need to.

on Facebook

She also thanked the SCDF for checking on the commuters and reassuring them. One Malay officer even joked with an elderly man in Chinese to lighten the mood, she said.

on Facebook

In a Facebook post, SCDF said that other vehicles were also stalled in the flood.

After receiving an alert on the floods at 4.30pm, the SCDF helped to evacuate a total of 11 people in life vests.

There were no reported injuries.

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Who’s on the frontlines of conservation? A bunch of (expert) amateurs ...

NEO CHAI CHIN Today Online 18 Jun 16;

SINGAPORE — Whom might you turn to for help to identify a rare spider, stick insect or butterfly in Singapore? Try a retired diplomat, a colorectal surgeon and an architect, respectively.

Mr Joseph Koh, Dr Francis Seow-Choen and Mr Khew Sin Khoon are part of a small but valuable pool of “amateur experts” on various creatures in the animal kingdom here. Over the decades, they have happily contributed to science by pursuing their interests to what fellow hobbyists might consider dizzying heights.

Despite their amateur status, their contributions and expertise arguably have never been more important, with environmental conservation regularly coming to the fore in public debate here, most recently in the development of the future Cross Island MRT line (CRL) and its possible impact on the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, and threats to biodiversity worldwide.

For instance, Mr Koh, an authority on spiders in Singapore, is part of the working group in talks with the Land Transport Authority on the CRL.

Some also help in biodiversity surveys spearheaded by the National Parks Board (NParks) — Dr Seow-Choen, Mr Koh, Mr Khew and Nature Society Singapore Bird Group’s Alan Owyong are involved in a survey at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and the Ecolink@BKE.

Many amateur naturalists are able to spend more hours in the field than some specialists, and thus represent the frontlines of nature study and documentation, said NSS president Shawn Lum.

There are very few professional biologists and ecologists active in the NSS, whose ranks include many of Singapore’s most respected amateur experts, said Dr Lum, a lecturer and tropical forest ecologist.

“A number of the amateur naturalists are as technically capable as professional botanists or zoologists in some aspects of the field, and they invariably have an enthusiasm and love for nature — and a willingness to speak up and to be counted — in a way that is arguably more muted among the professionals,” he said.

Except for Mr Koh, who studied zoology at university before entering the civil service, the amateur experts had no formal training in biology or zoology, and do not make a living in the field. Many of them simply followed their natural curiosity piqued from a young age.

For instance, Mr Khew, the chief executive officer of CPG Corporation, which does building consultancy and facilities management, fell in love with butterflies when he was growing up in Malaysia. A pioneer of the ButterflyCircle, a group of enthusiasts and hobbyist photographers, he authored the Field Guide to the Butterflies of Singapore, published in 2010.

Birder Lim Kim Seng, 56, had nature at his doorstep growing up on a family farm in Sembawang. He developed an interest in birds because he found them easier to observe and identify than other groups of animals or plants. However, he made little headway before he joined the then Malayan Nature Society at the age of 15.

With a background in mechanical engineering, he spent 25 years in the manufacturing sector before going for his Master of Science in Environmental Management, and is now a part-time lecturer and full-time nature guide. What stayed constant was the devotion to his interest: He penned books on birds, participated in research and helped in the development of NSS’ Birds of Singapore app, driven by passion, a thirst for knowledge and the desire to make things easier for others wanting to learn more.

“After (some) time, you find you’ve reached that point: What should I do? Maybe what I need to do is to document all this information somewhere that can benefit other people, because I had a hard time picking it up. In the future, it shouldn’t be so difficult. I think that was what drove me,” said Mr Lim. His first book, in 1992, was on the vanishing birds of Singapore; he wrote field guides in 1997 and 2010, and two more books in 2009.

MADNESS THAT BENEFITS SCIENCE

Some of the amateur experts, such as Mr Lim and fellow birder Professor Ng Soon Chye, firmly reject the label of “expert” or “authority”.

“Please specify I’m not an expert, I don’t want to go under false pretenses,” said Prof Ng, a gynaecologist and one of the men behind Asia’s first test-tube baby in 1983. “Maybe I know more than the general public but that’s about that ... It’s (the) small efforts by everybody that make a movement,” said Prof Ng, 66, who has published scientific papers on birds.

Professor Peter Ng, head of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum at the National University of Singapore, calls them “professional amateurs”. They may know less about the rules and procedures of taxonomy — the science of naming, describing and classifying organisms — than full-time scientists like himself. And in their obsession with a particular kind of creature, they are different from naturalists with their broad knowledge of conservation and the environment, he said. “It’s the intensity and purpose that’s different.”

Many of the amateur experts here have built distinguished careers, but have brought similar levels of energy and professionalism to their hobby. “They’ve taken their hobby to another level, and that level makes them pretty good scientists,” said Prof Peter Ng, whose museum works with many of these individuals and has appointed some as honorary research affiliates.

The Natural History Museum nurtures their hobbies. The amateur experts might need references or specimens from other countries that they cannot get as private individuals. Or they might need tools such as microscopes or cameras.

Does the presence and relative prominence of these professional amateurs mean that the pool of biologists and zoologists here is very small? Every natural history museum has limitations in size and budget, said Prof Peter Ng. “Some people say a museum or university should have experts on every group of animals. Impossible! Why? There are too many kinds of animals, and despite what some people may claim, it’s impossible to be an expert on everything,” he said.

“You’re talking about millions of species of animals. To know one group very well requires lots of energy and time. Even the largest museums in the world can’t afford this luxury.”

Working with the amateur experts allows the museum to augment its pool of experts “straightaway”.

“And the nice thing is, we don’t have to pay them — I always call them free labour,” quipped Prof Peter Ng. “I always say all of us are crazy; our madness bonds us.”

NO REGRETS OVER PATHS TAKEN

So why didn’t the amateur experts pursue their interests as a career? Pragmatic parents and a relative lack of opportunities and jobs available in biology and zoology were among the reasons cited. But they expressed few, if any, regrets about their choices.

Spider expert Mr Koh said he simply followed his heart after graduation in 1972 and applied for a position at the Singapore Administrative Service. It was “a calling that had eclipsed my passion for spiders”, but it did not mean giving up arachnology, he said.

“At a time when ensuring the survival and prosperity of Singapore was our national preoccupation, the Singapore Armed Forces and the civil service were powerful magnets for many young people looking for purpose and meaning in life,” said Mr Koh.

The National Parks Board (NParks) is another institution that benefits from collaborating with amateur experts, who help identify species and verify the number of species in various areas. With deep knowledge in specific taxa, the amateur experts provide NParks with advice on enhancing parks or roadside greenery to make them more conducive to biodiversity, said Dr Lena Chan, group director of NParks’ National Biodiversity Centre. “They are reliable sources of detailed data as they have accumulated many years of experience.”

Besides equipment, NParks supplies resources from the Singapore Botanic Gardens Herbarium and Library, and it facilitates access permits for the amateur experts.

The National Biodiversity Centre also has two schemes to support individuals in their research: The Honorary Research Associate Scheme and, for emerging researchers and enthusiasts, the Research Fellowship Scheme.

The nature community is confident of a younger generation ready to take over the reins in due time. Young naturalists are making good contributions to groups of animals that the public is less aware of, such as dragonflies, lady beetles, bees, ants and various marine organisms, said Dr Lum.

Prof Peter Ng would not predict who among the younger ones could follow in the footsteps of today’s amateur experts. Those in their 20s and 30s would be in the midst of developing their careers and families, and their fascination would develop along the way, he said. “I think we’ll probably see them blossoming when they’re in their 50s … But I can predict there will be a lot more.”


Spiders are ‘intellectual detective work’ for retired S’pore diplomat
NEO CHAI CHIN Today Online 18 Jun 16;

SINGAPORE — Spend an hour or two with spider expert Joseph Koh, and one is bound to go away with a much greater appreciation of these arachnids — and perhaps, ideas on alternative uses for pantyhose.

During a short walk in Bukit Brown cemetery last week, the 67-year-old retired diplomat found a spider that mimics ants, and another that had spun beautiful barrier webs to protect its main web, among others.

The Myrmarachne maxillosa waves its front legs in the air to simulate ant antennae, has slender legs, and also constricts part of its body to resemble the three-part body of an ant.

On why a spider would want to “pretend” to be an ant, Mr Koh said that most predators leave ants alone because they can bite and inject formic acid.

As for the “textbook shot” of barrier webs made by the Nephila pilipes (or Giant Golden web spider) — spun only by juveniles — Mr Koh shared a fact that he said women love to hear: Females can outweigh males by 30 times.

On the way back to his home nearby, Mr Koh showed how he had improvised and created his own aspirator, a device to suck up small spiders without harming them, and without having the spiders end up in his mouth — by slotting a piece of his wife’s pantyhose between two tubes attached to each other.

The bubbly retiree’s interest in spiders began long before he studied zoology at the then-University of Singapore. His late businessman father bought him many wildlife and natural history magazines, and guidebooks on various animals. The old Raffles Museum at Stamford Road became his favourite haunt.

When he was around 14, his father introduced him to macrophotography, prompting him to look closely for smaller creatures in gardens and nature reserves.

He was drawn to the sheer diversity of spiders in Singapore, and what has kept him going for more than 40 years is the delight and challenge of “intellectual detective work in getting a spider identified or described”.

Identifying Southeast Asian spiders is not as straightforward as identifying butterflies or dragonflies where the names may be quickly traced in reference books, Mr Koh said. He has to track down scientific literature, decipher descriptions, compare closely related specimens and narrow down possibilities, then make a judgment of what the specimen is or is not.

Mr Koh has described 13 new species of spiders, three from Singapore and 10 from Brunei, and has written a guide on common Singapore spiders and another book on the spiders of Borneo.

He has not slowed down since retirement in 2012, willingly taking young naturalists under his wing by leading field trips, welcoming them to work in his lab at home, and writing papers with them.

He has also pledged his 12,000 specimen collection to the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, and is involved in various groups helping to conserve or enhance nature in Singapore.

He is working on a new book on spiders here, where he estimates there are about 800 species.

One of his recent interns is Rachel Ashton Lim, 19, who is enrolling in a liberal arts school in the United States and wants to major in environmental analysis. Calling Mr Koh a “really good teacher” who encourages creative thinking, she said: “Something I learnt that was quite valuable for me was that in nature, there’s the intersection between the sciences and the arts… You have to appreciate every single little detail, even on the smallest spider.”


Droppings boiled into tea sparked his interest on stick insects
NEO CHAI CHIN Today Online 18 Jun 16;

SINGAPORE — He kept rabbits, hamsters and cats as a young boy, but it is stick insects that he finds most fascinating to this day.

When he was in kindergarten, Dr Francis Seow-Choen found out about these insects because people in villages were keeping them to collect their droppings in order to boil tea for medicinal purposes. His mother managed to get some stick insects from the meat seller in the market and his fascination for them grew as he kept them.

“They’re beautiful, they’re harmless, they come in a variety of fashion — not just sticks but also leaves,” Dr Seow, 59, said. “They don’t have poison, don’t bite people, don’t spread Zika (virus),” the top colorectal surgeon in private practice added.

When threatened, stick insects play dead, camouflage themselves, or drop their legs (auto-amputate), he explained.

Dr Seow wanted to pursue veterinary surgery in university, but was told by the Public Service Commission interview panel to study something else because there were no cows or sheep in Singapore that required care. It was only after he became a doctor and returned from surgical training in London that he renewed his interest in stick insects.

There was little he could find about them in books and the library. When he contacted the National University of Singapore zoology department, staff members encouraged him to study them.

From 1989, he built up a formidable body of knowledge on the insects — also called phasmids — and has written four books on them so far. The latest, launched this month, is titled A Taxonomic Guide to the Stick Insects of Borneo, the result of his explorations and work over two decades.

Among 337 species featured are 52 new ones, classified under 15 new genera, described by him.

When he can find time out of his packed work schedule to head overseas, Dr Seow would venture out to forested areas at seven or eight at night with a hand torch, and stay out until five in the morning. “Because if I’m there and it takes a long time to get there, I don’t want to waste any time,” he said.

Just as challenging was the need to check with museums for old specimens, to avoid re-describing species, and translating old books that had described species in other languages. The science of naming organisms, or taxonomy, was “fraught with minefields” and the work was “much more difficult than writing a medical paper”, he said.

On his interest, Dr Seow — who added a hyphen between his surname and first name to keep it intact and minimise confusion when in London and after he began writing scientific papers — said: “It’s relaxing in that it’s something you enjoy. Insects don’t sue you or complain to you. Of course, it’s stressful if you’re (on a trip) looking for things and you don’t find anything new.”

He keeps some stick insects in the compound of his home for studies on breeding patterns and eggs, for example. Dr Seow is also discussing another more comprehensive survey of stick insects in Singapore with the authorities.

He estimates that there are about 52 species here, potentially more.

Both generalists and specialists have a role in getting the public more interested in nature, he said. People kill animals such as snakes because they don’t understand them and don’t understand what the loss of a single species means to Singapore or to ecology, he said.

“In life, we can be generalists and know a bit about everything, which I think is good. But I think it’s even better to know everything about a few things. Then, you are the expert and can contribute more to science and also to the world and to nature in general,” he said.


Gynaecologist goes from observing sea life to watching birds
NEO CHAI CHIN Today Online 18 Jun 16;

SINGAPORE — Before he trained his sights on birds, gynaecologist Ng Soon Chye was keener on marine life, heading often to the shores and reefs of Labrador and the Southern Islands to collect specimens.

In fact, he wanted to apply to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, California, for undergraduate studies but his father was “more pragmatic” and had reservations about making a living from marine biology at the time.

“But no regrets,” said Professor Ng, 66, who studied medicine and later became a pioneer in assisted reproduction.

His interest in birds grew after outings with some birdwatchers during his house-officer days. Then, members of the bird study group of the Malayan Nature Society’s Singapore branch were mainly from the British army.

When the troops withdrew, the bird study group needed more locals and Prof Ng stepped forward to become its chairman, and the group went on many bird-ringing trips.

Once, in a wondrous turn of events, a curlew sandpiper — a migratory bird with a large range that breeds near Russia — which Prof Ng had ringed at the Serangoon Sludge Treatment Works, was netted and identified months later in Melbourne by the study group’s ex-chairman, who had relocated to Australia.

When Prof Ng was doing National Service as a medical officer in the navy, he spent 1.5 months on a ship in the South China Sea, observed migrating barn swallows and published a paper on them.

He later devoted more of his energy to a magnificent bird, the hornbill. “It’s not that I was no longer interested in other birds, but I didn’t have so much time,” he said.

Hornbills are “really large birds, iconic, on top of the food chain and they are like markers of the forest. You can tell the health of the forest or jungle by having an idea of the fauna at the top of the food chain”.

From 2004, Prof Ng initiated a project with fellow birder Marc Cremades to study and enhance the population of the Oriental Pied Hornbill, which had not been recorded in Singapore for over 70 years until it was sighted in 1994.

From being seen primarily on Pulau Ubin, the bird became sighted quite frequently all over mainland Singapore within a decade. Hornbills nest in hollow cavities of trees and, when breeding, the female would be confined in a sealed nest with a small gap for the male to pass food through.

Artificial nests were also used in the Singapore Hornbill Project, which increased understanding of its breeding cycle and habits, such as through observations of infanticide-cannibalism where the mother hornbill kills weaker chicks and feeds them to other offspring.

Prof Ng also took up videography and went on field trips in Thailand with world-renowned hornbill expert, Dr Pilai Poonswad. She would identify the hornbills’ nesting area, and Prof Ng would capture video footage of the goings-on.

“I’m more interested in action, maybe as a result of watching movies and Nat Geo,” he said.

Due to age and shifting priorities, Prof Ng has cut down on birding activities but stands ready to help animal facilities in the reproduction of species.

He does not consider himself an authority on birds, but has certainly inspired others.

Mr Lim Kim Seng, 56, who has written five books on birds, said Prof Ng led the first trip he went on decades ago. “I’d say he was one of my mentors when I took up birding…I was inspired too, to be as keen as him,” said Mr Lim.

Butterflies not in his stomach, but in his blood
NEO CHAI CHIN Today Online 18 Jun 16;

SINGAPORE — Helping his daughter with her school science projects in the 1980s rekindled Mr Steven Neo’s interest in butterflies, the flying jewels of the insect world.

There was no stopping him after that: Mr Neo, 65, whose career was in estate management and the building industry, did research in the library, began re-collecting specimens and studying butterflies and their relationship with fruit plants and other insects, as well as their life history.

On field trips, he would collect the eggs if he saw butterflies laying them, to breed them and document the details. “People have butterflies in the stomach, I have butterflies in my blood,” he quipped.

When he agreed to requests to write a guidebook on butterflies in the 1990s, Mr Neo had to first find out “how to write a book”, and decided to do it in a way that the layperson would understand.

He revved up his energy, bought a camera and spent daytime on weekends chasing butterflies, and nights writing on WordPerfect software. This went on for more than a year and he came close to 100 species. “Some (species) I couldn’t get photos of, so had to forgo when the deadline came,” he said.

Mr Neo wanted to increase the public’s understanding of butterflies. “I do find that most Singaporeans would want very clinical and clean parks,” he said.

Fogging, for instance, would get rid of mosquitoes – but also butterflies and other insects that are part of the larger ecosystem.

Described by Nature Society Singapore (NSS) president Shawn Lum as among the first local naturalists to master butterflies, Mr Neo got hooked on butterflies as a schoolboy through his late brother, who had friends and a teacher keen on the subject.

His brother made a butterfly net out of mosquito net, and both boys would venture into the countryside.

After his pocket-size guide was published in 1996, Mr Neo got acquainted with other butterfly experts such as Mr Khew Sin Khoon and together, the group accumulated more knowledge.

Once, Mr Neo spotted some small butterflies breeding on plants at a Simei petrol kiosk, documented them and, through Mr Khew, sought out other experts to verify the species. It turned out to be the Pale Grass Blue, a species new to Singapore.

Mr Neo also conducted walks once or twice a month and started the butterfly interest group in the NSS. Around 2005, an accident during a road trip to Malaysia with fellow enthusiasts led to a compression fracture in his spine. That, coupled with a job that required frequent travel, led to a “hibernation” phase.

He retired last month and reckons he will be heading out into the field more frequently now. He hopes to see monarch butterflies in the United States – where his son now lives – on their spectacular annual migration again.

His son has also encouraged Mr Neo to take his infant grandson on butterfly-spotting outings.

Mr Neo, who has two diplomas in estate management and business, said he is content pursuing butterflies as a hobby.

“Learning through observation is, to me, much more interesting than just the theoretical, academic part (where you) just go and study. When I’m in the forest observing butterflies…I feel at ease and the enjoyment of nature is a feeling that cannot be replaced,” he said.

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