Expect delays at Changi bumboats during peak periods until 17 Sep 2017
wild shores of singapore
Intertidal Outing @ Nicoll Drive
Bugs & Insects of Singapore
Festival of Biodiversity Speaker Series – May 27 & 28
biodiversityconnections
Toddycats’ prepare for Festival of Biodiversity 2017 – this time, a forest walk at the MacRitchie forest!
Toddycats!
Nature Conservation Talk & Film Screening by Cicada Tree Eco-Place
Love our MacRitchie Forest
It is more effective than antibiotics and benefits consumers' health too, but costs are higher for farms
Audrey Tan Straits Times 20 May 17;
Just as infants are vaccinated against certain diseases, young fish at three farms here are also getting the same treatment.
They are injected with vaccines instead of being fed with antibiotics, the usual practice currently.
This keeps the fish - and the humans who eat them - healthy. This is because vaccines reduce the risk of people developing a resistance to antibiotics.
When farmed animals, such as fish, are fed with antibiotics, there is the possibility of residual drugs passing through the food chain and ending up in the bellies of humans, said Emeritus Professor Hew Choy Leong from the National University of Singapore's (NUS) department of biological sciences.
"Many of these antibiotics are used to treat human diseases. If antibiotics are consumed excessively, the bacteria can develop a resistance to medicine that was previously able to kill them," he said.
Only three of some 120 fish farms here have started vaccinating their fish, but experts hope more will follow. Fish farm Marine Life Aquaculture, for example, started a pilot to swop antibiotics for vaccines about four years ago.
Its managing director Frank Tan said the pilot has been successful - 90 per cent of vaccinated fish survived, compared with 20 per cent of those fed with antibiotics.
The farm will scale this up from next month to all its fingerlings, or young fish about 10cm long.
"When we vaccinate the fish, there is herd immunity which prevents disease from spreading fast - important for farmed fish in close proximity to one another. Antibiotics are mainly used after a bacterial infection hits, and it may be too late," said Mr Tan.
Vaccines cost twice as much as antibiotics, and administering them is labour-intensive - workers have to manually vaccinate the fish one by one - but Mr Tan said the high survival rate was worth it.
The Straits Times reported last December that the Health Ministry was working with the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA), the National Environment Agency and NUS on a nationwide strategy to tackle the problem of some bacteria becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics.
"Due to increasing worldwide concerns over the development of antimicrobial resistance, AVA has been stepping up efforts to advise and educate our farmers on proper fish health management to prevent infections without using antibiotics, and (on) prudent drug usage to treat disease when needed," an AVA spokesman told The Straits Times.
Farmers must follow certain procedures which, among other things, will prevent residual antimicrobials from exceeding certain levels, she said.
Whether more farms would start vaccinating their fish depends on factors such as cost, said Dr Grace Loo, a lecturer in marine science and aquaculture at Republic Polytechnic's School of Applied Science.
Dr Dirk Eichelberger, from fish farm Singapore Aquaculture Technologies, believes vaccines are key as they improve survival rates.
"However, there is a shortage of suitable vaccines in Singapore, and those that are available require a very high minimum order quantity," he said, adding that he uses antibiotics only in the rare event of disease outbreaks.
AVA said farms can tap its Agriculture and Productivity Fund to buy equipment, such as those required for fish vaccination, that boosts productivity.
Service executive Julie Ng, 60, said she is keen to buy vaccinated fish. "It sounds like the healthier choice, and why not, if the fish are cheaper too."
But teacher Ho Heng Mei, 56, said fresh fish are not sold with nutrition labels, making it hard for consumers to differentiate between vaccinated fish and fish fed with antibiotics. "There is no way to know the treatment process given. So as long as there is no health warning, I will continue to enjoy eating fish."
Why vaccines work better than antibiotics
Give a man a fish and he feeds for a day. Teach a man to fish and he feeds for a lifetime. That is essentially what antibiotics and vaccines do respectively.
Antibiotics are chemical compounds designed to kill bacteria - they treat a disease when it happens. Vaccines, on the other hand, are preventive. They contain biological compounds that bolster the body's own immune system to protect it against specific pathogens.
Mr Lee Yeng Sheng, a senior specialist for global marketing in aquaculture at MSD Animal Health, which developed the vaccines used by local fish farm Marine Life Aquaculture, said fish vaccines work like human vaccines. "Once administered, the fish will mount a natural immune response and be protected from infection by the disease, allowing for the use of medicines such as antibiotics when only absolutely necessary," he said.
This means that the next time a fish encounters an infection caused by bacteria or viruses it has been vaccinated against, its immune system will be ready to fight it. But if it had been given antibiotics instead, a new dose would be required every time there is an outbreak.
This could encourage and breed resistance in the bacteria, said Dr Leong Hoe Nam, an infectious diseases specialist at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital.
When fish are given antibiotics, the chemicals are usually mixed in its food.
"When the antibiotics go directly into the sea, or are excreted by the fish into the sea, it provides sub-therapeutic levels of the drug - which means the dosage is lower than that required to kill the pathogen," said Dr Leong. This makes it easy for the bacteria to mutate against the drug - an effect that vaccines do not have on the pathogen.
"In other words, give the fish antibiotics, you rid the bacteria for one day. Give the fish a vaccine, you teach the fish to fight the bacteria every day," he said.
Audrey Tan
Vanessa Paige Chelvan Channel NewsAsia 19 May 17;
SINGAPORE: Horse-riding provider Gallop Stable was fined S$9,000 on Friday (May 19), following a conviction for animal cruelty last month.
A retired racehorse named Sharpy was found in poor condition at the stable's premises in Pasir Ris in May 2013 by Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) vet Dr Wendy Toh when she visited the ranch unannounced.
Dr Toh spotted the 17-year-old mare lying on the ground, breathing heavily and baring its teeth – signs the horse was in pain.
Gallop Stable was subsequently charged for animal cruelty, for “failing to provide (the horse) adequate veterinary attention”.
The stable’s director said he knew Sharpy was ill and had given the horse painkillers. He had also called a vet before being asked to do so by the AVA after its surprise visit, he testified last year.
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But the vet, Dr Phyllis Yew, said stable hands had not followed her instructions on cleaning Sharpy’s festering wounds, leading to them becoming infested with maggots. Sharpy had become so sickly that both Dr Yew and Dr Toh recommended the horse be euthanised.
The stable refused.
STABLE SPENT $16,000 ON SHARPY'S CARE
“(The Stable) could have taken the easy, cost-effective route of having Sharpy put down, in accordance with the vets’ advice”, defence lawyer Simon Tan said. “No one would or could have faulted them.”
But the stable “genuinely believed” Sharpy could be saved, Mr Tan said. They spent almost S$16,000 on Sharpy’s medical bills, going so far as to rent special equipment needed for its care.
Sharpy is alive and well today, Mr Tan said, referring the court to videos of the mare “well and recovered (and) galloping in the stable”.
Gallop Stable manages close to 200 horses and ponies across three stables, many of which are retired racehorses like Sharpy, which would have been put down if they had not been adopted by the stable. “My client has given these retired horses a new lease of life”, Mr Tan said.
Far from being cruel, the stable works with several non-profit organisations to provide horse-therapy programs for cancer patients, the disabled and disadvantaged for rehabilitative, educational and therapeutic purposes, Mr Tan said.
He added the stable has since taken measures to prevent “any future incidents of this nature”, including more regular medical checkups. Stable hands have also been told to report and record any injuries or illness, “no matter how small”, and to uphold “requisite standards of care” for the horses.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Gabriel Choong, however, argued a S$10,000 fine should be imposed. Sharpy had suffered for five months before its condition improved, and the horse’s leg is permanently swollen and has left the horse “mildly lame”, the prosecutor said.
Mr Tan, who had asked for a fine of S$5,000, said Gallop Stable will lodge an appeal against the conviction and fine.
'UNNECESSARY PAIN AND SUFFERING'
AVA said in a media statement on Friday night that the mare had experienced unnecessary pain and suffering which could have been mitigated with timely veterinary treatment.
Sharpy had a severely infected lower right hind leg and infected eyes, as well as a swollen left knee which was later diagnosed to be a case of severe hematoma - bleeding with a retained blood clot.
The authority's investigations found that the owner had been self-treating the mare and did not provide it with proper veterinary attention.
AVA instructed Gallop to seek veterinary attention for the horse immediately, and the two independent vets who examined Sharpy later also assessed that it had been subjected to unnecessary suffering.
"AVA condemns animal cruelty and will investigate all feedback on animal cruelty. We will take enforcement action against anyone who has committed an act of cruelty," it said in the statement.
Source: CNA/vc
STEPHANIE LEE The Star 19 May 17;
KOTA KINABALU: A man believed to be a smuggler was caught in the waters off Sandakan with 3,000 turtle eggs early Friday.
State marine police chief Asst Comm Mohd Yazib Abd Aziz said the suspect, a 40-year-old Filipino, was on a pump boat heading towards Kg Forest when marine police officers saw him.
"The officers at first saw an object in the water. As they approached it, they saw that it was a pump boat," he said.
Police gave chase when the suspect tried to flee in the 3.30am incident.
"Our men intercepted the pump boat and detained the suspect, who did not have any documents with him," ACP Yazib said.
Police also found 10 plastic bags containing 3,000 turtle eggs, believed smuggled from the Philippines for the local market here.
The eggs are worth about RM4,800.
Investigations are continuing under the Wildlife Rehabilitation Enactment 1997.
Beatrice Nita Jay New Straits Times 20 May 17;
KUALA LUMPUR: The government must promote a zero-food wastage culture among Malaysians to help curb the growing problem of food wastage in the country.
Social activist Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the move must be undertaken, as research by Solid Wastage Corporation Management (SWCorp) has shown that Malaysians discard 17,800 tonnes of food every day.
He said for the zero-food wastage initiative to succeed, all levels of the community must be roped in, as everyone has a responsibility to put a stop to all forms of wastage.
“If the education and awareness programme fails to change the negative behaviour of the public, the authorities may have to introduce new legislation that will ensure that those who waste food are fined or receive other kinds of punishment,” he said in a statement today.
Lee was commenting on a proposal made by the High-Level Committee on Urban Poverty to implement a food aid programme for the urban poor via the National Blue Ocean Strategy.
But after chairing the committee meeting on Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the programme would inconvenience various ministries and hypermarket operators.
Lee said food wastage is rampant in Malaysia, as our people could be seen helping themselves to more food than they could consume, especially when at buffet spreads at hotels, restaurants and open houses.
He said this is especially so during the month of Ramadan, when Malaysians would pile their plates with huge portions of food and not be able to finish it.
VINCENT TAN and EDDIE CHUA The Star 20 May 17;
EXCLUSIVE: PETALING JAYA: Thousands of protected animals seized by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) have died in the hands of the authority in the past year due to mishandling.
These animals, many of which are endangered species and exotic, were being smuggled or kept illegally by local pet owners when they were seized.
A source said the lack of expertise and knowledge to handle these animals in captivity led to their death.
Among the animals that died in Perhilitan custody were 1,000 Indian Star tortoises and 10 juvenile and baby langurs.
These two species were seized from illegal dealers in mid-2016 and March 27 respectively.
Other animals that have died in the Perhilitan rescue centres include Asian Leopard Cats, small primates including endangered gibbons, and exotic white-rumped Shamas (murai batu).
The source said these animals were among many other seized species kept at the department’s National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Sungkai, Perak, and at Sungai Tengi, Selangor.
These two husbandries are Perhilitan’s main holding centres for seized animals.
The department has 11 other conservation centres nationwide which serve as holding centres for seized wildlife.
The source said many of the handlers have little or no knowledge in keeping, handling and caring for the animals.
“They are not well trained to handle these species and have little knowledge or technical expertise to take care of the animals, which are kept at the centres waiting to be repatriated to their country of origin.
“As such, these animals were neglected. They were not properly fed, given the right diet, or housed in proper facilities.
“These factors,” said the source, “caused the animals to be stressed from captivity, thus making them prone to disease and death.”
A former Perhilitan veterinarian said there was a need for rangers to be trained to handle these animals.
“Many do not know what are the best practices for the animals they are dealing with.
“They don’t have the basic knowledge such as the characteristics or even diet of these species to care for them.
“As such, the animals get sick, are stressed and die,” he said.
He said Perhilitan had its own veterinarians to deal with the seized animals but all these officers were seconded from the Veterinary Department.
“Many of us are trained in handling domestic animals and learn to deal with exotic animals and wildlife after joining Perhilitan,” he added.
Traffic, a wildlife trade monitoring network, says Malaysia is one of many South-East Asian countries that does not have expertise to handle seized smuggled animals in captivity.
Its South-East Asia director Chris Shepherd said Traffic was aware of Perhilitan’s problem but added that this could be averted or minimised if the department takes steps to have a working group comprising members from Perhilitan, the Customs Department, and academicians.
He said it was a challenge for the department to care for the seized animals as it had to deal with many different species.
“However, if they pool their resources together, it would reduce the mortality rate,” he said.
Shepherd said that allowing a private rescue agency to deal with these exotic and imported species would also boost the survival rate of the seized animals.
‘A third of seized animals suffered injury or disease’
The Star 20 May 17;
PETALING JAYA: Nearly 30% – or one out of three – of the protected animals seized by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) died under its care.
A Perhilitan spokesman said that an average of between 25% and 30% of the seized animals died as these animals had suffered injury or contracted diseases while being moved from place to place.
“Some species are sensitive and get stressed very easily when travelling in unsuitable containers.
“Others already suffered internal injuries and illness before they were seized and had little chance of survival,” the spokesman said in an email reply to The Star.
It said that between September 2016 and January, the department conducted 837 enforcement raids.
Besides seizing wildlife smuggled into the country, Perhilitan enforcement also involved technical issues related to late licence renewal. Of the number of cases, 42 involved court action.
While the department did not address the fate of the 1,000 seized Indian Star tortoises, the spokesman said the reptiles were not repatriated as the Indian authorities had rejected the department’s offer to send them back home.
It said all seized animals were dealt with and handled according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature guidelines.
The local species seized from the traders have been treated and rehabilitated. They will be released back into the wild.
WWF: Set up animal welfare centre
The Star 20 May 17;
PETALING JAYA: An independently-run wildlife rescue and welfare centre should be established to help the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) to care for seized animals in this country.
WWF-Malaysia chief executive officer Datuk Dr Dionysius Sharma (pic) said the setting up of such a centre would reduce the mortality rate of the seized animals.
“The department handles different seized wildlife at different times. It has limited facilities and manpower to care for and handle the animals under its custody.
“A rescue centre can be the ideal solution,” he said.
Sharma said that, technically, some of these seized animals should be sent to zoos to be looked after.
He said the Malacca Zoo used to be under Perhilitan’s jurisdiction but after it was privatised, it was difficult for the facility or any other zoo in the country to take in and care for seized animals.
Sharma said an independently-run wildlife centre would allow the seized wildlife to be professionally looked after.
“It would also be responsible for rehabilitating some of the local seized animals to be released back into the wild,” he said.
Currently, he said, there was no such centre but if funds were available, it could be established with the help of non-governmental organisations involved in wildlife conservation.
Doc: Caring for seized wildlife not too difficult
VINCENT TAN The Star 21 May 17;
PETALING JAYA: Taking care of seized wildlife may be challenging, but it certainly is not very difficult, says a former Zoo Negara official.
Former Zoo Negara assistant director Datuk Dr S. Vellayan said given the correct living conditions and nutrition, these animals could survive.
He said many of those handling the seized animals in Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) have no proper training on wildlife husbandry, hence leading to complications in keeping the rescued animals alive.
He said many of the officers assigned to look after the animals would employ a trial and error method instead.
Dr Vellayan, currently an associate professor at the Puncak Alam campus of Universiti Teknologi Mara, said taking care of wildlife, whether in zoos or a conservation facility requires people with zoological knowledge and experience to understand wildlife physiology and nutritional needs.
“The department also needs funds to send their rangers and veterinarians, who are seconded from the Veterinary Department, to go on specialised courses on wildlife management,” he said.
Currently, many of Perhilitan’s officers, rangers and veterinarians managing the wildlife rescued and welfare centres lack formal training in wildlife husbandry and medicine. Many of them learned their skills on the job, he said.
“Perhilitan needs to draw up better standard operating procedures, including record-keeping as it is important to note observations like food intake and changes to the animals’ condition,” he said.
Dr Vellayan said the lack of knowledge of animals’ diet could also lead to their death.
The Star yesterday reported that thousands of protected animals seized by Perhilitan have died in the hands of the authority in the past year due to mishandling.
These animals, many of which are endangered species and exotic, were being smuggled or kept illegally by local pet owners when they were seized.
The Jakarta Post 19 May 17;
The Indonesian climate agency detected 18 hot spots on Friday, indicating forests and lands were burning in regions on Sumatra Island, as happens each year, resulting in pollution and upsetting neighboring countries.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said that fires had been found in Jambi, South Sumatra, Riau and Riau Islands, which are in the dry season.
“The hot spots have been recorded over the past week,” said Slamet Riyadi, head of the data and information division of the BMKG’s Pekanbaru branch in Riau.
There were seven hot spots in Jambi while four fires were burning in some areas of the Riau and South Sumatra provinces, according to the Terra and Aqua satellites.
Forest and land fires are perennial problems in the country, with the latest massive fires in 2015 resulting in a choking haze blanketing numerous areas in Sumatra and Kalimantan, as well as neighboring countries, and costing the economy Rp 221 trillion, equal to about 1.9 percent of the country’s GDP. (mos/dan)
Lea Wee Straits Times 19 May 17
Take a hike to a little-known western part of Pulau Ubin, visit a kampung house to get a taste of kampung life or join in nocturnal activities including nature walks and kayaking trips.
These are just some of the things you can do at Pesta Ubin, which celebrates the culture, nature and way of life in Pulau Ubin. The festival is back for the second year with close to 100 activities lined up over 10 weekends till July 16.
This is almost double the number of activities at last year's festival, which was held over five weekends and drew about 6,000 participants.
With more activities over a longer duration, Ms Ria Tan, the coordinator of the open house who runs wildlife website wildsingapore, expects to see a bigger crowd of about 8,000 people this year.
Some of the activities that are back by popular demand include night walks by nature guide Subaraj Rajathurai from Strix Wildlife Consultancy and kayaking at the granite quarries at Pulau Ubin with student volunteers from Republic Polytechnic. The quarries are usually closed to the public.
Nature walk Balik Chek Jawa also returns this year. On June 3, volunteer guides will be stationed at different parts of the boardwalk to talk about the wildlife at the wetlands.
This is one of the few occasions when registration is not needed to go on a guided walk to Chek Jawa, which was saved from reclamation in 2001.
There are also new activities such as a hike by youth from Outward Bound Singapore (OBS) to little- known parts of western Pulau Ubin, including parts of the OBS campus.
Visitors can also have a taste of kampung life at the new Living Fisher Village - a kampung house where a villager known as Uncle Ah Kok still lives - part of which has been opened to the public for the festival.
There, they can take part in activities run by volunteers from the Sea Angels group. These include cooking demonstrations and storytelling sessions. Visitors can meet fishermen to buy their fresh catch.
As the house is located near the shoreline, it is the meeting point for many Pesta Ubin activities, such as day and night kayaking and boat tours to floating fish farms and mangroves.
Like last year, there are more than 10 nature art activities, but the programme this year is more varied, thanks to the participation of the National Parks Board's nAtuRe connecTion.
It has a series of free art workshops, talks and an exhibition run by local artists and friends of Pulau Ubin, including Mr Francis Theo, who sketches with a ballpoint pen, and veteran artist Ho Kah Leong, who is known for his oil paintings of nature and kampungs.
For those who wish to give back to the island, this edition of Pesta Ubin offers many opportunities for volunteering.
Participants can be nature guides at Chek Jawa, help reforest Ubin's habitat with the National Parks Board or join a forest clean-up with Nature Society (Singapore).
Electrical technician Mohammad Juhari, 67, will be volunteering at Pesta Ubin for the second time this year. Among other things, he will be manning a kampung photo booth in Ubin Town and volunteering at Balik Chek Jawa.
Mr Juhari, who grew up in Sentosa, says he loves island life.
"Ubin is special because it is not just full of nature, but also heritage. I hope that as a volunteer, I can get more people to visit this island."
•For more information and to register for activities, go to pestaubin2017.blogspot.sg
Farezza Hanum Rashid New Straits Times 18 May 17;
KUALA LUMPUR: Indonesia has given its assurance that there will be no recurrence of the haze in 2017.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said this was the assurance given by the republic at the 19th Meeting of the Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee on Transboundary Haze Pollution today.
The meeting was attended by representatives from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
“Last year, scientific monitoring showed that Malaysia suffered only two days of bad haze while Singapore had three days, a significant improvement from the worst haze we had in 2015.
“Indonesia took systematic actions in 2016 based on the Roadmap on Asean Cooperation towards Transboundary Haze Pollution Control with Means of Implementation, which led to the improved conditions last year,” Wan Junaidi said.
He said in case haze pollution occurs this year, Malaysia is prepared to assist the Indonesian government in tackling the situation if the latter needs it.
“I already have instructions from the Prime Minister. Our bombardier and Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (Smart) teams will be made available if the need arises," he said.
Malaysia ready to send team to Indonesia to stop haze
The Star 19 May 17;
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is ready to send its firefighters and the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (Smart) to help neighbouring Indonesia in combatting the haze this year.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said he had been notified by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to ready these teams if Indonesia asked for them.
Speaking after chairing the 19th meeting of the sub-regional Ministerial Steering Committee (MSC) on Transboundary Haze Pollution, Dr Wan Junaidi added that he had also received assurances that there would be no haze this year.
In 2016, he said, Indonesia took large-scale action by deploying soldiers, police and district officers in places where open burning is usually done to combat the haze.
“Due to the systematic and aggressive action, we only had about one day of haze.
“If you ask the Singaporeans, they will also say it was only for one day, although there were actually three,” the minister said.
Indonesia has consistently given assurances to its neighbours that it would clamp down on open burning and that there would not be any haze during the dry season.
Both Dr Wan Junaidi and Asean secretary-general Le Luong Minh said a study on the economic, health and social impact of the 2015 haze which blanketed most of South-East Asia, was ready and being disseminated to member countries.
“The road map seems to be working. Hopefully, by 2020, we will achieve the target of haze-free Asean,” the minister added.
The annual meeting is attended by ministers and representatives responsible for the environment, land, forest fires and haze, from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
A press statement released by the body noted that the Asean Specialised Metereological Centre (ASMC) forecast dry weather conditions for the region from June until October.
Below normal to normal rainfall is also expected, the statement said. The MSC countries have pledged to continuously monitor and step up efforts to minimise transboundary smoke haze from land and forest fires.
Thailand will host next year’s meeting.
ASEAN ministers warn against complacency in tackling haze
Melissa Goh Channel NewsAsia 18 May 17;
KUALA LUMPUR: Indonesia has told its neighbours at an ASEAN meeting on Thursday (May 18) that the haze situation in the region will be like it was in 2016.
Ministers and senior officials from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Brunei met in Kuala Lumpur for the sub-regional steering committee on transboundary haze pollution – and said the roadmap towards achieving a haze free region by year 2020 is on track.
The roadmap on ASEAN Cooperation towards Transboundary Haze Pollution Control with Means of Implementation was ratified in 2016 by member countries.
"The roadmap seems to be working," said Malaysia’s Environment Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar. "There wasn’t much haze in 2016; there were maybe two days of haze.
"Indonesia has assured us that this year will be like last year."
While countries have agreed to conduct a midterm review in 2018 on the progress of the roadmap implementation, consensus have been achieved on sharing of information on hotspots in respective countries, according to Singapore’s Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli.
In general, the weather condition this year is expected to be better than in 2016 said Wan Junaidi with mild El Nino effects, despite the dry spell in the region which is expected to last until September.
ASEAN Secretary-General Le Luong Minh told countries to remain vigilant. "There is no room for complacency," he said. "If you look at weather patterns in the last two years, it's been very abnormal - so we have to remain vigilant.
“We must continue with our efforts to implement haze control measures."
Indonesia has given its commitment to continue its peatland restoration programme, while the existing moratorium on giving out new concessions on peatland will continue.
Singapore’s Masagos also highlighted the efforts being done in enforcement. Culprits who start forest fires can be arrested and charged in Singapore if the companies fall under the city-state’s jurisdiction.
Banks have also implemented guidelines to stop all lending to errant companies, while consumers are encouraged to purchase products that come with the Singapore Green Label certification.
"Singapore stands ready to cooperate with its ASEAN neighbours to address land and forest fires," said Masagos. "Singapore collaborated with Jambi province on capacity building projects between 2007 and 2011 to address land and forest fires."
Minister Masagos said efforts to fight the haze need to be continued bilaterally, even though the agreement on sharing information does not go as far as sharing concession maps.
Singapore has also offered to revive the Memorandum of Understanding with Indonesia in controlling hotspots in Jambi, Sumatra. "They have yet to respond," said Masagos. "We are open to discussions but the Indonesian government needs to give us the right signal when the cooperation is needed."
Read more at http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/asean-ministers-warn-against-complacency-in-tackling-haze-8860568
S-E Asia ‘likely to see more hotspots than last year’
Today Online 18 May 17;
KUALA LUMPUR — South-east Asia is likely to see a higher number of hotspots linked to forest fires and haze this year compared with last year, a regional meteorological body has warned.
The Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) added that with a chance of El Nino conditions emerging in the upcoming dry season from June to October, the region could also see less rainfall than normal.
The forecast by the ASMC — set up in 1993 as a regional collaboration programme among Asean member states’ national meteorological services — was cited in a statement released on Thursday (May 18) following a sub-regional Ministerial Steering Committee (MSC) meeting on transboundary haze pollution.
The meeting in Kuala Lumpur was attended by Ministers and senior officials from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Brunei.
“MSC countries pledged to remain vigilant and continuously monitor and step up their haze preventive efforts to minimise any possible occurrence of transboundary smoke haze from land and forest fires in anticipation of the drier weather in the coming months,” the statement said, adding that the five countries will strengthen cooperation “to ensure the timely and effective deployment of international resources for firefighting assistance, mitigate land and forest fires, and to control smoke haze pollution”.
Haze caused by Indonesian farmers who burn forests to clear their land for agriculture is a recurring problem in the South-east Asia region.
In late 2015, Singapore, as well as Malaysia and parts of Thailand, suffered a severe haze that affected tens of millions of people, forcing schools to close and causing thousands across the region to fall sick.
Last year, however, the skies here were largely clear of the haze partly due to the wetter weather. There were just over a hundred hotspots in Indonesia, compared with thousands in 2015.
At Thurday's meeting, Indonesia gave the assurance that there will be no recurrence of transboundary haze this year. “Indonesia has assured us that this year will be like last year,” Malaysia’s Environment Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar told reporters.
Mr Nazir Foead, the chief of Indonesia’s Peatland Restoration Agency, gave a similar assurance on the sidelines of an international forum on peatlands in Jakarta on Thursday.
South Sumatra province governor Alex Noerdin had told a panel discussion in Singapore last month that there will be no haze coming from his province this year.
Asean secretary-general Le Luong Minh was more cautious, urging countries to remain vigilant. “There is no room for complacency,” he said. “If you look at weather patterns in the past two years, it’s been very abnormal — so we have to remain vigilant. We must continue with our efforts to implement haze control measures.” AGENCIES
Channel NewsAsia 18 May 17;
SINGAPORE: A man who kept at least five hedgehogs illegally was fined S$2,200, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) said on Thursday (May 18).
Raymi Thye Mustafa, 24, was fined S$1,000 for keeping a hedgehog illegally and another S$1,200 for obstructing its investigation. Four other charges involving other hedgehogs were also taken into consideration during the sentencing.
In its media release, AVA said it was alerted to the sale of a hedgehog on online marketplace Gumtree on Jan 10 this year.
It conducted an undercover operation with an AVA officer posing as an interested buyer.
Raymi tried to flee when the AVA officer identified himself and asked him to produce his identification card. However, he was caught and the hedgehog seized. Raymi led officers to his home, where they found and seized another four hedgehogs.
The hedgehogs have been placed in the care of Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS), AVA said.
In the media release, AVA said that wild animals such as hedgehogs were not allowed to be kept as pets in Singapore. "Wild animals are not suitable pets as some may transmit zoonotic diseases to humans and can be a public safety risk if mishandled or if they escape into the dense urban environment," the agency explained.
In addition, wild animals that are non-native to Singapore may also be a threat to local biodiversity if released into the environment. Demand for such animals would fuel an illegal wildlife trade, which would severely impact the wild populations of numerous species, it added.
Members of the public with information on such illicit activities can contact AVA at 6805 2992. All information shared with AVA will be kept strictly confidential, the authority said.
Today Online 18 May 17;
SINGAPORE — A new public garden has been opened to mark the start of Biodiversity Week, which runs from May 20 to 28, the National Parks Board (NParks) announced on Thursday (May 18).
The enhanced Native Garden @ HortPark will feature 100 species native plants, including edibles, shrubs, and trees — the highest concentration of native plants in a single location in Singapore.
NParks said the garden aims to promote the use of native plants in gardens and will provide visitors with “a wealth of information on their uses for food, medicine and timber, how they support native fauna, how they can be used in landscapes and how to grow them”.
The Native Garden features different landscapes that showcase native plants in their natural habitats, and visitors will also be able to explore the five zones where plants are categorised based on how they are used — as medicine, food, timber or to enhance habitats for birds and butterflies.
Rare or critically endangered species at the Garden include the Purple Simpoh, which has yellow flowers and grows along the freshwater swamps of Singapore; the Seashore Purslane, a plant with purple flowers that can be found on Pulau Ubin; and the Nephelium maingayi, sometimes called the “nude rambutan” which has edible fruits that resemble hairless rambutans and taste like rambutans.
Activities at the Garden have been planned for Biodiversity Week, from May 20, such as a daily, free hour-long guided tour; and Gardeners’ Day Out, a native plant sale where visitors can see and purchase native plants which are otherwise not commercially available, including the Singapore Kopsia.
Other activities planned for Biodiversity Week, not held at the Native Garden, include Festival of Biodiversity on May 27 and 28 at nex shopping mall, where games, crafts, interactive workshops and exhibitions will be featured.
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