Best of our wild blogs: 5 Nov 17

Pitcher Plant Hybrids
Urban Forest

Butterfly Photography at Our Local Parks - Bukit Panjang Butterfly Garden
Butterflies of Singapore

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Commentary on nuclear energy sparks debate over risks, safety

Singapore is not ready, say experts, following ST Opinion contributor's article advocating it
Sue-Ann Tan Straits Times 5 Nov 17;

Singapore is not ready to tap nuclear energy - this is the stance of the Government and experts in the field whom The Sunday Times spoke to.

Their responses come after a debate in the past two weeks between writers to The Straits Times Forum page and ST Opinion contributor Lim Soon Heng.

Mr Lim, managing director of shipyard planning company Emas Consultants, said Singapore should move towards nuclear power. In a commentary on Oct 24, he pointed out that there are "more than 450 nuclear power plants in operation and 60 under development" worldwide.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Mr Lim advocated building a floating plant offshore. This would keep it away from residential areas and also reduce the risk of the reactor overheating.

"Accidents happen when coolants are not circulating properly and there is a meltdown," he said. "If the nuclear plant is floating, the surrounding water will provide additional coolants that can keep it from overheating."

Mr Lim is also the managing director of Floating Solutions, a firm that provides help for those involved with offshore, floating structures.

In response, Forum writers argued that nuclear reactors carried the risk of accidents, which would have vast consequences for a small country like Singapore. Letter writer Teoh Woi Khon suggested Singapore should adopt a "wait-and-see approach" instead of rushing into harnessing nuclear energy.

SAFETY FIRST

Safety should be the main concern. Singapore... is too small and too densely populated to allow for a standard modern nuclear plant.

PROFESSOR CLAUDE GUET, research programme director at the Energy Research Institute at NTU.
Experts agree that nuclear energy is not currently suitable for Singapore, but this could change when new and safer technologies are developed.

Professor Claude Guet, research programme director at the Energy Research Institute at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), said: "Safety should be the main concern. Singapore... is too small and too densely populated to allow for a standard modern nuclear plant."

He added that moving towards nuclear energy is also a multi-step process, including building up "excellent engineers" and setting up a legal framework and safety authority.

"We have to be well aware that it is a long-term commitment requiring a political consensus to a large extent," he said.

National University of Singapore (NUS) professor Lim Hock, director of the Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Initiative, said: "With the current technology where the reactor core can overheat and release radioactive elements into the environment, it is a real risk.

"There can be many layers of protection, but nothing is ever 100 per cent (foolproof).

"In the case of Fukushima, it was triggered by a natural disaster beyond human control."

Prof Lim was referring to the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant accident. He added that the initiative's mission is to learn more about nuclear energy and develop expertise in the area, so that if there is any nuclear fallout in the region, Singapore will be able to deal with it.

Aside from concerns about the environmental and health impacts of using nuclear energy, "people are also concerned over where a nuclear power plant can be located", said NTU communications professor Shirley Ho.

"There is the fear of nuclear technologies being weaponised," she added.

The Government's stance on nuclear power has not changed since the Ministry of Trade and Industry's statements in 2012. At the time, it concluded that current nuclear energy technologies were not suitable for Singapore.

In a statement to The Sunday Times, the National Research Foundation (NRF) said: "We will continue to monitor the progress of these nuclear energy technologies to keep our energy options open for the future."

NRF said that it would also keep strengthening its capabilities to understand nuclear science by supporting research in these areas.

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Malaysia: More needs to be done to protect Malayan tapir, other animals - Animal rights activist

Veena Babulal New Straits Times 4 Nov 17;

KUALA LUMPUR: Animal rights activist Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye has once again called for all parties to step up efforts to protect the Malayan tapir.

This follows the death of a tapir in Hulu Langat which is widely believed to have been the result of a botched rescue attempt.

Lee, who is patron of the Selangor Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) told the New Straits Times that this had to be done through a more comprehensive and effective awareness campaign.

Drawing on the incident on Oct 26 where a tapir wandered into Taman Desa Saujana, Batu 14, Hulu Langat and fell into a drain, he said rapid development would continue to push wildlife into wandering into human settlements.

However, he stressed that those without knowledge about rescuing the endangered species, or any other animal for that matter, should not attempt to do so.

Lee said they should, instead, call the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan), as its officers were the experts in the matter.

“We do not want the same thing to recur where members of the public and those from agencies who do not know how to handle animals that are lost, injured or trapped in a human settlement or near the road (botch a rescue attempt). At the same time, we do not want wildlife carcasses to be mutilated and its parts stolen for its supposed medicinal properties,” said Lee, drawing on a separate incident in April where a dead tapir was found in Simpang Slow Temiang near Kuala Krai in Kelantan with its skin and nose removed.

In the Oct 26 incident, Perhilitan officers had found that some parts of the adult male tapir, such as its ears, front leg, trunk and skin were mutilated.

Their initial observations suggested that a possible cause of death was stress and inappropriate rescue methods used in the operation.

The Civil Defence Force has since denied that its personnel or firemen present had mishandled the tapir and instead claimed the animal was strangled and tied with ropes by the public before their arrival.

Lee called on members of parliament to raise the matter in the Dewan Rakyat so a special allocation can be included in the 2018 Budget to address the issue.

He said funds should be made available to organise a massive awareness campaign and implement plans such as building habitats and special routes for animals in high-risk areas.

“More animal viaducts need to be built with the help of Perhilitan along the highways and roads that cut through animal habitats or their migration routes,” said Lee.

He said 40 tapirs have been killed in road accidents since 2010, with the latest incident some two months ago involving a pair of tapirs at the Gebeng bypass in Kuantan.

“Perhilitan’s records show that there are 61 road and highway networks that have incidents of roadkill. And the five with the highest number of cases are Jalan Kuala Lipis-Gua Musang, Jalan Kulai-Kota Tinggi, Jalan Gua Musang-Kuala Krai; East Coast Expressway 2 and Jalan Taiping-Selama,” said Lee.

He said that new land transport routes, including the High Speed ​​Rail (HSR) project between Malaysia and Singapore and the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) that will connect Kuala Lumpur and the east coast states, must also take animal habitats and migration routes into account.

Lee said that the conflict between man and wildlife was deplorable, based on media reports, and he believes that many are also unaware that Malayan tapirs are on the verge of extinction, with only 1,200 to 1,500 left in the wild in the peninsula.

“Although the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, which replaces the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, provides higher penalties to those who kill wild animals, lack of awareness among the community has caused this problem to persist.”

Under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, individuals who take body parts of protected animals can be charged under Section 68 and fined up to RM100,000 or jailed up to three years or both.

Ill treatment of wildlife is also punishable under Section 86 o

f the act, with anyone found guilty liable to a fine of up to RM50,000 or imprisonment of up to a year, or both.

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Malaysia: Sabah Wildlife team foils duo's attempt to sell off pangolin

AVILA GERALDINE New Straits Times 4 Nov 17;

PENAMPANG: Sabah wildlife enforcement personnel nabbed two people for illegal possession of a pangolin worth RM880 at Donggongon town here, this afternoon.

Acting on a tip-off, Sabah Wildlife Department deployed the team to a carpark area at the town to intercept an animal trafficking activity in progress.

Its director Augustine Tuuga, in a statement said the suspects were a local man and woman, both aged 42 from Penampang.

“They were trying to sell the pangolin to a ‘customer’ at the parking lot, where the transaction was supposed to take place.

“The pangolin was found in a sack placed at the back seat of the woman’s Proton Persona car,” he said, adding that the man had earlier offered to sell the pangolin via social media.

Tuuga said the live pangolin weighs about four kilogrammes (kg) and the duo were trying to sell it for RM220 per kg.

They were detained for investigation under Section 41(2) of the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997 for illegal possession of a protected species.

The offence carries a fine between RM30,000 and RM100,000 or jail term between one year and three years or both, if convicted.

On Oct 26, wildlife enforcement team had also nabbed two men aged 25 and 27 from Papar for illegal possession of a live pangolin.


Couple caught red-handed trying to sell pangolin in carpark
stephanie lee The Star 4 Nov 17;

KOTA KINABALU: A man and a woman have been caught red-handed trying to illegally sell pangolins in Donggonggon, Penampang near here Saturday.

The two suspects, both aged 42, were nabbed while trying to sell the pangolin to a customer at a carpark at about 1pm.

The two suspects were believed to have advertised about their "business" via social media.

Acting on a tip-off from the public, an enforcement team from the Sabah Wildlife Department, assisted by members of Wildlife Rescue Unit (appointed Honorary Wildlife Warden) was dispatched to the location where the transaction was supposed to take place.

They were trying to sell the pangolin at RM220 per kilogram. The live pangolin weighs 4kg.

The duo will be investigated under Section 41(2) of the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997 for illegal possession of a protected species.

The penalty for illegal possession of pangolin is a fine of a minimum of not less than RM30,000 but not exceeding RM100,000 or jail of not less than one year but not exceeding three years, or both, if convicted.

This is the second arrest following an earlier one on Oct 26 where two men aged 25 and 27 from Papar were arrested for illegal possession of a live pangolin.

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Half of Hawaii's coral reefs bleached in 2014-15

Associated Press Business Insider 3 Nov 17;

HONOLULU (AP) — Nearly half of Hawaii's coral reefs were bleached during heat waves in 2014 and 2015 and fisheries close to shore are declining, a group of scientists told state lawmakers.

The scientists from the Nature Conservancy briefed the lawmakers on Thursday about what they called unprecedented for Hawaii's sea life.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials said 56 percent of the Big Island's coral were bleached, along with 44 percent along West Maui and 32 percent around Oahu.

The scientists said more severe and frequent bleaching is predicted.

"In the 2030s, 30 to 50 percent of the years will have major bleaching events in Hawaii," said Kuulei Rogers of the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology.

When ocean temperatures rise, coral expel the algae they rely on for food. This causes their skeletons to lose their color and appear "bleached."

Coral can recover if the water cools. But they die if high temperatures persist. Eventually reefs degrade, leaving fish without habitats and coastlines less protected from storm surges.

As for Hawaii's fish, University of Hawaii researchers compiled data for 15 years and found a 90 percent decline in overall catch from the last 100 years, which includes fish such as ulua, moi and oio.

"What we found was pretty overwhelming," University of Hawaii scientist Alan Friedlander said. "About 40 percent of the species will be classified as overfished. The correlations are more people, less fish."

Friedlander suggested expanding marine reserves and said gear restrictions and size limits help, but bag limits and quotas don't work.

Those who fish argued against more regulations.

"If the fishermen don't stand up and come down here and fight for fisherman's rights now, we'll lose more than we can possibly ever imagine," said Makani Christensen of the Hunting, Farming and Fishing Association.

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Best of our wild blogs: 4 Nov 17

How unhealthy is the haze from Indonesia’s annual peat fires?
Conservation news

Night Walk At Dairy Farm Nature Farm (03 Nov 2017)
Beetles@SG BLOG

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Singaporeans have to take ownership in keeping country clean: DPM Tharman

Chan Luo Er Channel NewsAsia 4 Nov 17;

SINGAPORE: Singaporeans have to take ownership in keeping the country clean, said Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the annual Clean and Green carnival on Saturday (Nov 4).

Although Singapore has done well in transforming its waterways, and becoming one of the few Asian cities with greenery throughout the country, more work needs to be done on the cleanliness front, he said.

"Today we are reliant on 50,000 cleaners … We also have our community initiatives, teams of volunteers who go around and help pick up the litter. But that isn’t going to solve the problem," said Mr Tharman.

“It starts from young, building that culture. And it is all about public-spiritedness – being mindful of our neighbours, people who live beside us, and a little further from us, and owning Singapore together.”

Mr Tharman also commended efforts such as the Education Ministry's move to introduce daily cleaning by students in all schools. He also spoke about technological advances such as solar panels that help make sustainable living more affordable and attractive to businesses.

At the event, the Deputy Prime Minister also planted a cratoxylum cochinchinese – a tree native to Singapore that can grow up to 30m – along Boon Keng Road. He also presented eight awards to grassroots organisations for their efforts in areas such as public hygiene and energy efficiency.

The carnival, held at the open field next to Boon Keng MRT station’s Exit C, showcases how Singaporeans can adopt a greener lifestyle such as by using energy-efficient appliances and recycling in different ways.

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Keen gardeners can now rent spaces at parks to grow their own crops

Raffaella Nathan Charles Straits Times 3 Nov 17;

SINGAPORE - Amid the backdrop of an increasingly eco-conscious Singapore, the National Parks Board (NParks) will for the first time be leasing out garden spaces in their parks for anyone to grow their own plants.

These 2.5 sq m plots can be rented at a price of $57 a year, for up to three years. Users can use the space to grow any plants of their choice, from blooms to vegetables.

A total of 1,000 of these "allotment gardens" will be built in 10 parks by 2019, said NParks.

This move is part of a broader Edible Horticulture Plan launched on Friday (Nov 3) that also spells out training initiatives and ways to support gardening in Singapore.

In recent years, more community gardens have sprouted islandwide, reflecting a keen interest in gardening beyond the professional sphere. Gardening enthusiasts also say that they have observed more aspiring green thumbs.

Mr Desmond Lee, Minister for Social And Family Development, who made the announcement on Friday, noted that gardens have sprung up not only in residential estates, but also in schools, and even indoors.

Mr Lee, who is also Second Minister for National Development, also said that about 80 per cent of community gardeners under NParks' Community In Bloom (CIB) programme grow edibles in their shared plots.

He was speaking at the Community Garden Festival, which runs from Friday to Sunday, 9am to 7pm, at HortPark off Alexandra Road.

In a pilot allotment garden scheme that started in 2016, 80 allotment plots that were made available in Hort Park were quickly snapped up by those interested in growing their own crops.

By year-end, new allotment gardens will be available for rent at Punggol, Clementi and Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Parks.

NParks provides the basics: a raised garden plot at waist-level, soil and water. The gardeners simply have to bring their own seeds and tools.

Mrs Emily Fong, a retiree in her 60s, owns a plot in in HortPark. Her own 2.5 sq m space is right next to her niece's.

She said of the plots: "There's a sense of ownership. It's a bit hard in the shared community gardens, because how do you determine what you own?"

NParks said there are now over 1,300 community garden groups.

As part of the Edible Horticulture Plan, NParks aims enhance training schemes from the current basic training needed to be a CIB gardener.

The new three-tiered training scheme sees a basic level, an advanced level for decorative plants, edibles and pollinator-attracting plants, as well as a final level to become a CIB ambassador who will groom a new generation of gardeners.

Hundreds of people turned up to the festival itself, attending talks, tours, buying plants at their retail marketplace, and more.

"I'm impressed with the gardens," said housewife 47-year-old Rosna Hamde, who turned up with her nine-year-old son Rafael Afiq. "This is my second time at the festival since the first one in 2015. I came for the tours, talks, and maybe I'll go for the cooking demonstrations too."


More communal gardens in the heartlands as part of new national master plan
Dawn Ang Siew Lin Channel NewsAsia 3 Nov 17;

SINGAPORE: More public gardening plots will be installed in parks across Singapore as part of the new national gardening master plan announced on Friday (Nov 3).

A total of 160 gardening plots will be launched at HortPark, and another 200 across 10 other parks such as Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, Clementi Woods Park and Punggol Park by the end of this year, the National Parks Board (NParks) said.

Plots will be rented to interested parties at S$57 yearly, for up to three years.

"We plan to eventually have more than 1,000 allotment gardening plots for (all) to use," said Second Minister for National Development Desmond Lee, who was speaking at NParks' biannual Community Garden Festival.

The Edible Horticulture Masterplan has four focus areas in total, said Mr Lee.

Under the plan, courses will be held for community garden enthusiasts and landscaping professionals. On Friday, NParks also unveiled a new training centre at HortPark - a refurbished colonial-style house named HortHouse, which will host arboriculture, botany and horticulture courses. Classes will begin in January next year.

Fast-growing edible plants that also bear fruit quickly will be promoted along with new gardening technologies. Education and outreach efforts to encourage community gardening activities among members of public, families and neighbours will also be ramped up.

The aim is to get more Singaporeans involved in the community gardening movement, said Mr Lee, who is also Minister for Social and Family Development.

NParks also announced on Friday that starting January, it will take over the management and development of the orchid sector from the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority, bringing the entire landscape industry under its scope.

NParks will engage with landscape industry partners in the coming months to keep them abreast of developments such as on land tender and account manager changes, said Mr Chong Whye Keet, director at NParks' Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology.

Orchid industry partners can expect more details to be released early next year.


Gardening fans snap up 330 allotment plots
Raffaella Nathan Charles Straits Times 8 Nov 17;

The plot to get Singaporeans gardening and harvesting is off to a flying start.

Two days after the National Parks Board (NParks) announced it was making available 330 allotment garden plots, all have been snapped up.

Gardening enthusiasts formed long snaking queues around the Allotment Garden Booth at the second Community Garden Festival in HortPark last weekend. By the end of Sunday, all 110 plots in Punggol Park, 60 in Clementi Woods Park, and 160 in HortPark were taken up.

The 2.5 sq m plots allow gardeners of any skill level to grow their own plants, with soil and water provided by NParks. Individuals simply need to provide their own seeds and tools.

One household is entitled to one plot, costing $57 a year. Leases are for three years.

Housewife Kelly Orozco is eagerly waiting for the upcoming opening of allotment garden plots in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park.

NParks plans to open 70 plots there by the middle of next month, which the public can sign up for on its website or at the park's site office.

The 53-year-old housewife, who lives in Toa Payoh, has her own garden at the back of her first-floor HDB flat. But her plants, especially the edibles, sometimes get stolen by neighbours or eaten by pests.

"I want to have the freedom to plant what I want, without it getting stolen," she said.

The allotment gardens are considered "a novelty" to her in land-scarce Singapore. "Gardening helps me destress, so the individual lots will be very useful to me," she said.

The allotment gardening scheme aims to increase spaces provided to garden and promote edible gardening, in line with NParks' Edible Horticulture Masterplan.

The plan taps the hot trend of planting edibles: 80 per cent of over 1,300 NParks' public estate community gardens grow their own fruits and vegetables.

The public can expect more than 1,000 allotment garden plots in 11 parks across the island by 2019.

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Malaysia: Terengganu caged fish breeders urged to step up harvesting before monsoon season

ADRIAN DAVID New Straits Times 4 Nov 17;

KUALA TERENGGANU: With the impending monsoon floods, caged fish breeders along Terengganu’s main rivers have been advised to harvest their catch promptly to avoid losses.

Terengganu Fisheries Department director Zawawi Ali made the recommendation for the 236 registered fishermen and breeders who ply their trade along rivers such as Sungai Terengganu, to take the pro-active measure.

Caged fish breeding along rivers has been popular for many years and supplements fishermen’s income, accounting for tens of thousands of ringgit in catch per cage.

“But with strong currents and (rising river levels during the monsoon season), the cages become damaged, allowing fish to escape, resulting in losses for fishermen and breeders.

“For instance, during the last monsoon season, some of the breeders suffered losses of up to RM20,000 for each cage,” Zawawi said after releasing 5,800 lobster hatchlings into the open river at Dataran Pengkalan Penambang in Beladau Kepong.

He said thunderstorms also cause riverbank trees or their branches to fall onto the cages, damaging them further.

“Our department is assisting the breeders by providing suitable equipment, including ropes, netting and boats, to secure their cages,” said Zawawi.

He advised the cage owners to have a system of breeding fish fry soon after the monsoon season in March, so that they can harvest the grown catch before the following monsoon begins.

On the release of the lobster hatchlings, Zawawi said the effort is meant to replenish the dwindling lobster population in the open rivers and estuaries.

The department has released 1.8 million lobster hatchlings into the state’s seven rivers since 2011.

“The releases are to enable the lobster hatchlings to mature over several months, and periodically provide fishermen with alternate sources of income.

“The mature lobsters are usually caught in traps or fishing rods,” he added.

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Malaysia: Sarawak focuses on forest research

geryl ogilvy The Star 4 Nov 17;

KUCHING: The state government will back Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) with funding in forest research to maximise the timber industry’s growth while ensuring sustainability.

Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said SFC would receive financial support to adopt technology in their forest conservation and protection efforts, especially in mitigating illegal logging.

He urged SFC and other forest agencies to focus on research and development (R&D) to support the establishment of a strong and robust industrial forest plantation sector, where all raw material needs of the processing industry can be met.

“I will give you funds to carry out research. Find new ways and scientific methods of not only planting trees but adding value to downstream industries such as research on furniture.

“We must be committed to protect our environment,” he said at the SFC 14th anniversary dinner here.

On the state’s long-term policy on environment, Abang Johari said combating illegal logging remained a challenge.

“The state is committed to enlarge its protected forest areas, nature reserves and wildlife parks,” he said, lauding SFC’s use of drones in enforcement, boundary patrolling, wildlife survey and monitoring of harvesting operations.

Timber industry players are required to strengthen their industrial forest planting activities to provide sustainable feedstock and at the same time, carry out more research to spur growth of planted forests.

Abang Johari mentioned Scandinavian countries like Finland, despite slow growth of trees for timber, was able to turn its furniture industry as among the top in the world. He also cited Johor, which has a higher timber product revenue than Sarawak despite a smaller land mass and less timber resources.

“We produce lots of logs but we don’t add value to our resources. That is why it is important to fund our R&D.

“We must expedite the development of our industrial forests so we can use our natural forests for other purposes instead of logging, such as ecotourism and the provision of ecosystem services,” he said.

Abang Johari announced that he would be introducing a new bill in the upcoming state assembly on the establishment of a research council that would coordinate all R&D activities in the state.

“This is to streamline all R&D efforts to help facilitate the commercialisation of R&D outputs,” he said.

The dinner saw SFC ink an agreement with Spectral Imaging System (SIS) Sdn Bhd, which delivers high-speed geospatial data acquisition and analytic solutions to support strategic management decisions.

SIS is able to deliver fast intelligence based data acquired using remote sensing platforms.

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'Jakarta Declaration' Aimed at Helping Indonesia Save Its Peatlands

A coalition of peatland protection institutions, along with researchers from several countries, issued a declaration in Jakarta on Thursday, aimed at encouraging the responsible management of these ecosystems. Dames Alexander Sinaga Jakarta Globe 3 Nov 17;

Jakarta. A coalition of peatland protection institutions, along with researchers from several countries, issued a declaration in Jakarta on Thursday (02/11) aimed at encouraging the responsible management of these ecosystems, in addition to a plan to establish an international committee this year.

"We have issued the Jakarta Declaration as a milestone for promoting action on the responsible management of tropical peatland, which is a basis for bridging Indonesian stakeholders and the international community," said Gerald Schmilewski, president director of the International Peatland Society (IPS).

Schmilewski explained that the declaration was a move to restore degraded peatlands in Indonesia, as it requires the substantial development of an integrated peatland management system based on scientific and technical knowledge.

He added that the coalition agreed to establish an international committee before the end of this year to provide technical consultation and to facilitate Indonesia's tropical peatland restoration actions.

The declaration follows a two-day "Framework on Tropical Peatland Restoration" panel discussion in Jakarta on Wednesday and Thursday. It was organized by the Indonesian Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG), IPS and the Japan Peatland Society (JPS).

Participants included 69 researchers and practitioners from various countries, including Indonesia, Germany, Japan, Finland, Mexico, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Netherlands. They will undertake a field trip to study degraded peatlands in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, on Friday and Saturday to provide the BRG with technical advice on the restoration of Indonesia's degraded tropical peatlands.

Besides the plan to establish an international committee, the BRG, IPS and JPS have also set a target to establish a tropical peatland center in Indonesia this year, with the purpose of assisting the local body with technical and scientific support and help it achieve its mandate to restore 2.4 million hectares of degraded peatlands in the provinces of Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan and Papua by 2020.

BRG head Nazir Foead, who is a former conservationist from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), said participants in the roundtable would seek to launch model pilot projects for responsible management of peatland restoration in the country.

"We have cooperated with the JPS in dealing with a degraded peatland area near Tohor River in Meranti district, Central Kalimantan. We would like to work with other partners in other peatland areas. We want to ask their technical expertise to cooperate with our team," Nazir said on Wednesday.

He urged panel participants establish a capacity-building system to help the BRG achieve its peatland restoration target by 2020.

The main sponsors of the event are the United Nations Development Program, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Norwegian Embassy and the BRG.

The Indonesian government has started to place greater emphasis on the protection and management of peatlands after heavy international criticism over forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan, which resulted in haze choking several Southeast Asian countries in 2015.

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Indonesia: Air pollution in Jakarta to become worse - Greenpeace

Antara 3 Nov 17;

Jakarta (ANTARA News)- The pollution already suffered by Greater Jakarta will become much worse because of plans to ring the city with coal-fired power plants, says a new report from Greenpeace.

Greater Jakarta could see more new coal-fired power stations built within 100 kilometres than any other capital city, Greenpeace Southeast Asia said in a press release recently.

Greenpeace Indonesias report, "Jakartas Silent Killer", tracks the likely health impacts of all these power plants. It estimates that they would cause a projected 10,600 premature deaths and 2,800 low birth weight births per year; nearly half of them within Greater Jakarta.

Jakarta already has notoriously bad air quality, caused mainly by transport, industry and residential emissions. This air pollution is being made even worse by coal-fired power plants around the city.

Greater Jakarta already sits in the shadow of eight CFPPs (22 units); four more (seven units) will become operational between 2019 and 2024, and one existing plant will be expanded in 2019.

"The people of Jakarta need to recognise that it is not just traffic which is damaging their health, and the health of their children," said Climate and Energy Campaigner of Greenpeace Indonesia, Didit Wicaksono.

Greenpeace has used a sophisticated atmospheric modeling system developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to project the impact on air quality and human health of the power plants surrounding Greater Jakarta. The emissions from the power plants were calculated at full operation based on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), using the assumption of 80% capacity utilization.

The results indicated that the emissions from the existing and new CFPPs are likely to have the biggest impact on pollution levels in cities and towns to the north and west of the power plant. The highest estimated daily SO2, PM2.5 and NO2 levels are in Cilegon, Tangerang, Bogor, and Jakarta for the existing plants. The planned CFPPs will increase pollutants levels not only in those areas, but also in Bekasi, Depok, Tambun, and Karawang. All these areas would be subject to a major new source of air pollution.

The current permitted SO2 and NOx levels (750 mg/Nm3) are seven times higher than other major countries, while the total particulate or PM standard (100 mg/Nm3) is three times higher than others. There are no restrictions on mercury pollution.

"The Government must tighten emission standards for coal power plants in Indonesia and improve the monitoring of these plants. It must put health at the heart of Indonesias energy plan and stop these plans, which will be so hazardous to human health," Didit said.

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