wildsingapore news

Best of our wild blogs: 9 Nov 09

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:00:00 +0000

Hunting across Southeast Asia weakens forests' survival: An interview with Richard Corlett from Mongabay.com Trekking After Rain in the Nature Reserves from Beauty of Fauna and Flora in Nature Throw In Two Crocs from Life's Indulgences Great Day Out At Our Nature Places from colourful clouds Neurothemis fluctuans; Trithemis aurora from Creatures Big & Small Juvenile male Oriental Magpie Robin moulting from Bird Ecology Study Group Monday Morgue: 9th November 2009 from The Lazy Lizard's Tales From 3 Nov: "Under the Sea 3D" now screening at Omni-Theatre from wild shores of singapore

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Struggle to keep divers' code afloat in Singapore

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:04:00 +0000

Straits Times 9 Nov 09; Three people have died while scuba-diving this year. Teh Joo Lin and Kimberly Spykerman look at the state of the leisure diving industry and its practices FOR three years, a 55-page code of practice for the leisure diving industry here has been gathering moss. It was an attempt by the Singapore Underwater Federation (SUF) to make sure dive instructors abide by certain guidelines when they take their clients out to sea. But even the grouping, formed in 1973 to promote safe diving and other underwater activities, has been floundering. It has not held an annual...

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Public need to know the facts on climate change

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:02:00 +0000

Straits Times Forum 9 Nov 09; IN HER letter last Friday, 'Don't promote fence-sitting on global warming', Mrs Sylvia Lee responded to Dr Andy Ho's commentary, 'Reasons for Singapore to be cool on global warming' (Oct 30). She states that we do not need to 'encourage more fence-sitters or buy time by asking for such revisits of the scientific evidence'. I applaud Dr Ho for his commentary. He is correct to state his doubts regarding human-driven climate change and request a full public hearing of the scientific evidence. The global warming issue has not had a public debate or any properly...

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Dead fish under steel 'coffin' at Boat Quay eatery

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Straits Times Forum 9 Nov 09; I WAS walking along Boat Quay last Monday at about 1pm when I noticed what appeared to be a steel 'coffin' in front of a seafood restaurant. It was clearly a security device covering the fish and crab tanks underneath. What drew my attention was a large dead fish lying against the glass. I then noticed other dead fish and others barely alive, clearly distressed and gasping for air. When I touched the steel tank lid, it was very hot. This meant the fish inside were not only deprived of oxygen, but were also being slowly 'broiled' to death. No one was around, so...

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Bird smuggling bid in Malaysia foiled

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:50:00 +0000

Christina Chin, The Star 7 Nov 09; THE Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) swooped in on a suspected bird smuggler and seized 385 birds worth RM30,000 in Kepala Batas. Department director Noor Alif Wira Osman said the birds, believed to have been smuggled from neighbouring countries, were seized by the department’s enforcement unit on Wednesday. “We raided a house in Kampung Selamat at about 6.30pm and found several species of birds kept hidden in a secret storeroom in the premises. “The premises owner, who is in his 30s, was detained and released after his statement...

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Nepal emerges as 'poacher's paradise'

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:48:00 +0000

Deepesh Shrestha Yahoo News 7 Nov 09; KATHMANDU (AFP) – Forest warden Narendra Man Babu Pradhan is on the frontline of Nepal's battle against poachers and he grimaces as he recalls the recent discovery of an injured rhino whose horn had been cut off. "We found a male rhino with bullet in his head around a lake in the park. It was a horrific sight," said Pradhan, who was informed by tour guides about the injured animal. "The poachers had cut the horn off without killing it and it seemed in great pain," said the chief warden of the Chitwan National Park in southwest Nepal, a UNESCO world...

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Niger's giraffes stage a comeback

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:46:00 +0000

Martin Plaut, BBC News 8 Nov 09; The giraffe population of Niger, which was on the verge of extinction just 10 years ago, is now on the rise and moving into new habitats. From a herd of 50 animals, careful conservation supported by Niger's government has seen their numbers rise to around 200. Once, thousands of giraffes roamed across tracts of West Africa from the deserts of Chad to the Atlantic coast. They are a specific sub-species of giraffe that only inhabit the region. These endangered animals are now only to be found in a tiny area close to Niger's capital, Niamey. Remarkable...

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Bats not the bad guys

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:44:00 +0000

Australian Biosecurity CRC, Science Alert 9 Nov 09; Hendra has given bats a bad name. Understandable given Hendra virus has killed people and horses, and scientists have discovered that Hendra virus is carried by bats. But it’s not all the bats’ fault. “Flying-foxes or fruit bats are large, very mobile animals that can fly long distances, possibly 100s of kilometres overnight. They are also very social animals, and roost during the day in large communal groups. We are very aware of them because they are so visible at dawn and dusk when we see them leaving or returning to their roosts” says...

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Putting a price tag on nature’s services – new book

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:42:00 +0000

IUCN 9 Nov 09; Cutting-edge science and striking photography are combined in a new book about ecosystem services, biodiversity and human well-being. Placing a financial value on the services and goods that nature provides is critical to guarantee that ecosystems stay healthy and continue to provide the benefits that all people depend on to survive, leading scientists write in the Wealth of Nature book. Compiled by CEMEX, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Conservation International (CI), the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP) and The Wild...

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Concerns raised over Marine Stewardship Council’s fish label

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:40:00 +0000

Frank Pope, Times Online 9 Nov 09; An eco-labelling scheme intended to encourage people to eat fish from sustainable sources is being criticised by conservationists. The collaboration between the conservation group WWF and Unilever, one of the world’s biggest seafood retailers, now gives its stamp of approval to $1.5 billion (£900 million) of business every year. There is concern, however, that the scheme’s blue label, which is put on packaging, is being awarded to fisheries whose stocks are not properly managed or where the ecosystem is being damaged. The scheme was established ten...

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Is Asia Taking Corporate Social Responsibility Seriously?

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:34:00 +0000

Chris Tobias, Reuters 7 Nov 09; Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a critical issue across Asia. From local companies to multi-national conglomerates, how successfully business interacts with its environs and community is of supreme importance. The recent CSR-Asia Conference held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia gave some worthwhile perspectives in a region home to roughly 60% of the world's population. But how many of the case studies demonstrated a genuine portrayal of companies doing good work, and how much was at best blatant greenwash? What countries, industries, and companies are...

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Not ready for REDD?

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:32:00 +0000

Esteve Corbera and Manuel Estrada, Science Alert 9 Nov 09; It is clear that any effective international 'deal' on climate change must decrease emissions from deforestation and land-use change that represent about a fifth of all emissions. An international mechanism to fund such reductions, reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD), is emerging as a global blueprint to achieve this, and expectations are high. Many developing countries are keen to participate because entering the regulated carbon market, which represented US$126 billion in 2008, raises hopes of...

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Japan eyes solar station in space

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:30:00 +0000

Karyn Poupee Yahoo News 8 Nov 09; TOKYO (AFP) – It may sound like a sci-fi vision, but Japan's space agency is dead serious: by 2030 it wants to collect solar power in space and zap it down to Earth, using laser beams or microwaves. The government has just picked a group of companies and a team of researchers tasked with turning the ambitious, multi-billion-dollar dream of unlimited clean energy into reality in coming decades. With few energy resources of its own and heavily reliant on oil imports, Japan has long been a leader in solar and other renewable energies and this year set...

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Best of our wild blogs: 8 Nov 09

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:00:00 +0000

Life History of the Large Four-Line Blue from Butterflies of Singapore Getting high at Hantu from wonderful creation and singapore nature and wild shores of singapore and psychedelic nature Collared Kingfisher eats pufferfish from Bird Ecology Study Group Smooth Otters & Water Monitors Part II from Life's Indulgences

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Singapore studying vulnerability to climate change

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:06:00 +0000

Hoe Yeen Nie, Channel NewsAsia 7 Nov 09; SINGAPORE : Singapore is studying in detail its vulnerability to climate change, so that it can identify how to respond to the challenge. Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim said Singapore's development of desalination and water recycling has allowed it to diversify its water supply. It has also helped the country buffet against the effects of extreme weather events. Dr Yaacob added that despite signs of economic recovery, countries may find it a challenge to carry out expensive water infrastructure projects. That is why there...

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Johor plans new dam as water woes continue

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:04:00 +0000

The Star 8 Nov 09; JOHOR BARU: The Johor Government is studying the possibility of building a new dam in Kahang as an alternative water source for the state. State International Trade and Industry, Energy, Water, Communications and Environment Committee chairman Tan Kok Hong said the suggestion was made after several of the state’s dams showed low water levels even during the monsoon. “We face this problem yearly and it is quite alarming especially at the Sembrong dam in Kluang,” he said. He added that the issue was brought up during the State Water Resource committee meeting chaired by...

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Are we ready for a Malaysia without oil palm?

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:02:00 +0000

NGO vs CPO Optimistically Cautious by Errol Oh, The Star 7 Nov 09; The campaign against palm oil’s growth in Borneo and Sumatra may come to a climax soon. Must there be losers? ARE we ready for a Malaysia without oil palm? That sounds far-fetched and overly dramatic, doesn’t it? For that to happen, plantation companies and smallholders would have to stop cultivating the crop because it’s no longer worthwhile doing so. What are the chances of that happening? Exceedingly slim at the moment, but the domestic plantation industry now has to acknowledge that perhaps more than ever, it’s getting...

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Southeast Sulawesi deer population dwindles

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The Jakarta Post 7 Nov 09; The population of deer (Cervus timorensis) in the Rawa Aopa Watumohai National Park (TNRAW) in Southeast Sulawesi has declined significantly in the last 16 years, a member of park management staff says. The number of deer at the park was now less than 1,000 from around 33,000 in 1993, according to Budi Prasetyo, an officer of the TNRAW, told Antara state news agency in Kendari on Saturday. Illegal logging and poaching activities in 2001 especially, were the main factors which caused the deer population to fall sharply, he said. The 105,194-hectare national park...

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Sea lions killed, but Columbia salmon toll rises

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:58:00 +0000

Jeff Barnard, Associated Press 7 Nov 09; Killing or removing 25 California sea lions over the past two years has not reduced the toll on salmon at the base of Bonneville Dam in the Columbia River. A new report from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates sea lions ate 4,960 salmon and steelhead during the spring of 2009 — 2.4 percent of the fish passing the dam located near Cascade Locks, Ore. That compares to an adjusted estimate of 4,927, or 2.9 percent of the run, in 2008. And while the number of California sea lions was down — 54 this year compared to 82 in 2008 — the average number...

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Prized mushroom collection returns to China

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:56:00 +0000

David Wivell, Associated Press Yahoo News 7 Nov 09; BEIJING – A Chinese scholar persecuted during the Cultural Revolution for smuggling a rare collection of mushrooms out of China before World War II was honored Saturday when the collection was returned more than 70 years later. At a ceremony at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Cornell University President David Skorton handed over the collection that had been meticulously gathered by scholar Shu Chun Teng. Teng studied mycology at Cornell University in the 1920s, then spent the next decade traveling on horseback gathering molds, lichens,...

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Protected zones will help to save Britain's marine wildlife

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:54:00 +0000

Harmful fishing practices will be banned from UK coastal waters under new legislation to protect endangered species Lisa Bachelor, The Observer The Guardian 8 Nov 09; An exotic underwater world of seahorses, sharks and corals that surrounds the coast of Britain is to be given greater protection under new legislation coming into force this week. The long-awaited Marine Act will allow conservation groups to map sites of nature preservation for the first time. Future legislation to be enforced in these marine conservation zones will see an end to damaging practices such as scallop dredging and...

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Genetic tests help track food web, climate change

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:52:00 +0000

Alister Doyle, Reuters 7 Nov 09; BARCELONA, Spain (Reuters) - New uses of genetic testing can help track how animal diets may change due to global warming and are helping crack down on wildlife smuggling, experts said on Saturday. "There's been an extraordinary growth in the use of the technology," said David Schindel, executive secretary of the Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL) at the U.S. Smithsonian Institution of a system for identifying plants or animals by their genes. The database had more than doubled since 2007, with over 700,000 records representing 65,000 species, he...

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Is man on course to cause the sixth extinction?

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:50:00 +0000

Forthcoming book examines the role of humans in the eradication of species, and its findings are not likely to be pleasant Robin McKie, The Observer The Guardian 8 Nov 09; At first sight it seems an unlikely topic for a landmark publishing deal: a fee of about half a million dollars for a book about dead animals – or, to be more precise, extinct animals. Nevertheless the subject of eradicated species has become publishing hot property after a bidding battle in the US saw Henry Holt, a publisher, beat its rivals to buy The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert last week. According to the New...

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Japan steps up aid to Mekong nations

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:42:00 +0000

Channel NewsAsia 7 Nov 09; TOKYO: The leaders of Japan and Southeast Asia's five Mekong River nations wrapped up a summit at which Tokyo pledged more than US$5.5 billion in loans and grants and vowed deeper ties. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama told a press conference on Saturday the Mekong region was a "priority area" for Japan's official development assistance (ODA) as it seeks to boost development in the resource-rich area. A joint declaration said "Japan commits more than 500 billion yen of ODA in the next three years" for the further development of the Mekong region, which includes...

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Heavy flooding hits parts of South East Asia

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:40:00 +0000

Straits Times 8 Nov 09; Thousands evacuated or isolated as storms strike states in Malaysia, Thailand and Australia Kuala Lumpur - Continuous rain has caused flooding in parts of South-east Asia. In Malaysia, 4,000 people from several villages in low-lying areas in Kelantan and Terengganu were forced out of their homes last Friday and given shelter in evacuation centres after four days of heavy rainfall. The situation in Terengganu improved yesterday as many flood evacuees were allowed to return home, Bernama news agency reported. A state security council spokesman said that, as of...

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