wildsingapore news

Best of our wild blogs: 9 Nov 09

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

Trekking After Rain in the Nature Reserves from Beauty of Fauna and Flora in Nature Throw In Two Crocs from Life's Indulgences From 3 Nov: "Under the Sea 3D" now screening at Omni-Theatre from wild shores of singapore

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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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When did saving the planet get so dull?

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:36:00 +0000

A first hand account of what it is like to cover the UN climate change negotiations. Louise Gray, The Telegraph 7 Nov 09; Time was when saving the planet meant overcoming a dastardly villain or just wearing a tight pair of pants over your trousers. Not any more. If you want to save planet Earth from a temperature rise of two degrees C or more – which scientists agree is the biggest challenge facing the world right now – it means gathering in a soulless conference room to discuss more prosaic matters like greenhouse gas emissions and carbon budgets. The men and women involved in this...

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It isn't godly being green

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:33:00 +0000

It is an insult to science to rule that belief in man-made climate change is a religious conviction Myles Allen, guardian.co.uk 5 Nov 09; A British judge has decided that belief in human influence on climate has the status of religious conviction. This is being celebrated as a success by some activists. As a scientist who works on climate change, I find it deeply alarming. Is Jeremy Clarkson similarly entitled to protection if he declares himself a conscientious objector and wants to keep his 4x4? It is yet another symptom of general confusion over the status of science among the public,...

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APEC seeks to slash emissions by 2050

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:32:00 +0000

Martin Abbugao Yahoo News 6 Nov 09; SINGAPORE (AFP) – Asia-Pacific powers including the United States, China and Russia are expected to call next week for sweeping cuts in greenhouse gas emissions on the final countdown to a crunch climate meeting. US President Barack Obama and 20 other regional leaders will also say it is too early to wean their economies off stimulus spending, according to a draft summit communique obtained by AFP on Friday. At their November 14-15 summit in Singapore, the leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum will call man-made climate change...

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G20 makes little progress on climate financing

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:30:00 +0000

Toni Vorobyova and Anna Willard, Reuters 7 Nov 09; ST ANDREWS, Scotland (Reuters) - Rich countries and developing nations fought over climate change on Saturday, failing to make progress on financing ahead of a major environmental summit in Copenhagen next month. Britain, which was hosting a meeting of G20 finance ministers in Scotland, was determined to push toward a $100 billion deal to cover the costs of climate change by 2020. But talks got bogged down in a row with large developing countries about who should foot the bill. "There was a heated argument," Russian Finance Minister...

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Best of our wild blogs: 7 Nov 09

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 09:00:00 +0000

Smooth Otters & Water Monitors from Life's Indulgences Giant clam "Secrets" from Psychedelic Nature and ID026 - Boring giant clam Cigarette Man, The Poacher from Life's Indulgences Semakau from Singapore Nature and wild shores of singapore and snakes in a fish feeding frenzy. Whitehead’s Trogon from Bird Ecology Study Group

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Crab expert leads charge on climate: Prof Peter Ng and the Dodo

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:40:00 +0000

Peter Ng's mission is to build bridges between specialists in diverse disciplines Chang Ai-Lien, Straits Times 7 Nov 09; PROFESSOR Peter Ng's idea of heaven is to don his rubber booties and wade knee-deep in muddy swamps, trawling through the muck for new crab species. Former students fondly remember a host of different crustaceans he kept as pets, including a huge coconut crab so strong that it broke out of its wire cage and probably ended up in someone's cooking pot. But these days, the internationally acknowledged crustacean expert is spending more time on dry land. As a member of a new...

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Monkeys get aggressive with residents living near MacRitchie

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:36:00 +0000

Straits Times Forum 7 Nov 09; AS A resident of West Lake Avenue, next to MacRitchie Reservoir, I am concerned over the increasing presence of monkeys in the area. The population of monkeys seems to have grown exponentially recently. Over the past few weeks, every morning or evening they would arrive in a pack of eight to 10 in our street, go on a rampage opening dustbins and spilling trash. They enter homes if a door or window is left open and make a mess. They even chase people with bags, in a desperate search for food, I assume. Previously, the monkeys were passive and stayed on the...

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Shrinking forests in Johor a threat to ecosystem

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:26:00 +0000

KC Chan, The Star 7 Nov 09; JOHOR BARU: Shrinking forests due to land clearing for economic activities will not only affect the ecosystem but will also lead to water shortage problems, Malaysian Nature Society Johor branch chairman Maketab Mohamed said. “If the forest is cut down, it will seriously affect the surroundings and change the ecosystem. It will also lead to water shortage and soil erosion,” he said. He was commenting on the Auditor-General’s report which said the state’s forest reserves were rapidly shrinking due to poor management, including illegal activities within the...

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Daytime labourers depleting forest reserve wildlife at night

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:24:00 +0000

Martin Carvalho, The Star 7 Nov 09; MALACCA: Authorities are probing claims that foreign construction workers building the state Wildlife and National Parks Department centre next to the Tanjung Tuan forest reserve are involved in poaching activities. Wildlife and National Parks Department deputy director-general Misleah Mohd Basir said immediate investigations would be carried out and action would be taken against the culprits. “This is the very reason why we are setting up the centre there. This will allow us to carry out round the clock checks at the forest reserve,” she said...

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Senegalese NGO plants 34 million mangroves

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:22:00 +0000

AFP Google News 6 Nov 09; DAKAR — A Senegalese environmental NGO announced on Friday that it had planted 34 million mangrove trees in three months in a project largely financed by French dairy giant Danone to offset its carbon footprint. According to the environmental organisation Oceanium some 34 million mangrove seedlings were planted between August and November, 27 million in Senegal's southern Casamance region and 7 million in the Saloum river delta. Over 78,000 volunteers from 323 villages participated in the massive planting campaign. "To my knowledge it is the first time ever that...

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ASEAN, Australia meet to curb fish poaching

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:21:00 +0000

Erwida Maulia and Panca Nugraha, The Jakarta Post 6 Nov 09; A number of countries concerned by fish poaching activities in the region kicked off a meeting Wednesday aimed at reducing the frequency of such practices. Taking place on Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara for two days, the second coordination meeting of the Regional Plan of Action (RPoA) is expected to produce an agreement among country members to jointly reduce “illegal, unreported, and unregulated” fishing practices in the region. The RPoA was set up in 2007, with members consisting of the 10 ASEAN members plus Australia. Indonesia...

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Concern over the fish bombing, cyanide and flotsam in Sabah

hello@wildsingapore.com (ria) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:20:00 +0000

Daily Express 6 Nov 09; Kota Kinabalu: A renowned expedition leader has expressed concern over the scale of flotsam and the fact that some people use dynamite to fish and even cyanide in Sabah waters. "We found during our journey a lot of ocean debris. We want people to realise that this is harmful for the environment. All these things cannot be changed in one day but you can change it through education and by getting them involved. They can change it if they have a reason in the future to change it. "But we don't want to rush in and tell people how to live. We want to come and learn of...

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