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Editorial: Petrochemicals and seahorses

4 June 2008, New Straits Times

PENINSULAR Malaysia's latest environmental cause celebre is surfacing in the Sungai Pulai estuary, an internationally recognised area of wilderness now threatened by industrial development. Overseen by the Port of Tanjung Pelepas authority, a RM2 billion petrochemical plant is slated to rise on more than 2,000 hectares upstream of the estuary, to supply the needs of the huge new manufacturing concerns anticipated for southern Johor.

With the proposed petrochemical plant a crucial base for manufacturing enterprises in gases and solvents, paints and varnishes, fertilisers and pesticides, waste and sewage treatment and a host of other such activities, it seems a faux pas for the PTP to contend the proposed plant will cause little or no degradation to the natural environment of Johor's southwest coast.

This area is environmentally unique. Internationally recognised as a wetlands site of significant biodiversity, the Sungai Pulai estuary's mangrove forest reserve is among the country's most extensive. Moreover, the estuary debouches onto expansive seagrass beds that are the natural habitat for the charming creature that has become the symbol of resistance to plans for industrial development there: the spotted seahorse, Hippocampus kuda, its Malay species name endearing it even more to locals.

Although the project's sponsors insist they will comply with the dictates of the project's environmental impact assessment, it would be thoroughly disingenuous to suggest that all damaging effects on this ecosystem will be minimised into irrelevance.

Such confident assurances have rung increasingly hollow over the years, as the long-term outcomes of coastal development projects on the mainland and offshore islands have tended to prove environmentalists right and developers wrong.

Yes, land-clearing did raise algal loads in waters around Pulau Perhentian and damage reefs around Pulau Redang. No, it wasn't possible to simply "transplant" an entire coral reef alive in Pulau Tioman. And yes, the Sungai Pulai project will affect the mangroves, the seagrass beds and their seahorses, as well as the birds, fish and marine mammal populations there. The estuary has already suffered considerable declines in fish and prawn stocks in recent years. A petrochemical plant upstream will hardly help restore them.

The trade-off, of course, is the billions of ringgit anticipated in recompense for the Iskandar Malaysia project; an ambitious programme carrying with it the economic hopes of the peninsular south for the rest of this century.

This is the conundrum at the heart of the matter, not whether or not this will be good for seahorses. Make no mistake: it won't be.

Source and Article: Click Here

Developer Allays Fears Over Project

3 June 2008

KUALA LUMPUR: The developer of a petrochemical plant and maritime centre at Sungai Pulai estuary has stated that it will not lead to environmental degradation along the Johor coastline.

The developer, Seaport Terminals, said the projects would incorporate strategies to reduce the possibility of damage to the surroundings. Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) chairman Datuk Mohd Sidik Shaik Osman said the company was complying with the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) requirements on toxic waste, including building a centralised industrial waste and sewerage treatment plant.  The RM2 billion petrochemical plant and maritime centre is expected to attract more than RM15 billion of direct foreign investments in Johor.

Mohd Sidik was responding to claims by environmentalists that more than 2,000ha of mangrove forests along Sungai Boh, Sungai Chengkih and Sungai Dinar areas were in danger of destruction due to the construction of the petrochemical plant and maritime centre.  Detractors of the projects had also claimed that a vast seagrass bed housing the largest seahorse population in Malaysia was in danger of being destroyed.

A non-governmental organisation called Save our Seahorses (SOS) had even set up a website opposing the development and listing possible causes of destruction to the environment.  SOS head and University Malaysia Terengganu marine biology lecturer Choo Chee Kuang said massive development around the estuary had destroyed large tracts of seagrass beds, which was home to the Spotted Seahorse or Hippocampus kuda, which faces extinction.  He also claimed that a Ramsar wetlands site adjacent to the proposed site would be affected.

The Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971 is an inter-governmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international co-operation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.  While agreeing that about 2,000ha of forest would be destroyed, Mohd Sidik said there were plans to protect as much seagrass beds as possible.

The largest seagrass bed was located off Pulau Merambong, an island outside the Sungai Pulai estuary. The island will be adopted by the PTP, which will try to have it gazetted it as a marine sanctuary.  As for seagrass beds located upstream of Sungai Pulai, he said that specific mitigation plans, as required under the EIA, would be carried out.  "We will use silt nets along the river to prevent pollution at the upstream area during the development process."

With regard to allegations regarding the Ramsar site, Mohd Sidik said 80 per cent of the planned development area had a natural buffer of about 1.5km.  "Also, only about 20 per cent of the planned area borders the Ramsar site. For this area, we have complied with the EIA requirements for the development of an eco-park, which will also act as a buffer zone."

SOS also claimed that villagers around the development area were worried about the possible effects of the projects on their livelihood.  Tan Khin Thong, a villager from nearby Kampung Simpang Arang and the head of the Orang Asli Seletar Fishermen's Association, said run- off from the plant may affect the water.  As it is, much of the port's development had affected their catch.  "We used to catch a hundred ringgit worth of fish a day, now we are lucky if we can catch RM20 worth," he said.

As an alternative, the villagers go hunting for wild boar so that they can sell the meat, said Tan, adding that the Orang Asli had been fishing in the area since the 1940s. 

Seaport Terminals, on the other hand, has pledged that the projects will not lead to adverse effects on the local community or environment.  "When we built the PTP, we also built a new township for the villagers. They were also given a new and modern jetty for their fishing activities."

Those whose land had been affected by the development of the port had been compensated between RM250,000 and RM350,000 pe r acre, Mohd Sidik said.  He added that villagers affected by the projects would also be taken care of.

Article by Nisha Sabanayagam

Source and article: Click Here

Vital marine, coastal ecosystems in danger

2 June 2008, Viet Nam News Agency

HA NOI — Participants at a recent conference warned that the marine and coastal ecosystems in Viet Nam were in danger of being ruined because it is not given the attention it deserves and is treated with disrespect by people who are out to exploit it.

The conference held by the Centre for Marine Life Conservation and Community Development (MCD) said that a large number of Vietnamese who depended on marine and coastal service were the poorest but were also responsible for destroying the ecosystem because of their inshore over fishing and destructive fishing. Other factors that threaten ecosystems are unsustainable aquaculture, industrial and land based activities and effects of climate change.

Data shows that 25 per cent of the Vietnamese population, as many as 20 million, rely on marine and coastal services of which about eight million are wholly reliant on it as a means of their livelihood. In the past 60 years the population has nearly doubled to about 85 million. That works out to roughly 200 people per sq.km. Together with the reduction in agriculture land, more people are relying on eco services.

The country has 3,620 km of coastal area including 1,300 sq.km of coral reef, 155,000 sq.km of mangrove forests, 500 km of lagoons and 16 ha of sea grass and many tidal flats and estuaries. They play an important part in protecting the shoreline form natural hazards and erosion, mitigating greenhouses effects and regulate the micro climate. They are also important to the tourism sector.
Only one per cent of the coral reef area is in good condition while there has been a 30 per cent reduction in the coverage of the reef in the period of 1993 to 2004.

The amount of fish which is caught per ha on an annual basis has also been reduced by 50 per cent over the last decade while the significant reduction has been found in the seagrass bed in recent years. For example, the province of Khanh Hoa lost 80 per cent of its seagrass bed between 1997 and 2004.

Image: Con Tau Seagrass-Watch site. Photo by Gail Begbie

Source and Article: Click Here

MPA monitoring workshop held

28 May 2008.  Marianas Variety

A community-based Marine Protected Area (MPA) monitoring capacity building workshop was held recently.

The Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) hosted the event where at least 12 participants attended the five -day workshop. The workshop which was held from May 19 to 23, focused on the capacity assessment and the need for monitoring. PICRC said that since 1990 there are over 20 MPAs throughout Palau.

Since Palau has some of the most diverse coral reef system in the world, there are threats, PICRC said. Since Palau’s bread and butter is its environment, Palau is trying to conserve marine resources which are the source of pride for Palauans and source of income for the country. PICRC said that Palau has been practicing conservation know as “bul” or traditional way of prohibition from collecting certain species at certain location or by season. PICRC said that Palau continues to protect in environment for example in 2003, a legislation known as the Protected Areas Network Act was enacted to establish a framework for establish a system of protected areas (terrestrial and marine) throughout Palau.

In 2005, the political leaders of Miconesian islands, including Palau issues a Micronesian Challenge, which basically aims at protecting 30 percent of marine and 20 percent of terrestrial areas in each jurisdiction under effective management. PICRC said that to ensure that these efforts of both local and regional government continue to satisfy the needs of the community, conservation require scientific and unbiased data to show that their MPAs have been working.

PICRC said the purpose of this project is to collect biological data on four MPA (Ngelukes, Bkulangril, Ngermasch, and Airai) to assess whether the closure has had an effect on fish abundance, size, and biomass. PICRC added that the study also proposed to involve community members in the monitoring of their MPA so that they can have a first hand look at what their MPA is like.

“ All these MPA are strictly no take no entry zone, and many community members have not had the chance to see the reefs following their closure and so this will give them that opportunity to see and hopefully spread the word in the community,” the center said. The workshop also discussed field survey methodology such as seagrass taxonomy, fish taxonomy and setting up of seagrass monitoring site, in Ngelukes and deploy sediment traps.

Source and Article: Click Here

Ao Phuket hearing changed to Thursday

27 May 2008, Phuket Gazette - Phuket,Thailand

PHUKET CITY: The Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA) and Phuket Province will hold a public hearing on Thursday, May 29 to gauge local response to the plan to move forward with the Ao Phuket megaproject, a 100-million-baht marina and convention center on 3,000 rai of reclaimed land in Phuket Bay.

The meeting has been moved up one day from its previously scheduled date of May 30. The general public is welcome. At the meeting DASTA representatives will explain and discuss the details of the project, including its advantages and disadvantages.

When asked about the project by the Gazette, biologist Kanjana Adulyanukosol of the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) said she was not aware of the upcoming hearing, but thought that some of her colleagues at the PMBC would attend to discuss the potential environmental impacts of the scheme. K. Kanjana, Thailand’s leading researcher on the endangered dugong population in Phang Nga Bay, said there had been recent but sporadic sightings of dugong in Phuket Bay, which is part of the dugong’s normal migration route along the island’s west coast. The marine mammals feed almost exclusively on seagrass. According to her own surveys, dugong still migrate from Pa Khlok to as far south as Koh Taphao Yai at the south end of Phuket Bay – and sometimes further south into Chalong Bay.

“In the past Phuket Bay had seagrass beds. I am not sure not sure how good they were, but much better than they are now. Silt and clay from sea tin mining caused the sea bottom to harden and many species of seagrasses in the area died out as a result,” she said.

“Nowadays there are only small patches of one or two seagrass species in Phuket Bay, at the south end off the coast near the Ao Num Bor School in Wichit municipality,” she said.

K. Kanjana last surveyed the area about 10 years ago with seagrass expert and PMBC colleague Sombat Poovachiranon, who said at the time that these few remaining seagrass beds might not survive with an increase in sedimentation in Phuket Bay.

Although unfamiliar with the exact details of the project, K. Kanjana doubted that the high-ranking politicians pushing for it had a true understanding of “environmentally sustainable” tourism – or what the project’s real environmental ramifications would be. They are probably more focused on short-term economic benefits, she said.

The hearing will be held in the Jamjuree Room at the Phuket Merlin Hotel, starting at 1:30 pm.

Source and Article: Click Here

Unravelling splendour of sex in the seagrass

23 May 2008, Courier Mail

IT'S sex ed for dugongs. Researchers from the University of Queensland and Sea World have joined forces to develop strategies to accurately assess the reproductive status of wild dugongs in Moreton Bay.

Leader of the UQ dugong research team, Dr Janet Lanyon, said determining reproductive status of individuals is one of the most important factors for population modelling and effective management of a vulnerable species.

Field biologists will sample a selection of dugongs, which are representative of both sexes and from adult, sub-adult and juvenile size classes during the week-long study program.

Trevor Long, Sea World's director of marine sciences, said the sampling involves lifting wild dugongs out of the water to take a comprehensive series of biological samples, measuring reproductive hormones plus an abdominal ultrasound to confirm reproductive state.

Dr Long said a specially designed stretcher would be used to cradle and lift the animals from the water on to the deck of the Sea World One research vessel.

"This is a very exciting study for us, and will allow us to capture comprehensive data never before collected," he said. The plan involves the capture of up to 30 dugongs in Moreton Bay over five days, taking about 30 minutes to sample each one.

Dr Lanyon said blood and urine samples are important because they enable biologists to measure hormone levels.

Article by Jeremy Pierce

University researches dugong health

22 May 2008. ABC NewsOnline

Experts say half of all dugong deaths in Queensland waters remain a mystery.

The University of Queensland is working with Sea World in Moreton Bay to find the best way of monitoring the reproductive status of wild dugongs.

The leader of UQ's dugong research team, Dr Janet Lanyon says they are concerned that human activity on the bay is affecting the health of the animals.

"We're not sure whether there might be some sorts of diseases in the dugong population or if there's some other health problems," she said.

"This project is giving us some sort of base-line data on the health of the animal."

Source and Article: Click Here

Nitrogen Loss In Seagrass Fields Is Retained By Animals And Microorganisms In Ecosystem

22 May 2008, ScienceDaily

The nitrogen cycle plays a major role in seagrass fields. Dutch researcher Arie Vonk studied the nitrogen dynamics of seagrasses in Indonesia. He discovered that the interaction between seagrasses, animals and microorganisms results in an efficient nitrogen cycle in tropical seagrass fields. Consequently the nitrogen lost from seagrasses is still retained.

Seagrass fields are coastal ecosystems with important functions for coastal stability and fish populations. The collection and grazing of seagrass leaves is the most important nitrogen flow in these fields. Nitrogen is an important nutrient for organisms and the production of seagrass leaves requires large quantities of nitrogen. However, the leaf has a short lifespan and as it dies off, little of the nitrogen is retained by the plant. Leaf loss therefore also means considerable nitrogen loss for the plant.

Animal species that live amongst the seagrass can influence the export and dynamics of seagrass leaves. The most important grazers of seagrass fields are sea urchins, shrimps and fish. Shrimps, for example, retain nutrients by collecting the leaf material. Their holes can therefore form an important source of nutrients that can once again become available for uptake by seagrasses.

Human influences

Coastal floors can be stabilised by the extensive root systems of the seagrass fields. Seagrass fields also function as a hiding place and breeding ground for many vertebrate and invertebrate animal species. Due to an increasing human pressure on the coastal system, many seagrass fields are disappearing worldwide. The increasing pressure is noticeable by the increase in nutrients and sediment in the water and the widespread exploitation of the ecosystems.

The research results are interesting for managers and conservationists of tropical coastal areas. Seagrass fields are important ecosystems for the fishing industry and therefore for food supplies. In addition to this, seagrass fields ensure stabilisation of the coast, an important characteristic in view of rising sea levels and coastal erosion.

Source and Article: Click Here

Eye on seagrass

21 May 2008, Bowen Independent

BOWEN will be keeping a close eye on its marine plant life following the establishment of a Community Seagrass-Watch site last Saturday.

The site is the result of a successful workshop by the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries. Community members Nan Hansen, Helen Nicholas, Ivan Garrod, Tom Stanley and Lynne Pilgrim, backed up by parents and youth of the Bowen Scouts, have established a working group to monitor a portion of the seagrass beds at Front Beach.

Bowen Scout's group leader Lesley Bullemor said the site, BW02, was the second monitoring site on Front Beach, the first being part of the curriculum of Bowen State School Grade 7 students and supervised by teacher Ian Haworth.

"This second sites provides additional information to support data supplied by Bowen State School students," Ms Bullemor said.

"The group is open to any interested members of the community."

Anyone who would like to join the group or wants any further information can contact Lesley Bullemor on 4785 1010.

Photo: Participating in the first monitoring of seagrass site BW02 at Bowen's Front Beach, kneeling from left, Naomi Smith and Billie Trott, middle, Nan Hansen, Dustin Matheson, Sam Grant, Emma Trott, Arinda Susanti, Tom Stanley, Billy Lockie, back, Sue Matheson, Ivan Garrod, Wendy Trott, Tim Hart, Kelly Jacobs, Brendan Grant, Robyn Bullemor, Helen Nicholsa, Lesley Bullemor, Lynne Pilgrim, Jane Mellors and Michael Bullemor. Absent Iony Woolaghan.

Front page: Dustin helps keep watch.

Dustin Matheson takes a close up look at seagrass at Bowen’s Front Beach last Saturday as part of the new Community Seagrass-Watch team. Community Members, backed up by parents and youth of the Bowen Scouts, have established the working group to monitor a portion of the seagrass beds, known as site BW02. The group joins the efforts of Bowen State School Grade 7 students, who are also monitoring the area. Any interested members of the community are welcome to join in. See story Page 6.

Volunteers Change Our World

12 May 2008

National Volunteer Week (NVW) will be held from the 12th to 18th May 2008. The theme of NVW is “Volunteers Change Our World”.

National Volunteer Week is an opportunity to highlight the role of volunteers in our communities and to say thank you to the more than 5 million Australians who volunteer. National Volunteer Week (NVW) began in 1989 and was the first collaborative attempt to promote volunteering nationally.

Volunteering Australia (VA) is the national peak body for volunteering and as such is responsible for setting the date and theme for NVW, and provides the range of resources and promotional items to members, usually in partnership with sponsors.

Historically NVW has focused on recruitment and provided a national focus for volunteer based organisations wanting to recruit volunteers. However, extensive research after NVW 07 has seen the focus change to be one of celebrating volunteering and thanking volunteers.

This year’s theme underpins that change in strategic focus – “Volunteers change our world”. Organisations that have volunteers, including organisations with a corporate volunteering program, are encouraged to embrace NVW and celebrate the achievements of your volunteers.

As volunteering continues to grow we need to be more aware of the need to recognise what volunteers contribute to our world. There are many charities that would struggle to survive without the contribution of their volunteers. Major corporate organisations are also recognising what their staff can achieve as volunteers and encourage participation. VA can assist with corporate volunteering programs.

Find out how you can celebrate NVW 2008 www.volunteeringaustralia.org/nvw

Dugong trails galore.

08 May 2008, Seagrass-Watch HQ News

Dugong trails (Yule Pt)

You may not see them, even though they are as big as a cow. But if you look closely during low tide you may find evidence of their feeding. We're referring of course to dugongs. The large herbivourous marine mammal lives in the tropical waters of Australia.  This year, their grazing trails are more obvious, leaving a bigger imprint on the seagrass meadows of the Far North.

Often referred to as 'sea cows' (their diet consists mainly of seagrass), dugongs feed by digging furrows in the sea-floor with their snouts and uprooting seagrass.

Seagrass-Watch scientists have reported a higher than usual occurrence of Dugong Feeding Trails (DFT) at a number of Seagrass-Watch and Reef Water Quality Protection Program (RWQPP) monitoring sites across the Far North.

"Whether the higher incidence of dugongs feeding intertidally is due to more animals, the unusually high seagrass abundance or a consequence of diminished subtidal meadows is unkown, as no monitoring occurs in subtidal waters and dugong numbers are not monitored as regularly as seagrass", DPI&F principal scientist and Seagrass-Watch Program leader Len McKenzie said.

"The level of dugong grazing at Yule Point (20mins north of Cairns, Far North Qld) was so high that some sections of the meadow were virtually decimated of seagrass", Mr. McKenzie reported.

At Lugger Bay (Mission Beach), dugong feeding trails were also reported for the first time in the seagrass meadow since monitoring was established in May 2005.   Seagrass at Lugger Bay was nearly wiped out by Tropical Cyclone Larry in early 2006.  Since then, seagrass abundance has recovered to pre-cyclone levels.

In Townsville, Seagrass-Watch monitoring teams have also spotted dugong feeding trails in the meadows of Picnic Bay, DPI&F biologist and Seagrass-Watch scientist Dr. Jane Mellors reported.

So next time you are wandering across the seagrass meadows of the Far North, keep a look out for those DFTs! Healthy seagrass = Healthy dugongs!

Images(right): Dugong Feeding trails at Lugger Bay (Mission Beach)

Source Seagrass-Watch HQ

A new star for Singapore: discovery of sea star

03 May 2008, Straits Times

SINGAPORE has a new star to call its own. This large five-rayed sea star is not new to science, but it is a new and spectacular addition to Singapore's already substantial inventory of living stars.

Lacking a common name but known in the marine science world as Pentaceraster mammillatus, it is in the same family as the more familiar cushion star and the knobbly sea star, which are still quite common on Singapore's remaining reefs.

The 'mammillatus' part of the name refers to the rows of nipple-like protuberances that cover the surface of the animal and give it a studded or armoured appearance.

The sea star was first sighted early last month on a seagrass monitoring trip at Cyrene reef, run by volunteer group TeamSeagrass and staff from the National Biodiversity Reference Centre of the National Parks Board (NParks).

The specimen baffled those who found it, all of whom had their own version of what to name the new find - which was at once familiar, yet strangely alien. Names like 'Darth Vader star' and 'knobbly-wannabe' were bandied about as the group debated what it could possibly be.

Fast forward to a week ago: Armed with a permit, an enthusiastic search party made up of staff and students from the National University of Singapore's Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, NParks and others - including visiting regional echinoderm specialist David Lane - set out for a dawn low-tide walk on Cyrene reef (Echinoderms are marine animals that exhibit five-fold radial symmetry at some stage of life).

Right at the end of the trip, as the tide was rising and time was running out, the object of the mission was located, almost hidden in a dense field of seagrass.

A rare and exciting find

THE discovery of this attractive species, one of about a dozen of its kind in the Indo-Pacific, is in some respects a remarkable surprise, given its large size and the fact that sea stars and their relatives had been intensively surveyed and studied throughout the 1990s by a team of NUS and Belgian marine scientists.

Another surprise is that this star was previously known to exist only in the western Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, so its presence in Singapore waters represents a considerable range increase.

It must be stated, however, that the taxonomy of this group has some uncertainties, with gradations between species, possible hybrids and a closely related form living in the Philippines region. Nevertheless, the find is an important one in biodiversity terms.

The latest individual discovered, at 27cm in diameter, is smaller than the one seen previously, so a small population may exist in the dense seagrass of Cyrene, and possibly elsewhere locally.

Cyrene reef: Rich in marine life

SITTING in the midst of intensive port activities, not far from the huge container terminal of Pasir Panjang, this patch reef stands like a marine oasis - a trove of biodiversity in the midst of the nation's economic pulse.

This sandy reef, swept clean of silt by strong currents when the tide is in, is as rich now biologically, if not richer, than in the 1990s.

Recent and earlier treasure hunts have unearthed numerous species of sea stars, sand dollars, sea urchins and sea cucumbers, in addition to many other invertebrate species.

That all this marine life exists in the middle of one of the busiest port zones in the world attests to the cleanliness of the seawater environment. Marine life thrives where water currents are sufficient to prevent smothering by sedimentation.

Singapore owes its rich marine biodiversity heritage to the fact that it is equatorial, that it is close to the edge of the 'coral triangle' biodiversity hot spot of the Indo-Malay archipelago, and also to overlapping ranges of Pacific and Indian Ocean faunas. The Republic is clearly at the centre of things in many ways.

Why is the continued existence of this kind of marine life in Singapore so important?

There is a host of reasons, many of which have to do with the quality of the marine environment and, directly or indirectly, with the quality of human life and the growing environmental awareness in crowded Singapore.

A rich diversity of marine life is often cited as a potential source of new medicinals or of target species for cultivation. An equally important value is that the continued existence - or otherwise - of rich and diverse marine communities provides an overall measure for monitoring the ecosystem and environmental health status. Additionally, the recreational and educational value of natural resources and the environment will undoubtedly continue to grow in Singapore, as these resources become more and more scarce.

Unique to Cyrene is the fact that there are three different habitats - seagrass, coral reef and sand - amalgamated on one reef. Other exotics, such as sea horses recently sighted there, are perhaps additional indicators of the conservation value of this reef formation.

An important objective in relation to this conservation issue would be an urgent survey programme for this new star, and other rarities, on the remaining untouched and relatively unexplored reef flats in the Southern Islands.

Dr Lane is a senior lecturer and marine scientist with Universiti Brunei Darussalam. Formerly with NUS, he continues to work closely with its Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, the region's premier natural history museum. Mr Ngiam is a project officer with NParks, while Mr Tan is an education and public relations officer with the Raffles Museum.

Source and Full article: Click Here

Team Seagrass Singapore (Seagrass-Watch partner) monitors seagrass on Cyrene reef: http://teamseagrass.blogspot.com/

Hunting towards oblivion

26 April 2008, The Australian

Debate over indigenous hunting has been ignited by Japan's move to attack as hypocritical Canberra's support for the indigenous harvesting of dugongs in Australian waters. While Australia leads the charge against Japanese whaling, the number of minke whales killed annually by the Japanese - ostensibly for scientific research - is similar to the number of dugongs killed each year for food in the Torres Strait, about 1000. The Japanese point out that the world population of the minke whale is several times that of the dugong.

Australia is home to 80 per cent to 90 per cent of the estimated world population of 100,000 dugongs. While the large sea mammals - listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as "vulnerable to extinction in the medium-term future" - range widely in the Indian and southwest Pacific oceans, their numbers have crashed due to hunting pressure and the loss of the seagrass meadows on which they feed.

A new study from James Cook University researchers, commissioned by the federal Environment Department's Marine and Tropical Sciences Research Facility, reports that surveys in 2006 estimated a population of 23,500 dugongs in the Torres Strait and northern Great Barrier Reef, about 25 per cent of the world total. This is close to the number estimated in surveys in 2000 and 2001, but substantially lower than numbers noted in 1996.

Modelling for the study suggests that killing more than 100 to 200 dugongs annually in the Torres Strait and 56 in northern reef waters - a fraction of the present harvest - is not sustainable. The study also says climate change may be affecting dugong numbers by increasing the incidence of seagrass dieback.

Source and Full article: Click Here

South China Sea headed for troubled waters: marine experts

12 April 2008, AFP

HANOI (AFP) — Polluted, crossed by busy shipping lanes, and disputed by many countries, the South China Sea has taken an environmental battering that threatens future food supplies, marine scientists have warned.

In a decade the sea -- at the heart of a densely populated and rapidly industrialising region - has lost 16 percent of its coral reefs and coastal mangroves and 30 percent of its seagrass, says the United Nations.

The exploitation of its fisheries, both legal and illegal, by family boats and industrial deep sea trawlers now threatens to deplete fish stocks that millions of people rely on, a Hanoi conference heard last week.

"The key issues on a basin scale are habitat degradation and loss, overfishing and land-based pollution," said Vo Si Tuan, who served as Vietnam representative to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) South China Sea Project. "There are many, many problems, but these are the biggest."

The South China Sea is ringed by China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, with about 350 million people living along its coastal areas.

"There are large populations heavily dependent, directly and indirectly, on fishing, in one of the world's most biodiverse marine areas," said Keith Symington, a marine specialist with the World Wide Fund for Nature.

"The international trends are more pronounced in the South China Sea. "Boats have to go further and fish longer to catch the same amount of fish and they are catching smaller fish," said Symington, speaking to AFP at the fourth Global Conference on Oceans, Coasts and Islands. "There are a lot of illegal or unreported catches, there are fishing boats flying flags of convenience, there are loopholes."

The UN has highlighted the damage done to coral reefs, seagrass, mangroves and wetlands that are crucial for biodiversity and fish breeding. Vietnam's Halong Bay, a world heritage-listed island scape, is a case in point, said Michael Hayes, an expert on tourism in protected marine areas.

"There are 138 coral species in Halong Bay, but most of the reefs are being destroyed by heavy sedimentation," he said. Erosion from deforestation along the Red River is pouring silt into the bay, where shrimp farms and land reclamation have destroyed mangroves and heavy shipping, coal mining and tourism are polluting the waters.

"There is more and more pressure on the South China Sea, from fisheries but also from other exploitation like oil and gas and ballast waters from ships that introduce invasive species," he said.

Vietnam, aiming to protect its coastal areas, plans to send fewer and larger fishing boats deeper into the South China Sea, said Nguyen Chu Hoi, director of the Vietnam Institute of Fisheries Economics and Planning.

The communist government plans to declare 15 marine protected areas this year, he said, and to reduce its fleet of 90,000 mostly family-run boats by 30 percent over five years while encouraging more off-shore fishing.

The ships may be heading into troubled waters, and not just during the annual typhoon season that is set to worsen with climate change. Fishing has already led to clashes on the high seas, with Chinese vessels and the Indonesian coastguard firing at Vietnamese ships.

Managing the South China Sea is complicated by the fact that at its heart lie the Spratly islands, which are claimed in full or in part by Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. "The South China Sea is a highly contested area," said Robert Jara of the Philippines' environment and natural resources department. "One of the basic approaches now is putting aside the claims while we address the environment and the resource degradation of the South China Sea. "If you address the claims before addressing the environment, at the end of the day everybody loses out."

Image: Ships and a floating oil barrier are deployed in South China Sea

Source and article: Click Here

UAVs find role in marine mammal surveillance

26 March, 2008, Cosmos

This month a flying robot has been pressed into service off the coast of Australia to swoop low over the sea and carry out aerial surveys of endangered dugongs and whales.

Packed into a tiny, low-flying plane, a crew of five marine scientists and their pilot slowly circle a patch of ocean off Queensland, over and over, around and around. Below them, munching away on seagrass, dugongs congregate in their thousands.

The researchers need to work together in the confines of their aircraft to count and clock the position of the animals; but members of the swarming herd all look alike.  "It's all a bit challenging," says wildlife biologist Amanda Hodgson, from the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. "When you think about everything that has to go on, conducting [a manned] aerial survey is quite tricky, logistically."

Not to mention dangerous, too. "We've all had scary experiences while out surveying in one of those little planes," Hodgson says. "And yes, there have been accidents, even fatalities." Though none have been in Australia, Hodgson cites accidents, which have resulted in eight deaths, during aerial marine mammal surveys in other parts of the world.

Yet aerial identification and counting of marine mammal populations – particularly vulnerable marine species such as dugongs (Dugong dugon) and whales – provides invaluable data. It allows fluctuating animal numbers to be monitored, and most crucially, Hodgson says, it allows key habitat areas to be identified and targeted for conservation. With these issues in mind, the University of Queensland (UQ) team are currently testing a different approach to aerial surveying: automated aircraft, known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Starting this month, Hodgson and her teammate Michael Noad, will be among the first in the world to trial the use of UAVs in wildlife surveillance. Their aim is to evaluate the surveying capabilities of a camera-mounted, unmanned flight system.  Their work will focus on counting populations of dugongs and humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in particular, and involve collaboration with survey and tracking experts from James Cook University in Townsville, Queensland, and the University of Newcastle in New South Wales. It will also involve input from the Queensland-based UAV business, Aerocam Australia.

If all goes well, the researchers believe an unmanned approach to aerial surveying would make studies easier, eliminate the human risk element, and reduce costs. It may also offer improved accuracy, and allow remote and hostile environments to be studied with ease.

Images:

Study subject: An aerial shot of dugongs captured by the UQ team in Moreton Bay. Image: Amanda Hodgson

Eye in the sky: The Shadow is a three-metre-long unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). It can fly with varying degrees of autonomy and has found a new role photographing and counting marine mammals off the coast of Queensland [Credit: University of Queensland / Aerocam Australia]

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Public wants more protection for Moreton Bay: McNamara

15 March 2008, ABC News

Queensland Minister for Sustainability Andrew McNamara says public support for creating new Moreton Bay Marine Park protection zones has been overwhelming.

At the moment, only 0.5 per cent is protected.

Mr McNamara says in the 8,000 submissions lodged, many people asked for 30 per cent of the bay to be protected, which is double the proposed 15 per cent.

He says it is clear that Moreton Bay's important to Queenslanders.

"The important thing for me, and I think for many, many people, is that this is about more than just fishing," he said.

"This is about protecting the biodiversity and environmental values of the bay, the seagrass and the coral.

"These things are the scientific approaches designed to protect all of the bay's biodiversity."

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Forgotten sister of Chek Jawa gets protection : Permits needed to visit Pulau Sekudu

11 March, 2008. The New Paper

Why would Singapore, a bustling port city dependent on ships passing through, stop ships from anchoring at a secluded island off Pulau Ubin?

The island, called Pulau Sekudu, looks nondescript from afar.  However, it is teeming with marine wildlife because it is very close to the marine-protected area of Chek Jawa.  While Chek Jawa is known for its natural gems, Sekudu, its neglected sister, has been the victim of repeated illegal fishing, camping and harvesting of marine creatures such as oysters and clams.  Between July and September 2007, there were more than 20 landings on Pulau Sekudu, Mr Robert Teo said. He is the assistant director in charge of Pulau Ubin at the National Parks Board (NParks).

NParks has been managing the area since January 2002, implementing rules that restrict access to Chek Jawa's inter-tidal habitats. That protection is extended to Sekudu because it is found within the 100-ha Chek Jawa Wetlands.

Since 1 Oct last year, vessels entering these wetlands have to get a permit from NParks.  Recently, The New Paper went to Chek Jawa to see what could be found there and at Sekudu.  Sea anemones, sand dollars, moon snails, crabs and tubeworms were spotted in the area.  In addition to the marine creatures, interesting plants can be seen, such as the seashore nutmeg (a species that can no longer be found on mainland), mangrove plants and many types of seagrass.

Explaining the reason for the permit system, Mr Teo said: 'Chek Jawa Wetlands, which includes Pulau Sekudu, is an important and unique area for the conservation of Singapore's marine life. 'Thus, NParks decided to manage public access to minimise damage to its fragile marine habitat.' NParks approves permit applications only for activities such as research and coastal cleanups. These are assessed on a case-by-case basis. It will not be easy for members of the public to sneak into the wetlands either. NParks staff members and security guards stationed at Chek Jawa Wetlands are equipped with powerful binoculars to scan the area for illegal activities. NParks has also started regular boat patrol and relies on volunteers to act as its eyes and ears.

These regulations are welcomed by nature lovers. Botanist Joseph Lai said: 'It's very good for the boating and fishing community to know where to fish and anchor, and where not to. 'This gives people a chance to exercise their own stewardship over nature areas.' Those who are granted permits should also exercise caution when on the island. Mr Teo said: 'For applications that are approved, we seek the cooperation of permit holders to observe the Parks and Trees Act and Parks and Trees Regulations and avoid trampling on marine life while on the island.'

Images: Forgotten sister of Chek Jawa gets protection
From left: Tube anemones and carpet anemones are some of the marine creatures found in Chek Jawa and Sekudu. Right: A flower crab nestles among the sea grass

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For more information and images on Pulau Sekudu visit: http://iyor08singapore.blogspot.com/2008/01/pulau-sekudu-part-of-chek-jawa.html

Marine life workshops

February 27 - March 4, 2008, Page 16, Torres News

Researcher Alana Grech is conducting a series of workshops with nine Island communities to assist with managing dugong and turtle.

Assisted by Hammond Island ranger Stephen Amber, Ms Grech is training the communities on the use of geographic information systems and global positioning systems. "This will help the communities work better; it's capacity building." The communities involved are Mabuiag, Boigu, Masig, lama, Mer, Darnley, Horn, Hammond and Badu.

James Cook University's Helene Marsh says it could take six months to determine if there had been any impact on the seagrass beds in the Torres Strait from the recent heavy rain.

"Seagrass in the Torres Strait has diebacks from time to time, but the jury is out on whether it's caused by PNG floods or sediment re suspension from long dries, when alot of dirty water is washed out. "Dugong have to eat seagrass with its growth depending on getting enough light and that can be affected by the big floods such as those along the east coast of Cape York."

Article photo captions: Above right: Doctor Jane Mellors (right) assisted by Janelle Marrington and Jake Seaton with the scientific side of the Seagrass-Watch at Federal Beach, Below right: Some of the junior observers took a much more hands-on approach to studying the ocean bed at low tide recently (from left): Callum Ferguson, Brianna Mills, Jared Mills, Analise Ferguson and Lilly.