October 2, 2009
Choice between floating facilities, land reclamation to be made soon
Ronnie Lim, Business Times 1 Oct 09;
(SINGAPORE) Jurong Island is running out of land and Singapore will decide early next year on how to augment space at the oil and petrochemicals hub that houses biggies such as ExxonMobil and Shell. One option is to build large floating facilities there to store oil, while further land reclamation is another possibility.
As it is, 75 per cent of the island’s 3,000 hectares has been taken up or reserved by oil and petrochemical investors, a JTC Corporation spokeswoman told BT yesterday, adding that ‘JTC is in discussions with companies for the remaining 25 per cent’.
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October 2, 2009
Gladya Ow, Channel NewsAsia 30 Sep 09;
SINGAPORE: Singaporeans feel that the government should pump more money into heritage and culture, than into sectors like tourism, IT and defence. Education topped the list, followed by investment in social welfare.
This is according to a recent survey carried out by the National University of Singapore and commissioned by the National Heritage Board.
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October 2, 2009
The following post was first published on Wild Shores of Singapore
Work on the sea wall of Resorts World near the bridge to Sentosa that began in Mar 09 continues until Mar 2010.
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September 29, 2009
Pulau Hantu west swimming lagoon
We started our single-cylinder bumboat engine and raced toward the island. The sky looked overcast and many divers prophesied rain but it turned out on the contrary to be a really hot weekend! More importantly, what got the divers so eager to get into the water was the fantastic visibility that we observed as we left the marina.
Sea almond trees
Interestingly as with last year during the F1 weekend, I had a non-diver on my boat. So once again I had a relatively dry weekend exploring the islands topside, talking about its history, looking at its plant, bug, bird and reptile life. We saw sandpipers (a winter migrant), Zebra doves, Common mynahs, Brahminy kites, Collared kingfishers, Golden orioles, While-bellied sea eagles and a large bird of prey that was getting chased by crows! We waded into the mangroves on Hantu island and walked amongst Pencil fish, gobies, and an assortment of juvenile fish that sought shelter in the shallow waters. We also observed a massive Longtom from the surface and schools of young sardines and damselfish! We tested our patience watching the surface for a turtle but no luck there (these things only seem to happen when you’re not expecting it).
Underwater, volunteer dive guide Jimmy Goh borrowed my camera to grab some gorgeous stills:
The first thing Jimmy saw as he descended into the water was this Xeno Crab on whip coral!
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September 28, 2009
The theme of the ASEAN Conference on Biodiversity 2009 is “Biodiversity in Focus – 2010 and Beyond”.
The sub-themes selected for the Conference reflect the current global and regional priorities:
(a) Biodiversity and Climate Change;
(b) Access to Genetic Resources and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising out of their Utilisation; and
(c) Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity.
Registration is now open for this inaugural ASEAN Conference on Biodiversity 2009 (ACB2009) is hosted by NParks in partnership with the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB).
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September 28, 2009
A talk by Prof. Peter Ng, as part of the 60th anniversary celebrations of the Department of Biological Sciences, the National University of Singapore.
The biodiversity implications of climate change events are very grave and a whole suite of catastrophes have been predicted; from massive changes in ecosystems, die-offs of whole communities and mass extinctions of many plants and animals. This comes at a time when mankind is only beginning to realise that Earth’s biodiversity is not just more substantial than we have presumed, but far greater than anything we could have imagined. As scientists rush to discover and document new species and ecosystems, they find the ‘rug being pulled from under them’ due to man’s relentless changes to the environment! Nevertheless, the stark reality of the matter is that biodiversity and natural history will survive regardless of how humans mess up the planet. As the systems we know collapse and species die, new ones will replace them eventually – nature has a resilience that mankind always underestimates. The unpleasant question we need to ask instead is this: ‘Can humankind, as know it, survive climate change and how?’
More details about Prof. Peter Ng and the talk.
Light refreshments will be served after the talk.
Admission is free but registration is required. More details on the Department of Biological Sciences website.
Time: 6.30-8pm
Venue: LT 31, Blk S16, National University of Singapore location map
Website and contact: http://www.dbs.nus.edu.sg/60anniversary/public_lectures.html
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September 18, 2009
Date: 26 Sep, Saturday
Time: 3pm – 4pm
Venue: Tampines Regional Library, Auditorium (Level 3)
Speaker: Mr Jeffrey Low
Language: English
Admission is free. No registration or reservation is needed.
Singapore is well known as a “Garden City”, but there is another “garden” that most people do not see that exists just off shore. Singapore’s coastal and marine habitats still holds many surprises for the intrepid explorer. From spineless, spiny creatures to back-boned, shelled air breathers, there is a bounty of the weird and wonderful awaiting the urbanite that dares venture the confines of the concrete jungle.
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September 16, 2009
What’s your oceans IQ?
Test your smarts on ocean science, fishing, climate change effects and more.
Know Your Marine Life?
How much do you know about what’s living in our oceans?
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September 3, 2009
Gorgonian coral growing on the side of the pontoon.
Ria Tan calls me at 4pm today and asks if I had any plans for the evening. I did, but I wanted to hear what exciting news she was bearing that couldn’t wait.
Turns out, Francis Olsen, Chief Marina Officer at Marina at Keppel Bay, learned about what wonderful stuff there is in Singapore waters, thanks to Ria’s skipper, Alex of Summit Marine, who in turned learned more about Singapore marine life whilst accompanying Ria on her intertidal surveys.
After speaking to his Pier Master, Roy, who’s a diver, and who’s dived and taken heaps of cool pictures of the creatures that live practically ON and around the marina’s pontoons, Francis was eager to do more for local marine life and would like to establish educational signs all over the marina to members, boaters, and members of the public who drop by for a walk-around may learn more about the kind of stuff that lives, breathes and reproduces right beneath our noses!
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September 2, 2009
Hawksbill turtle in Pulau Hantu's reef
The Hantu Blog’s latest volunteer, Hazel Chew, blogs about her experience at Pulau Hantu on Sunday.
Swing by her Blog to see more of what she saw!
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