Guest guest Posted December 31, 2002 Report Share Posted December 31, 2002 ***************************Advertisement*************************** TechCentral http://star-techcentral.com ***************************************************************** This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: Look out for the illegal gorilla trade and better zoos This article is from thestar.com.my URL: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2002/12/31/features/lienviroend & \ sec=features ________________________ Tuesday, December 31, 2002 Still hurting the Earth Forest fires, murky tap water, landslides, shooting of endangered species, illegal wildlife trade and waste dumping & #8211; such events throughout the year 2002 show how the Earth is again, taking a beating. TAN CHENG LI and HILARY CHIEW give a round-up o Blurry skies IT was hazy days again in February and March as high temperatures and irresponsible farmers caused bush fires to raze across peaty areas in Selangor, Pahang, Sarawak and Sabah. In June, even as Asean nations signed the landmark Asean Transboundary Haze Agreement, an agreement to monitor and mitigate forest fires, blazes were scorching fields across Sumatra and Kalimantan, releasing choking smoke. Despite the annual occurrence of forest fires and haze, the solution seem nowhere near. Waste woes Recycling remains minimal & #150; less than 5% of total discards & #150; despite the efforts of many non-governmental groups. Meanwhile, Department of Environment offices and mobile phone companies are collecting phone batteries for recycling and safe disposal. More bins should be placed in public places if this campaign is to make an impact. After much public protests, the site of the proposed garbage incinerator was changed from Kampung Bohol in Sungai Besi to another spot near Semenyih and Broga in Selangor. Protesters fear the thermal treatment plant, the biggest in the world, will emit poisonous dioxin gases. The RM1.4bil facility will burn 1,200 tonnes of trash a day from the southern part of Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley. Murky water Public complaints of brown water flowing from taps and sediment-choked water filters bear testimony to the poor water quality which Malaysians are paying for. In Selangor, the Perbadanan Urus Air Selangor (formerly the Selangor Water Works Department) say replacing the existing 5,000km of broken and leaky asbestos cement pipes in the state will cost RM1.2bil & #150; but no one wants to foot the bill. Wild about cats It is a bad year for wild cats as the leopard and panther joined the tiger in the long-standing problem of space conflict between displaced wild animals and man. The area of conflict has expanded from Kelantan and Terengganu to states like Perak and Johor where these wild cats were spotted in plantations. The Kelantan State Government & #146;s directive to shoot tigers at sight following four attacks in the Jeli and Tanah Merah districts which resulted in three deaths, created an uproar. The public was also irked by the shooting of a leopard in a village in Kuala Pilah, Negri Sembilan, by Wildlife and National Parks Department (or Perhilitan) officers when tranquilising would have been sufficient. Meanwhile, Perhilitan will draw up guidelines to resolve the animal-man conflict caused by encroachment of human activities like agriculture and settlement into wildlife habitats. Paraquat ban In August, the Government banned the production of all pesticides and herbicides containing paraquat and calcium cyanide as there are cheaper and less hazardous alternatives in the market. Paraquat has been associated with suicides among agricultural workers. The Pesticides Control Board has stopped approving new applications for registration and re-registration of pesticides containing both substances, while products which were registered prior to the ban would be phased out. Illegal gorilla deal In May, the United States-based International Primate Protection League exposed the illegal importation of four baby gorillas from Nigeria by the Taiping Zoo in Perak. The transaction under the guise of & #147;animal exchange & #148; was based on falsified documents. Gorillas are one of the four great apes protected under Appendix I of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) which prohibits international trade of the primate. Malaysian authorities said they were misled into believing that the animals were captive-bred, the only means by which the species is allowed to leave its country of origin. The gorillas remain caged in the Taiping Zoo while the Government considers a suitable centre for them. Better zoos Cramped cages, dirty quarters and poor care of animals in zoos may be things of the past with the new zoo guidelines released in July. The guidelines cover park management, record keeping as well as safety of animals and visitors. To better enforce the new rules, the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 will be amended to allow for fines and withdrawal of zoo licences. Meanwhile, plans for a new zoo in Dengkil near the Paya Indah Wetlands in Selangor has been shelved. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad said it would be too costly to set up another zoo after Zoo Negara refused to relocate there. It is learnt, however, that a study found the site at Dengkil to be unsuitable for a zoo. Wildlife smuggling Malaysia has built itself an image as a transit point for illegal trafficking of wildlife, many of which are protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. The spate of seizures of smuggled wildlife in cities and at the Malaysia-Thailand border this year underlines the seriousness of the trade. Large numbers of animals like pangolins, snakes, lizards and even insects were confiscated by the authorities before they reached the food, pet and traditional medicine markets or export points. To curb the trafficking, Perhilitan has proposed expanding the list of protected species and harsher penalties: a double-fold increase in fines and a maximum jail term of 12 years under the Act. Bear bile business Malaysia is the world & #146;s second major centre for the illegal trade in bear parts, after the United States, according to a report & #147;Bear Bile Business & #148; by the World Society for the Protection of Animals. A survey of 73 traditional Chinese medicine shops in Johor Baru, Kuala Lumpur, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu and Penang found 57 (78%) to be selling bear bile in the form of powder, flakes and crystals as well as bear gall bladders. Unsafe slopes The landslide which flattened a double-storey bungalow located just metres away from the Highland Towers at Taman Hillview in Hulu Klang, Selangor, on Nov 20, killing eight, provides much-need impetus for more controls over development on hilly areas. In April, the Institution of Engineers submitted a report to the Government on managing hillsite development. It proposed a Hillsite Engineering Agency to regulate and approve all hillsite development, classifying slopes according to risks, and a Dangerous Hillside Order to enable authorities to instruct property owners to strengthen unstable slopes on their land. In July, the cabinet agreed on guidelines on hill slope development. It prohibits all activity, including housing and agriculture, on slopes which have a 35 degree gradient or more. Development on slopes with gradient of between 26 and 35 degrees will be subjected to an environmental impact study. Highland havoc Wanton hill cutting in Cameron Highlands may be a thing of the past & #150; but only if development guidelines approved by the Cabinet in March, are enforced. Among the key points: classifying hill slopes according to erosion risks to determine whether construction projects can proceed, a buffer zone of 50m along rivers, silt traps on all farms, and a ban on heavy machinery on farms. Pahang has also agreed to gazette forests there as permanent forest reserves. To control development in the highlands, the Government in October classified hill resorts into different themes. Fraser & #146;s Hill is a low-density tourist resort, Genting Highlands is city-of-entertainment resort, Cameron Highlands is an agro-tourist and cultural heritage resort, Gunung Jerai and Bukit Larut are flora and fauna habitat resorts, while Penang Hill is cultural heritage tourist resort. However, conservation groups say merely describing the hill resorts will not help much. They say what is needed is specific development guidelines. Reef grief Conservationists say over-development on Malaysian islands & #150; such as building mega resorts, airstrips, and duty-free shopping malls & #150; are threatening the fragile ecosystem of marine parks. Meanwhile, studies show the world & #146;s coral reefs are in dire straits. One study said human activities & #150; agriculture, deforestation, over-fishing, destructive fishing methods & #150; are threatening over half of the world & #146;s reefs. Another study said 27% of the world & #146;s coral reefs has been lost and another 14% will be destroyed in the next 10 to 20 years. Singapore reclamation In March, Malaysia objected to Singapore & #146;s decision to reclaim land at Pulau Tekong, citing major ecological damage to the shared waterway in the Straits of Johor as reasons. Experts cautioned against altering the water flow in the channel. They said in the long run, stronger currents and tidal waves due to reduced flow areas would speed up sedimentation and block water discharges at river mouths. This will cause water flow to retreat inland and possibly flood riverine settlements in Johor. Summit to save the world? To mark the 10th anniversary of the Earth Summit, the World Summit on Sustainable Development convened for three weeks over August and September in Johannesburg, South Africa. There, governments reaffirmed their commitment to balance development with environmental protection. They also produced the Plan of Implementation, the blueprint to eradicate global poverty and cure the world & #146;s environmental woes. Among the strategies: halve the number of people without safe drinking water, proper sanitation and living on less than US$1 (RM3.80) a day by 2015; restore fisheries to maximum sustainable yields by 2015; establish a network of marine protected areas by 2012; and reduce the use and production of harmful chemicals. Non-governmental organisations, however, say the summit failed to produce the type of commitments needed to achieve sustainable development. Hot weather Emissions from forest fires, burning of agricultural waste and burning of fossil fuels in vehicles, industries and power stations are accelerating global warming and climate change. This year has been the second warmest since 1860. Scientists say 1998 remained the hottest year on record. The 10 warmest years had all occurred since 1987, nine since 1990. Dwindling numbers The IUCN-World Conservation Union & #146;s 2002 Red List of Threatened Species found 11,167 plants and animal threatened with extinction, an increase of 121 species since the last Red List in 2000. As always, the causes are: shrinking habitat, poaching, hunting and competition with introduced species. On a positive note, some 100 plants and animals joined the & #147;protected & #148; list at the 12th meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Among them are 32 species of seahorses, two species of Black Sea dolphins, 26 species of turtles, the snow leopard, the Brazilian mahogany tree, whale sharks and basking sharks. Japan lost its bid to resume hunting minke and Bryde whales in the northern hemisphere. The meeting allowed South Africa, Botswana and Namibia to sell stockpiles of ivory but denied the request for Zimbabwe and Zambia. Toxic dump China, Pakistan and India have become the world & #146;s dumping ground for toxic electronic waste. Ignorant of the health and environmental hazards, men, women and even children have resorted to all means to remove reusable material from e-waste, such as by burning soldered circuit boards and using acid to extract gold. Prestige spill Spain is battling its worst ecological crisis & #150; an oil spill from the tanker Prestige. Laden with 70,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, the vessel suffered hull damage in heavy sea condition on the northern Spanish shore on Nov 13. Instead of providing shelter, however, port authorities ordered the ship towed out to sea. Six days later, the ship broke into two, causing a massive oil slick. The oil has fouled parts of the predominantly rocky coastline of north-western Spain, areas important for fishing and aquaculture of shellfish. Fishing in the area has stopped. As many as 800 dead birds, mainly razorbills and garnets, have been washed ashore. Another 700 oiled birds have been collected and are being treated in two centres. <p> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2002 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Star Publications is prohibited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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