Hantu is ALIVE! Today!
----------------------
photos and stories to prove it...

ReefFriends Survey: Last survey of Hantu's fringing reefs before
reclamation of Bayan begins. Poignant photos on the Hantu blog
http://habitatnews.nus.edu.sg/news/pulauhantu/2006/04/reeffriends-survey-pulau-h\
antu.html

Surveying a Sanctuary: the water may not be clear but there are
clearly LOTS of corals and marine life for those that will see.
Fab photos on the Hantu blog
http://habitatnews.nus.edu.sg/news/pulauhantu/2006/04/surveying-sanctuary.html
These photos also show how a census is properly done, without having to bump
into corals :-)

Personal thoughts of the SUF briefing
-------------------------------------
more shared on blogs and websites ...

NO-'AH-dea': Ignorance is NOT bliss
personal view of a young environmentalist on the Salted Fried Tempeh
blog http://saltedfriedtempeh.blogspot.com/

The Far Side of Fritos:
a light-hearted account by Joseph Lai on his eart-h.com
http://www.eart-h.com/text/farside.htm

Updates on the ClubSnap forum thread on the issue
http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?p=2055857#post2055857
marcel says: "Unfortunately could not attend the meeting, but if I read the
report by Debby on her blog. I'm getting more and more the feeling this is not
about reef conservation, but all about possible business opportunities. What is
going to happen when business is not as good as the investors are now hoping
for?"

Updates on the finsonline forum thread on the issue
http://www.finsonline.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4779
shenjiaqing says: "After the presentation, the whole thing sound like a money
game to me"


Responses by coral reef scientists around the world
on the Blue Water Volunteers website
http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/reefnews.html
------------------------------------
Although the sand filters will remove the sediment ... they will clog and need
to be backwashed ... the real question is ... where will the backwash effluent
go? That is the environmental issue here ... also, where will the effluent from
the pond go ... presumably water will enter the pond ... but where will it exit
and what will be in that water?
Aloha!
Charles
(J. Charles Delbeek M.Sc., Aquarium Biologist III, Waikiki Aquarium, University
of Hawaii)

Hi,
just a small note on high sediments and corals. Despite the "usual"
notion of corals only existing in "clear waters" I am not that surprised to hear
that you have a rich coral reef despite all the sediments. Belize has at least
one area like this as well, although most of the reefs are in more clear waters,
and although I haven't personally seen them I have seen some images and they did
surprise me in how rich and thriving the community was...
Best regards,
Eva
(Coral-lister)


Birders and the Nature Society (Singapore)
------------------------------------------
History of ornithology and birding in Singapore 2: Reality
revelations on the bird ecology blog
http://besgroup.blogspot.com/2006/04/history-of-ornithology-and-birding-in_15.ht\
ml

Birders and birds:
views of Jacqueline, a young environmentalist, about the issues
revealed on the bird ecology blog in a post to the nature-singapore
list http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nature-singapore/message/2730

more about Jacqueline
http://www.wildsingapore.com/riablog/people/jac.htm


Other wild web updates
----------------------
Fascinating moths, trees and more
at Joseph Lai's Muse-um of Natural History
http://www.eart-h.com/text/jomuseum.htm


Singapore gears up to tackle climate change
-------------------------------------------
by Radha Basu The Straits Times 15 Apr 06
http://www.wildsingapore.com/news/20060304/060415-1.htm

SINGAPORE has formally accepted the Kyoto Protocol and is now working
on a national plan to tackle climate change, which scientists believe
to be the biggest environmental problem threatening nations today.

The National Environment Agency is likely to lead a study to assess
the long-term impact of climate change here in line with the new
national plan.

The Singapore Environment Council is helping draw up a campaign to
make people aware of these changes.

'We hope it will inspire ordinary people to want to do something
about climate change,' said the council's executive director, Mr
Howard Shaw. Details will be announced next week.

The Kyoto Protocol is also likely to spin off economic benefits for
Singapore companies.

A special trading mechanism has been worked out under the protocol.
Companies in developed countries which cannot reduce actual emissions
can pay for the pollution by buying 'carbon credits' from
counterparts in the developing world, including companies in
Singapore.

Carbon credits can be earned by companies by carrying out projects to
reduce carbon emissions.

Singapore-based Senoko Power is one local company eager to earn
carbon credits, which it can sell to developed countries and earn
millions of dollars.

'We can earn credits by converting old oil-fired plants to cleaner
technology,' said the company's acting chief executive, Mr Yu Tat
Ming. Upgrading a single plant, for instance, could reduce carbon
emissions by 800,000 tonnes a year, which is roughly equal to
emissions from all private cars here in a year.

'Based on current trading prices, we can make $13 million every year
by simply selling credits earned from upgrading a single plant,' said
Mr Yu.