My Newsradio Scripts

These are my old radio news scripts on Singapore's current affairs when I worked as a broadcast journalist.

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

OTGV #46 - Birdlife Singapore

Date of Broadcast: 05/01/04

Can you imagine any place where birds no longer sing?

Can't can you?

But reality is fast catching up with that somewhat dis-quieting scenario.

Hi welcome to On the Grapevine with me Chong Ching Liang as I take a look at the issues behind the vanishing birds of Asia.

The Executive Officer of the Nature Society of Singapore Lim Kim Seng is part of a wholly remarkable book, Saving Asia's Threatened Birds.

Kim Seng on the book's objective.

"This book identifies the birds which are becoming extinct as well as the ecological regions which are important for the conservation of these birds. It also identifies every country in Asia as well as the species of threatened birds which occur therein. This book identifies what government and civil society need to do to prevent birds from going extinct. Already we have some 12 percent of Asia's birds at risk of extinction. There is another 300 plus species, in total about 30 percent of Asia's birds which will become threatened with extinction if we don't do anything."

The book is published by a multinational NGO, Birdlife International, with inputs from over 160 national data compilers and over a thousand volunteers.

Kim Seng gives a situation report here.

"
Singapore has eight internationally threatened species. One of which is resident, the Straw-headed Bulbul. In conserving the Straw-headed Bulbul, Singapore will be making an effort at global conservation of birds."

Fellow bird-lover and avid bird-watcher Alfred Chia supports this observation.

"If you are taking the local context for a start, the local habitat and the places to bird-watch are dwindling by the day. We know that because we have been bird-watching for a while and I co-incidentally have been planning trips for the Nature Society. Year-over-year, I find more difficult to plan trips. Many years back we are able to see them in quite a many places. Nowadays maybe you just get to see them in one or two localised areas."

The one or two localised areas are probably the protected areas and Singapore doesn't have a lot of nature reserves gazetted says Kim Seng.

"We have lost in the last 10 years, places like Senoko, Serangoon and Punggol. These were actually very key sites for the migratory birds. Over the last ten years, we have noticed there has been an overall decline of about 40% in terms of overall number of birds in Singapore."

Have the local birds decide to upgrade their tiny little habitat to bigger rainforests in say Malaysia or Indonesia?

The sad truth is that we're not looking at some avian brain-drain but that those missing are now probably dead and gone forever.

The main culprits are poaching and loss of habitat says Birdlife International.

Kim Seng on a specific example, the Straw-Headed Bulbul of Singapore.

"We don't think poaching is the main threat. Habitat lost is a more serious threat to this bird. If you look at the straw-headed bulbul in
Singapore. 50% are in the island of Pulau Ubin. The rest are scattered through out the main island. But if you look at the protected area system in Singapore, Pulau Ubin is actually just a nature area in Singapore. It is not a nature reserve. So if we can Pulau Ubin a nature reserve, that will help protect the straw-headed bulbul in the long term so that it will be able to persist in the sustainable future."

For migratory birds, Singapore is the last feeding ground before the big flight to Australia.

Kim Seng explains the significance of Singapore that few outside of the Nature Society know.

"For migratory birds, they have specific points where they breed and spend the winter. But in between they need places to stop, to rest, as well as to re-fuel. So if those places disappear and there is a long distance between the stopovers. Chances are a lot of birds will die because they don't have the energy to reach the next breeding stop. Singapore is important because based on our surveys, most of the migratory birds spend some time with us before they fly on. So if these sites are destroyed, they will not find an alternative site to re-fuel. And a lot will die. One of the reasons is that these birds stop-over based on instinct, based on a map in the mind. So even if there are alternative sites where they could feed, they may not fly there because they are pre-programmed."

And a lot of birds will die.

Kim Seng says some 3 to 5 million birds fly from Siberia to Australia through Asia.

Some wise sage once said, it's only the things that are gone that one cherished.

Don't wait till the birds stop singing before stronger actions are taken says Kim Seng and his like-minded ilk.

Birds are tied to us in more ways than simply just the environment.

"Birds are part and parcel of our culture whether it is Japanese or African or Southeast Asian. It's always been part of our culture. To lose the birds would be akin to losing part of our cultural heritage. Another is that birds are excellent indicators of our natural environment. If we don't see or hear the birds in our neighbourhood, then something must be seriously wrong. This was actually the case in the 1960s. The discovery was made by the famous environmentalist, Rachel Carson, and her excellent book, Silent Space."

The book is an act of love.

It hopes to convince you, the average Joe, and more importantly, the policy makers who can take the necessary actions.

If you want to find out about the dire straits of our avian buddies, buy the book.

You can get more information by calling Nature Society at 6741-2036.

This is Chong Ching Liang for Newsradio 938.

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Related Links:

Newsradio 938 (now 938Live) Image hosted by Photobucket.com
http://www.938live.sg/


Nature Society of Singapore Image hosted by Photobucket.com
http://nss.org.sg/
Birdlife International Image hosted by Photobucket.com
http://www.birdlife.org/

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