The Fig Tree Forum

We've Moved!

2011-04-22T13:22:00.000+08:00

Dear all our lovely followers. We've moved house, so to speak. You can now find us at:

http://thefigtreeforum.tumblr.com

Follow us, like or reblog the posts, ask questions, submit content! It's so much more interactive over at tumblr and we can't wait to see you there!

3D Conservation

2011-04-07T09:40:00.000+08:00

Big things are happening in the conservation world.

Huge issues that affect our environment - like the deforestation of tropical rainforests- happen every day without us even hearing about it.

Now, several top guns in the media world like National Geographic and Virgo Productions are teaming up with conservationist legend Dr. Willie Smits to make a 3D movie about the plight of endangered Orangutans and their forests in Borneo.

They will not be heading into the wilderness alone! Ten young and passionate people will be chosen to star in this deforestACTION initiative.

Our very own biologist, Tara Beardmore, is applying for this job-of-a-lifetime and she needs our support! You can watch her video on youtube and follow the instructions to vote. But hurry as the competition closes soon! It only takes a few seconds to sign up and vote, and it is a website well worth exploring!

Tara has worked for Ecofieldtrips since 2010 after graduating with a bachelors of Journalism and Science. She has volunteered for wildlife organizations in her hometown, Brisbane, and has had behind the scenes experience in television programs - including nature show, Totally Wild!

When she is not exploring rainforests and coral reefs with students on a trip, she is writing articles for Singapore magazine, Asian Geographic Junior.

We wish her the best of luck with Project Borneo 3D!

300 years of Fossil Fuels in 300 seconds

2011-03-27T13:05:00.000+08:00

Because you know how much we like Sea Turtles at EFT!

2011-01-20T17:29:00.002+08:00

Running a turtle hatchery is no easy task. Ask any of us. Baby turtles have a habit of hatching at unreasonable hours or all at the same time or both! It's hectic because you have to release them ASAP, they use the energy from the egg yolk to dash towards the deep ocean, away from the reef and it's predators. You've also got to make sure that you release them from the top of the beach, not into the water, because the females need to remember the beach as they come back to beach they were born to give birth!

There are strict IUCN (That's the International Union for the Conservation of Nature) protocols for running a hatchery, because Sea Turtles are endangered. Some people running hatcheries don't know of these protocols, or just ignore them. They might keep the hatchlings until they are bigger, because they think the hatchlings will have a better chance against predators. What really happens is that the hatchling has lost it's natural instinct to head out to sea, and hangs around the reef where it is STILL vulnerable to predators. Other hatcheries keep hatchlings back so tourists can hold them and play with them. Imagine if you were a new born baby, and people were passing you around, playing with you on the beach, and touching your umbilical cord. Imagine how disorientating and harmful that would be. It's not different for these turtles. Just because they have a shell doesn't mean they can't be damaged.

So do Sea Turtles a favour, support hatcheries that follow IUCN protocols, and spread the word. Remember, information is the key to conservation!

P.S. The photo is supposed to be a gif. If the hatchling ain't moving, click on it.

Vanishing Act

2010-12-12T18:47:00.003+08:00

A genius production from some students at Canadian International School Hong Kong

Plight of the Panda

2010-09-08T12:29:00.014+08:00

The Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is facing an uphill battle against extinction. The species is now reliant on conservation efforts and the wild population could be as low as just 1500 individuals, making it the rarest bear species in the world.

So why are pandas having such a tough time whilst other bear species such as the North American Black Bear seem to be able to adapt to changes in their environment? Well, the problem comes because pandas are just so fussy! Their diet is almost 100% bamboo; a grass species which is very low in nutrients and difficult to digest. Because of it's low nutritional value they have to eat pretty much constantly, and because it takes so long to digest they are not particularly active animals. What's more they won't just eat any old bamboo; they favour a particular species. Because they are pretty much the only animals that eat bamboo, in theory they would have no competition for their food and so their populations would thrive. Being a highly specialised animal is often the key to success because you don't have to fight for your food. But the case of pandas is a little more complicated; scientists believe that the bears were historically carnivorous but that their diet changed to bamboo over time because it requires less energy to forage than to hunt, and since pandas have no natural predators as adults they can afford to be out in the open grazing. What this means though is that pandas lack the necessary genetics to digest the grass easily and so rely on microbes in their stomach which is a much less effective process than other herbivores such as cows and deer use, chewing the cud several times and digesting it in their multiple stomachs.

The bamboo forests where pandas have previously reined in the lowlands of central China have been extensively deforested and turned into agricultural lands which are becoming the economic heart of the country, forcing the pandas to head for the hills. Up in the mountain ranges the pandas become isolated and it is harder for individuals to find a mate.

Pandas are also VERY fussy when it comes to mating; zoologists and conservationists have had many sleepless nights trying to figure out ways to entice pandas into breeding in captivity. From the female panda's point of view, she wants to choose the male with the best genes because bringing up baby pandas is a big task; they grow extremely slowly (a newborn panda is about the size of a stick of butter - 1/900th the size of it's mother!). Generally if a mother has twins, she will select the stronger of the two and neglect the weakest which will die. The baby will stay with the mother for some 18 months and in this time she will have to boost her bamboo-eating to provide enough milk for her cub.

But even if the female does find a male that takes her fancy, convincing him to mate is another story all together. Pandas seem to be quite bashful in the bedroom and birth rates in the wild and in captivity are very low. Scientists have even tried giving pandas viagra and sex education videos to put them in the mood, and results have been patchy. In fact we know little about their courting rituals, but recent research suggests that 'chirps' and other vocalisations play a big role in panda flirting.

There have been some panda success stories recently and China has spent a lot of money setting up 50 conservation centres around the country to help save the species. China can fund these efforts by renting out it's adult pandas to zoos around the world. In fact Japan is currently renting two adult pandas from China for $1 million and the proceeds are being put towards re-building panda sanctuaries which were flattened by the Sichuan earthquake in 2008. Countries around the world are starting to realise the economic value of having pandas in captivity and Japan has proudly unveiled a pair of twin pandas to the public this week which were born earlier in August. The twins will no doubt become media celebrities in the country and will hopefully bring in the important dollars needed to keep the panda from it's plight.

The Rarest Mammal known to Man...

2010-07-21T09:20:00.000+08:00

The slow loris is an amazing creature - see Matt's profile of the Sunda slow loris in a previous post - and there are three species around South East Asia and all are classified as 'vulnerable' or 'endangered' by the IUCN as they face threats from loss of habitat and poaching for the illegal pet trade. Being that cute has its fair share of disadvantages.

Returning from beyond the grave - the Horton Plains Slow Loris, discovered in Sri Lanka in 1937, has thought to be extinct for the last sixty years. A chance encounter in 2002 encouraged surveys by the Zoological Society of London, who established that the entire population consists of a sad figure of less than a hundred individuals.

This Slow Loris lives exclusively in the cloud forests of Horton Plains in Sri Lanka, and deforestation for firewood and agriculture has left individuals isolated in patchy forest, unable to 'date' as it were (unfortunate for a polygamous animal!). When a population is split up and isolated, individuals cannot find mates, and when reproduction rates drop, combined with a loss of habitat, it leaves that species in real trouble. This tiny mammal, at 20 cm and just 310 g is potentially the rarest mammal known to science.

Efforts are being made to protect and enhance the remaining forest areas in Horton Plains, and to try and reconnect the sporadic population. Fingers crossed for the little fellas. We hope that it's not too late.

- Sam

Ocean's Most Deadly Predator...

2010-07-07T22:27:00.001+08:00

Biology Without Borders - Jeffrey Kong

2010-06-08T15:59:00.001+08:00

In March of this year, we had a special student in the form of Jeffrey Kong, photo journalist from Asian Geographic magazine. Jeff fit right into the team as he tagged along with St. Joseph's Institute International students as they did survey work on their Rainforest to Reef trip in Tioman Island. Here is his account of his experiences with us.

What is biology? Twenty years ago I learnt it is the study of living things. Twenty years later I experienced it. And it was the passionate team from EFT who brought this subject to life.

When I went on my first trip with EFT to Tioman earlier this year, I was impressed at how the EFT biologists seemed to know every plant and animal on the island like their own family. They know where to look for the lizard known as the flying dragon; they can show you a flying lemur and tell you that it is, well, not a lemur at all. They can tell you the difference between a coral and a sponge, and that a poisonous frog is not the same as a venomous frog (there is a difference!). And cool stuff like how to measure a tree without having to chop it down.

These guys also walk the talk. They don’t just give a lecture on marine conservation; they spend an entire night digging up a hundred turtle eggs with their bare hands to resettle them in a hatchery safe from poachers. Thanks to these experts, young people can appreciate how we are all linked in this great cycle of life, and how any damage to nature would invariably affect us in one way or another – a biological karma of sorts.

Biology is all around us; it’s not just a subject you learn in a classroom. All you need is to get out there: look, listen, smell, touch, taste. The folks from EFT have showed me how I can begin to make sense of the living world. Now it’s up to me to connect the dots on my own, and to share what I’ve learnt with the world.

To the EFT biologists – Bridget, Ligia, Samantha, Richard, Ling, Jack, Jana, Jen – thank you for a lesson that was 20 years overdue.

Your overaged student

Jeffrey Kong

Editor/photojournalist, Asian Geographic Magazines

P.s. Jeff - we're not sure there are any venomous frogs, but a point well made none-the-less!

The pen is mightier than the sword...but is it mightier than...The Photograph?!

2010-06-03T17:11:00.000+08:00

Probably not!

In this TED talk, National Geographic photographer explains how he has been able to use images to tell the story of the decline in our oceans. Without photographs and video, Conservation would not be where it was today.

Think about it, you can talk until you're blue in the face, and you'll get through to a few people, but others may think you are just exaggerating, or perhaps be distracted and not listen; but if you show someone a photograph , or a video , it captures their attention and the same information you were talking about is now associated with an image that inspired some emotion in that person. That way they are more likely to remember!

That is why when we held our student photo competition, we wanted an explanation of what that photo meant to you. We will be holding more photo competitions, and hopefully more and more people will show us how they are using their photography skills to spread the word of conservation!

~ Samantha Craven

Photography Competition Winner!

2010-05-30T17:59:00.019+08:00

WINNER - 'AWESOME' - WAN TING, AGE 17 of RJC - CONGRATULATIONS!

It was a very close competition with many amazing pictures submitted. Wan Ting's picture was chosen as a winner for her interesting use of light, superb photographic skill and her explanation of why she chose this picture;

"I took the photo while scuba-diving in Fiji. The marine life there is amazing and this is taken at a site called North Saventech, where lots of pelagic fish hangs around to feed. It was just awesome seeing such a sight with my own eyes. It was also my first time seeing such a majestic scene in real life so I took hundreds of photos in hopes of capturing the moment perfectly."

Runners Up include Donovan Saw Tuan Li, 16 from SJII and James Tong of Tanglin Trust School, age 13.

Donovan: "On the day the picture was taken, I was granted a rare opportunity (as a city dweller) to witness what nature had to truly offer – a beautiful sunset. What struck me about this picture is how the rays of light was filtered out by the clouds, which fell softly on to the ocean surface, and the almost perfect symmetry of the clouds, with the sun in the centre.
I was marvelled by nature’s ability to create a perfect scene (as if it were digitally created) with just random, dynamic props. Then, I was consumed by a dark feeling – Is this what we have been missing all along? Is this what we have been destroying all along? Can we bear to never see such clarity and effortless perfection again?"

James:Black and Yellow - This picture was taken in England over Easter, I took with a 90mm macro lens. My favorite thing about it is the level of detail in this shot. It was taken with a f-stop of f/5 and and exposure of 1/800.

Special mention also goes to Nicole Teng, Nancy Teng, Clare Lee, Mackenzie Foord and Syafiq Baki for their excellent entries.

Thanks to everyone who sent in images- it was a truly hard decision for all of the judges to pick a winner as we had so many amazing shots to choose from. Congratulations once again to Wan Ting who wins a turtle t-shirt!

Student Nature Photography Competition!

2010-03-31T10:56:00.010+08:00

The Fig Tree Forum announces the first Student Nature Photography Competition!

Send us your best pictures by 15th May and our panel of judges will select a winner.

The picture can be of anything you like as long as it relates to the themes of Nature, Conservation or Culture.

The rules are simple:
1. The picture must be your own work.
2. The winning picture and runners up will be displayed here on the Forum for all to see!
3. Please include a couple of sentences about the picture; why you like it and if there is a story behind it.
4. Please tell us your age and school.
5. The picture must be related to the themes of Nature, Conservation or Culture.
6. Closing date is 15th May.
7. Tell all your friends! This competition is open to all students, not just those who have been on an Ecofieldtrip!

Happy snapping! The winning shot will earn you a cool EFT turtle t-shirt and will be published in our June newsletter!
Send your entries to matt.ecofieldtrips@gmail.com

Animal Profile: Sunda Pangolin

2010-02-08T12:23:00.008+08:00

The sunda pangolin, or Malayan scaly anteater is a nocturnal mammal found in Malaysia and Singapore. Similar species exist throughout Asia and Africa in varying sizes but all have one thing in common; their soft bodies are covered in armoured plating. The thick plates are made from keratin, the same stuff your fingernails are made of and give the pangolin a great defence against predators, as well as the biting jaws of its prey; ants and termites. The scales overlap, making it very difficult for the ants or termites to attack the pangolin’s soft flesh underneath; their only hope if they are to defend their colony against its long, sticky tongue. The pangolin’s tongue is extremely long in relation to its body size and can reach right down into an insect nest (sometimes up to 40cm!), slurping up its inhabitants by the hundreds. It also has sharp, curved fore claws, ideal for scraping through termite mounds. However these curved claws are clumsy to walk on, and so the pangolin often holds them up and scuttles around on its hind legs in a sort of comical crouch.

Pangolins can emit a noxious odour in a similar way to a skunk, making them unlikely prey for larger animals. However if they are attacked, the razor sharp scales are a great defence; it can curl into a ball, tucking its face under its legs and it will be safe from anything that wants to eat. Well, almost anything. Unfortunately the pangolin’s biggest threat is man; they are often sought after for Chinese medicine and many people believe that pangolin soup can cure asthma. Trade in pangolins and pangolin products has lead to them appearing on the IUCN Red List as ‘Endangered’. Their population in the wild is decreasing also due to loss of habitat; in Malaysia and Singapore pangolins inhabit rainforest, which is fast being cleared for logging, urban development or plantations.

People You Should Know About - David Suzuki

2010-02-08T10:41:00.001+08:00

David Suzuki is a long standing environmental campaigner and ambassador for nature. The Japanese-Canadian conservationist studied zoology at university in Canada and went on to host a children’s TV show – Suzuki on Science – in the early ‘70s. In the late ‘70s Suzuki began hosting ‘The Nature of Things’, which has aired around the world and has been his main vehicle for discussing matters of human-wildlife conflict, renewable energy and sustainable development; how we can continue to develop our societies without having harmful affects on nature.

David Suzuki is outspoken about his views on climate change and has been a leading voice in many campaigns to urge governments around the world to act on their carbon emissions. In 2007 Suzuki travelled across Canada in a bus, meeting the public and discussing climate change in a bid to raise awareness in his own country.

His website, The David Suzuki Foundation is a great way to keep informed about climate change but also about many other conservation topics around the world. You can even log on to his site for kids and take the nature challenge to learn about energy saving and lowering your carbon footprint: www.davidsuzuki.org/kids/challenges

Another great page on the kid’s site is an environment glossary – a place you can go to look up words that you don’t understand about the environment, but also to find out about things such as ‘acid rain’, ‘fossil fuels’ and ‘reforestation’: www.davidsuzuki.org/kids/fun_stuff/glossary

Animal Profile: Sunda Slow Loris

2009-11-26T10:45:00.000+08:00

The sunda slow loris is a nocturnal, tree dwelling primate found in the tropical rainforests of South East Asia from Java and Borneo up to Peninsula Malaysia and Thailand. Feeding on fruits, young leaves and tree sap, the slow loris creeps about the canopy in an almost comically slow and calculated manner.

The loris is an omnivore and will eat insects, lizards, molluscs and even small birds. It is the only mammal known to have a venemous bite; they produce a toxin from glands inside their elbows which is then licked up and mixed with saliva to be used as a defense against predators. A slow loris bite will cause painful swellings and in some cases the toxin can cause death due to anaphylaxis. The loris is also capable of curling into a ball if it's bite does not deter a predator. However the animal is not known to be vicious; in fact the local name for a loris in Malaysia and Indonesia is Malu Malu, meaning 'Shy One'.

Sadly, this wonderfully unique creature is threatened with global extinction. Apart from loss of habitat, another main threat to the survival of this animal is hunting for its large eyes which are prized in traditional medicine.

Prawn Fisheries: A Net Loss

2009-11-24T14:44:00.000+08:00

“Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.” – Chinese proverb.

For millennia humans have taken from the seas. As hunter gatherer tribes we learnt to rely upon the ocean’s bounty to feed ourselves and our villages. Historically, humans have occupied coastal settlements and lived in harmony with the surrounding ecosystems, taking to the seas with spears, lines and nets to gather edible marine life. In the last fifty years, the population of our planet has exploded to the extent that we now have more than twice as many mouths to feed. This population explosion is still happening at an exponential rate, and with every passing day we increase our demands on the planet’s precious natural resources. Long gone are the days of the Chinese proverb when fishing meant feeding your family; we are now a global population of seafood lovers, with an appetite far greater than ever before. How long will it be before we are left fighting over the scraps of a plundered ocean?

Bluefin tuna for sale at Tsukiji Fish Market, Japan

To meet ever-increasing demands, we have devised more efficient, more intensive fishing methods which increase catches to a level that can fuel the global fish market. One of the most destructive and intensive of these practices is trawling. This involves sinking a weighted net to the bottom of the ocean and dragging it along seabed. The nets can be kilometres wide, and will trap anything in their path, often removing things like corals from the seabed, thus destroying entire habitats and anything that inhabits them. Bycatch from these nets can often include turtles, sea birds, and even marine mammals such as dolphins and whales!

Trawlers will typically target one individual species, and so edible fish such as tuna and sharks are often discarded as bycatch and thrown over the side, dead or alive. According to the WWF, up to 30 million metric tonnes of bycatch is dumped back into the ocean every year.

A deep sea bottom trawler hauling in the catch

The most wasteful of trawl fisheries is prawn fishing, and it is estimated that for every 1kg of prawns taken from the ocean around 15kg of bycatch is discarded. In the Gulf of Mexico alone shrimp trawlers drag up 35 million juvenile red snappers as bycatch every year (WWF); enough to have a devastating effect on the population. A number of countries have banned deep sea trawling in their waters and imposed the use of Bycatch Reduction Devices (BRDs) in an attempt to reduce the impact of intensive fishing on their marine environment. However, trawling is still the only method to fish for prawns on a commercial scale and continues uncontested in international waters.

Endangered species such as turtles and sharks are often caught as bycatch. For every 1kg of prawns, we waste 15kg of marine life.

An alternative to trawling for prawns is prawn farming. Rearing prawns in ponds is a common practise in tropical regions especially and can produce huge yields. This aquaculture method is however no less destructive to the environment. Areas suitable for prawn ponds are typically located along the coast as they need salt water. In order to make way for the ponds, aquaculture companies will have to clear mangrove forests which are important habitats for both marine and terrestrial life. Mangroves are essential to the health of our oceans as they are the nursery grounds for our fish and act as a natural coastal defence, protecting the land from tsunamis and protecting the coral reef from sediment runoff. According to the UN Food Agency we have destroyed 20% of our mangroves in the last 30 years alone, making it the fastest disappearing ecosystem on the planet.

Furthermore, prawn farms require a large amount of fish to feed the captive prawns; for every 1kg of prawns harvested,2kg of fish is needed as feed. These fish are usually small species with little market value, however they are species which many poor people typically rely on to form the main source of protein in their otherwise restricted diet.

Prawns are a favourite of seafood lovers the world over, but how much longer can we sustain the demand?

Currently there is no guaranteed way to ensure that the prawns you buy in supermarkets or restaurants are ethically sourced. Due to the nature of their harvesting, prawns are one of the most environmentally damaging food options available to us. Unlike issues such as climate change which some may explain away as a ‘natural phenomenon’, this problem is undeniably manmade and the solution is clear; reduce the demand and we reduce the destruction.

Please feel free to add your comments below; we would like to hear your opinions on this matter.

People You Should Know About - Mohandas "Mahatma" Gandhi

2009-11-21T09:53:00.000+08:00

Mahatma Gandhi was the political and spiritual leader of India during their move towards independence from British colonial rule. Known as the 'Father of the Nation', Gandhi's strategy for leading his nation away from the shackles of the British Empire was not to incite violence or hatred. Instead Gandhi pioneered a concept called satyagraha; a resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience. His movement was entirely pacifistic, even when the British military were massacring Indians in their own country. His values and determination have inspired civil rights movements around the world and he is often quoted wherever there is need for a spot of wisdom.

Following a British imposed salt tax, Gandhi famously marched 388km across the country in 1930 with a band of followers to make salt himself in the Bay of Bengal. This move was to greatly upset the British hold on India, but not before the Empire imprisoned 60,000 Indian people in retaliation for Gandhi's public display of defiance. His mantra was to tell the truth at all times and live a simple life; only wearing the traditional dhoti and shawl which he spun himself and eating a simple vegetarian diet.

In response to his call for independence, the 'Quit India' movement was launched. This was founded on Gandhi's pacifistic principles and aimed at encouraging Britain to withdraw their hold on India. During negotiations with King George, Gandhi was invited to stay at Buckingham Palace but famously declined the invitation, choosing instead to stay among the poor in the East End of London.

India became an independent nation at midnight on 15th August 1947.

On 30th January 1948, Gandhi was shot whilst having his nightly public walk around the grounds of Birla House in New Delhi. The assassin was a Hindu extremist who cited Gandhi as responsible for weakening India by insisting upon a payment to Pakistan.

Gandhi remains an icon for truth and pacifism.

"There is no god higher than truth"

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind"

"Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes"

"Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it"

"You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty"

"You must be the change you want to see in the world"

Music Spot - The Gift of The Trees - Xavier Rudd

2009-11-20T01:16:00.000+08:00

If you don't know Xavier Rudd, check him out! An Aussie environmentalist and campaigner for indigenous rights, he is a one man band and a great inspiration. Below is a sample of his lyrics taken from 'The Gift of The Trees'.

I'm disgusted at times, by things that I see,
Like mountains with holes, where trees used to be...
And I'm disgraced here and there, when I look to the sea,
All the pollution we feed her, well some comes from me...
And I'm uneasy at times, on the bridges I cross,
When palings are missing, and things are in knots...
So I guess I should say, this is all that I need,
Music and you and the gift of the trees.

http://www.myspace.com/xavierrudd

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Why a Fig Tree?

2009-11-20T00:59:00.000+08:00

The fig tree is the most important tree in the rainforest and the ultimate expression of how fragile and complex our planet is.

Providing fruit all year round, figs are essential to the survival of many animals in the tropical rainforest. However, without the activities of a tiny wasp, this most vital of producers would have no chance of survival.

This blog is aimed at highlighting just how fragile our ecosystems are, and how easy it is for humans to disrupt the intricate relationships between plants and animals that hold the fibres of our planet together.

I would like to encourage any young conservationist to step forward and share their views and discoveries on this platform. If there is anything that you feel strongly about and want to shout it from a mountain... well I don't have a mountain but maybe this is a start!