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None"HDBs" of coral fragments, or nubbins, each attached to a specially designed frame to maximise the number of corals that can be grown in the tanks. The nubbins of the staghorn coral at St John’s Island coral culture facility on Dec 10. Coral nubbins attached to a specially designed frame in one of the six specialised tanks in the coral culture facility at St John's Island. The tanks will be paired with a smart system that will send data on water quality to researchers. SINGAPORE – The Republic has launched its most ambitious coral-restoration project, growing corals from fragments in “high-rise” special tanks on St John’s Island. Once grown to a healthy size, 100,000 of these corals will be planted on degraded reefs or empty sea spaces to create new reef habitats. The first step of this decade-long effort began at a new facility in the island’s Marine Park Outreach and Education Centre – home to six specialised tanks that can be used for large-scale coral cultivation. The six tanks can hold up to 3,600 coral fragments, or nubbins, at any one time. To date, more than $2 million has been raised for the restoration project. The facility is still in the works and is targeted to fully open in the second quarter of 2025. For now, there are about 600 nubbins growing in two of the tanks. While the initial stages of the project will be helmed by researchers, marine enthusiasts will be later invited to the lab to grow corals and monitor them, said National Development Minister Desmond Lee on Dec 10, as he announced the launch of the initiative on St John’s Island. The National Parks Board (NParks), St John’s Island National Marine Laboratory and the Friends of Marine Park community will train members of the public to cultivate corals, monitor their growth and do weeding work to remove algae from the corals, among other things. More details on public participation will be shared when ready. When the coral-restoration project was announced in 2023, NParks said it would take at least 10 years to complete. Once grown to a healthy size, 100,000 of these corals will be planted on degraded reefs or empty sea spaces to create new reef habitats. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM At the launch, Mr Lee was joined by world-renowned British primate expert Jane Goodall, who was on a working visit to Singapore. Over the decades, about 60 per cent of Singapore’s coral reefs have been lost to coastal development and land reclamation. Most of its remaining intact coral reefs are found in the Southern Islands. The Republic’s waters are home to around 250 species of hard corals, which constitute about a third of the world’s existing coral species. The reefs here serve as habitat for more than 100 species of reef fish, about 200 species of sea sponges, and rare and endangered seahorses and clams, among other marine life. The six tanks can hold up to 3,600 coral fragments, or nubbins, at any one time. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM Beyond boosting marine biodiversity, restoring corals will protect coastlines from waves and storms, which are expected to get stronger amid sea-level rise and climate change. The corals to be grown in tanks and planted in the wild include several species under NParks’ species recovery programme, which protects threatened flora and fauna and helps them survive environmental change. These include the branching staghorn coral and the flat table acropora coral. The acropora is not a common species here because it thrives in waters with strong currents and good visibility – conditions that are rarely found in Singapore. The acropora species is not common in local waters. photo: NParks Coral nubbins are fragments trimmed from a colony of adult corals. However, marine biologists usually prioritise loose corals that would otherwise tumble and die when swept by waves. Mr Lee said cultivating corals in specialised tanks is an ambitious undertaking, with conditions such as lighting and temperature as well as water quality and flow needing to be specific to each species. To allow hundreds of coral fragments to grow in each tank, scientists at the St John’s Island National Marine Laboratory are cultivating them on vertical structures, among other methods. Coral nubbins are attached to plugs that are then affixed to a vertical frame. The scientists and NParks staff have named these set-ups “coral HDBs”, said the minister. Small coral nubbins are fragmented from the adult colony. PHOTO: NPARKS Dr Lionel Ng, a research fellow at the NUS Tropical Marine Science Institute who is involved in the coral-restoration work, noted that the survival rate of transplanted corals is about 80 per cent to 90 per cent, which is on a par with the 80 per cent survival rate of corals found in the wild here. The tanks are paired with a smart system that will send data on water quality to researchers. This allows them to monitor tank conditions remotely and be alerted if they need to intervene. The system is a technology of Delta Electronics, a firm that specialises in industrial and building automation solutions. Delta is also one of several donors of the more than $2 million raised so far. The other donors include GSK-EDB Trust Fund, Deutsche Bank, Takashimaya Singapore and marine fuel firm KPI OceanConnect. A smart coral culture aquaculture system set up by Delta Electronics and installed in the culture tanks at St John’s Island’s coral culture facility on Dec 10. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM The launch of the restoration effort comes as existing corals are slowly recovering from the largest recorded global bleaching event caused by a marine heatwave. Announced in mid-April by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the global bleaching event was the fourth of its kind. In July, areas such as St John’s, Lazarus and Kusu Islands were found to have 30 per cent to 55 per cent of coral colonies bleached and white. With water temperatures dropping in recent months, bleached corals have started to regain colour, said Mr Lee. NParks and NUS have been monitoring Singapore’s reefs for bleaching since July. The findings will help identify which species are under threat and which ones are climate-resilient, and will also narrow down suitable planting sites for future coral-restoration efforts, said Mr Lee. On whether restored corals will be able to survive future marine heatwaves, Dr Ng pointed to a research project that aims to enhance the ecological resilience of coral reefs against climate change. “Information from that (study) will feed into this. We’ll refine our final strategies to see which species are suitable for which areas. It’s a matter of tweaking what we know of the environment and what we know of the corals to find the best match,” he added. In her address to NParks, scientists and groups involved in the restoration project, Dr Goodall said: “We know that oceans and forests are the two great capturers of carbon dioxide (CO2) on the planet... In the oceans, we have the kelp forests and the seagrass which absorb as much CO2 as a small inland forest. “It’s no good just protecting corals if we don’t protect kelp forests and seagrass, if we don’t protect forests and peatlands. It’s all interconnected.” Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads. Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards Spin the wheel nowThe Philadelphia Eagles closed in on a play-off berth with a 22-16 win over the Carolina Panthers at Lincoln Financial Field. Quarterback Jalen Hurts bundled over from a yard to set the Eagles on their way and a touchdown late in the second quarter from Devonta Smith saw NFC East leaders Philadelphia in front 14-10, only for Chuba Hubbard to drive in from a yard out and edge the visitors ahead again. Hopes of an upset, though, were dashed when tight end Grant Calcaterra took a four-yard pass and Saquon Barkley’s conversion saw the Eagles maintain their position as the number two team in the NFC, behind the Detroit Lions. *EVERYONE EXHALE* @betmgm | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/CvX76MQ99g — Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 8, 2024 The Pittsburgh Steelers ran out 27-14 winners over AFC North rivals the Cleveland Browns. The Steelers took a 13-7 half-time lead following a Najee Harris touchdown and two Chris Boswell field goals, and further touchdowns from Van Jefferson and Pat Freiermuth made the game safe despite David Njoku’s brilliant touchdown catch. The Minnesota Vikings improved their record to 11-2 with a sixth straight win, 42-21 over the Atlanta Falcons. Jordan Addison caught three touchdowns and Justin Jefferson two, the latter ending a two-month drought, before Aaron Jones ran in to put the result beyond doubt. Quarterback Sam Darnold threw for a career-high 347 yards. DOMINATED. pic.twitter.com/swB8AEe5I8 — Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 8, 2024 The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took the outright lead of the NFC South with a 28-13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders at Raymond James Stadium, where Baker Mayfield threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns. Jalen McMillan and Rachaad White scored twice each while Raiders QB Aidan O’Connell ran in a one-yard score but was later forced off injured and replaced by third-stringer Desmond Ridder. The Miami Dolphins kept their outside play-off hopes alive after battling to a 32-26 win over the New York Jets after overtime at Hard Rock Stadium. An early touchdown from De’Von Achane and three field goals from Jason Sanders – one from 57 yards – had the Dolphins ahead 15-13 at half-time. Davante Adams responded as the Jets looked to end an eight-game losing streak but Tyreek Hill’s score helped extend the game into overtime, when Tua Tagovailoa picked out Jonnu Smith to seal a dramatic victory. The New Orleans Saints ground out a 14-11 win over the New York Giants while the Jacksonville Jaguars edged AFC South rivals the Tennessee Titans 10-6 in Nashville to snap a five-match losing streak.Assad exit puts US at perilous crossroads in Syria
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New Delhi : The Supreme Court (SC) is slated to hear on Monday, December 9, a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking the inclusion of political parties under the anti-sexual harassment law. The petition impleads the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Communist Party of India-Marxist, the Communist Party of India, the Trinamool Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party, the National People’s Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, and the Aam Aadmi Party, in the memo of parties. As per the list of cases to be heard, which was published on the website of the apex court, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Manmohan will take up the matter for hearing on December 9. The PIL seeks a declaration that political parties are bound to follow the procedure for the protection of women in the workplace under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. Further, it seeks direction to constitute a grievance redressal mechanism against sexual harassment as per the directions of the Supreme Court in the Vishaka vs State of Rajasthan case. The petition aims to ensure that political parties comply with the POSH Act and provide a safe work environment for women, free from sexual harassment,” said the plea filed under Article 32 of the Constitution. The petitioner, Yogamaya M.G., a practising advocate at the Supreme Court and women’s rights and empowerment through her work. With millions of members across political parties, it is clear that politics plays a significant role in Indian society, said the petition, adding that the presence of Internal Complaints Committees (ICCs) to address sexual harassment is inconsistent across these parties. The PIL contended that the lack of standardised ICCs across political parties may lead to inadequate reporting and addressing of sexual harassment cases, varied levels of protection and support for victims and perpetuation of a culture that tolerates or ignores sexual harassment. It said that the petition aims to ensure that Indian political parties prioritise creating a safe and inclusive environment for women to participate in politics.UAE’S HADER SECURITY (HSC) AND TABBARA ELECTRONICS SECURE SUCCESSFUL REMOTE ROBOTIC ...