Project update - Project Bay Islands, Honduras - April 2004
Added to website: 01 April 2004
Project Brief
Aim
Project Bay Islands Honduras is a three-year collaborative project to survey the coral reefs of the Bay Islands. The programme provides training and conservation education opportunities for local Hondurans, as part of an integrated programme to develop local capacity and ensure the long-term protection and sustainable use of marine resources throughout the region.
Location
Santa Helene, Roatan, Honduras, Central America.
CCC Partners
CCC is working at the invitation of and in partnership with the Universidad nacional Autonoma de Honduras (UNAH), Programa Manejo Ambiental Islas de la Bahia (PMAIB)
Marine Science Programme
Baseline Surveys
Number and location of Surveys
It’s been a good month considering the amount of surveys that were carried out. We managed to conduct 27 baseline surveys in sector A, which is the reef at the South shore of Santa Helena.
Number of transects completed
We have started 4 new transects of which we have already completed 2.
Reef Check
All reef check surveys were completed in October 2003.
Interesting / Unusual Sightings
Because of our site move towards the East end of Roatan we are now diving a completely different reef compared to the reef at our previous site in Sandy Bay. Therefore, we also encounter many different organisms. For example, reef sharks southern stingrays and the little but pretty tobacco fish are far more common down here. And some volunteers also spotted a huge 1.5 m big loggerhead turtle while diving. Luckily enough we are also still blessed with sightings of eagle rays and dolphins.
Environmental Awareness
Capacity Building/Training of Local Counterparts
The first thing we had to do after we moved sites to Santa Helena was to properly introduce ourselves to the new community that we were now part of. Therefore, we organised a meeting for the locals to explain to them why we moved to their community, what they could expect from us and how they could benefit from our presence. About 16 people turned up and they were all very enthusiastic about us living with them for the next 3 years. In the following weeks we talked with many different members of the community in order to find out in which way we could contribute to their live hoods. Soon it became clear that one of the big problems on the island of St. Helena is the lack of an organised waste disposal program. This was reflected by the amount of trash you could see everywhere. Therefore CCC decided to place a few trash bins at strategically chosen locations, which we will empty on a regular basis. The next step will be to create a burn pit where all the villagers can dump their waste products. The good news is that the villagers and the mayor have already chosen a spot for this to happen. As part of the ‘Dive in to Earth Day’ which is a global event organised by ‘Earth Watch’, we have organised a Beach-Clean-Up. We managed to collect 10 huge bags full of rubbish.
Additionally, we have set up a weekly lecture program for local fishermen in order to provide them with more knowledge about decompression sickness and how to dive within safe limits. We have also started helping some of the local guys with the building of a full size volleyball court.
At this moment we are initiating a program to train local fishermen up to fully certified PADI divers. Not only can this training save lives, (many fishermen end up in the decompression chamber due to lack of knowledge about safe diving practices!), also will it provide these fishermen with a widely accepted certification, that could be used to get a job in the more sustainable diving industry. We will also offer these people a place in our science training program. In this way we hope to raise more public awareness in the community about the current threats to reefs and what to do to protect their reef from further impacts.
Brief Summary of Meetings Attended
In order to introduce ourselves, CCC science staff has organised several meetings with members of the community living on Santa Helena. Also, we have talked with our main project partners (PMAIB), about different ways to set up a waste disposal plan for Santa Helena.
