Project update - Southern Leyte Coral Reef Conservation Project (Philippines) - April 2004
Added to website: 01 April 2004
Project Brief
Aim
The Southern Leyte Coral Reef Conservation Project is a three-year collaborative project (2002-2005), to survey the coral reefs of Sogod Bay. The programme provides training and conservation education opportunities for local Filipinos, 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
Sogod Bay, Southern Leyte, South-Eastern Philippines.
CCC Partners
CCC is working at the invitation of and in partnership with the Provincial Government of Southern Leyte and the Philippine Reef & Rainforest Conservation Foundation Inc (PRRCFI).
Marine Science Programme
Baseline Surveys
Number and location of Surveys
Sector 18 is now completed at 1km intervals, including a number of additional transects done 50m either side of a large landslide, which should yield some interesting results.
Number of transects completed
8 completed
Reef Check
The new RC manual arrived and was digested accordingly. We are considering the placement of permanent RC stakes at the site of a new artificial ‘reef’ which is being planned for the town. These would allow ongoing monitoring of the effects of the project.
Interesting / Unusual Sightings
April was the month of the frogfish with quite a number being seen. They are masters of camouflage, and are hard to spot until you know where to look. And on a larger note, the survey teams saw not one but two whale sharks! The next couple of months should see a continuing increase in the number of these gentle giants, who are harmless plankton ‘grazers’, but can obtain lengths of up to 18m/56ft
Environmental Awareness
Capacity Building/Training of Local Counterparts
At the request of the Governor of Southern Leyte, we have put together a 3-day teacher-training programme aimed at increasing awareness of marine conservation issues amongst educators in the province. It is hoped that the first Foundation Conservation Biology Workshop will be held at our new project site towards the end of May, before the schools go back at the end of the holidays.
Brief Summary of Meetings Attended
Neil Pretentio, the Fisheries Warden at Liloan on the east coast of Sogod Bay, accompanied our Project Scientist to the island of Panaon. Although it is part of Southern Leyte, it is separated from the main island by the Panaon Strait, a narrow neck of water though which the tides rush at an astonishing pace. We met the Mayor of San Francisco and introduced CCC to him, asking permission to carry out our survey work within his waters. He has welcomed us to the ‘barangay’ of San Francisco and has offered us any assistance we may require to complete our work. It is hoped that we may be able to tempt some of the schools from the barangay over to our new field base for an Open Day in the near future.
We also met up with Professor Alejandro Caliente at the Institute of Tropical Ecology in Leyte State University, in Visca. Despite being very busy, he has kindly offered his expertise and assistance during the teacher-training workshop, for which we are very grateful.
Professor Caliente has a number of prospective students for our Marine Scholarship training programme, who we hope will be able to begin the programme as soon as possible.
