Project update - Southern Leyte Coral Reef Conservation Project (Philippines) - February 2004
Added to website: 01 February 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
Once Pagi was back on fighting form, she was loaded up with our newly qualified survey team who ploughed into the survey plan, carrying out up to 8 baseline surveys in a day. On top of all these surveys they also managed to find time to conduct a number of our Reef Check line-point surveys, and to complete a series of very successful Rapid Reef Assessment dives to build a snapshot picture of the biological status of our proposed new project site at Tangkaan Point.
Number of transects completed
By the end of March, we are hoping to have all of our surveys completed in the sectors at the northern end of the bay, and to refocus our efforts on the south. From our work over the past year and a half, it appears that the coral and fish abundances are better on the eastern shore of the bay, which may be partly due to the prevailing wind systems, which blow from the north-east during the rainy season when most of the terragenous sediment would be washed into the bay by swollen river systems. Corals require clear water to allow their symbiotic algae (zooxanthallae) to absorb sunlight for photosynthesis, as well as to effectively use their tentacles to feed.
Reef Check
Several Reef Check surveys were completed this month.
Interesting / Unusual Sightings
The abundance of healthy hard and soft corals, reef fishes and invertebrates at the new site is mind-boggling and will make for a world-class ‘house reef’ for future science training.
