Project update - Fiji Reef Conservation Project - April 2004
Added to website: 01 April 2004
Project Brief
Aim
The Fiji Coral Reef Conservation Project is a three-year project (2002-2005) to survey coral reefs of the Mamanuca Islands, the Yasawa Islands and other areas of Fiji. The programme provides training and conservation education opportunities for local Fijians, 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
Ravinaki, Castaway Island, Mamanuca Islands, West Coast Viti Levu, Fiji.
CCC Partners
CCC is working at the invitation of and in partners with the Government of Fiji, local communities, the tourism sector and other groups.
Marine Science Programme
Baseline Surveys
Number and location of Surveys
820m of surveys were achieved at Nuku and 60m were completed at both Sunflower and Malolo Barrier.
Number of transects completed and opened
Reef Check
No Reef Check surveys were completed this month.
Interesting / Unusual Sightings
Off our own house reef we have seen some great stuff, including white and black tipped reef sharks, and a breeching ray, which is supposed to predict rain - funnily enough it poured down the next day (luckily that was the last rain we had). We have also re-discovered an old site and named it Vatu Yali, which roughly translates as The Crystal Maze. The first dive there we saw 5 (yes 5) white tipped reef sharks, a hawk’s bill turtle, a hump-head wrasse, a wahoo, and several spotted eagle rays. What more could you possibly want from a dive? Later at the same site, dolphins were heard clicking throughout a dive, and were spotted from the boat on surfacing.
The Yasawas Marine Conservation project is now up and running, with some amazing high adrenaline diving. Sharks are commonly sighted on surveys and sperm whales have been sighted off the beach.
Environmental Awareness
Capacity Building/Training of Local Counterparts
Fiji Locally Managed Marine Area Network - Biological Monitoring Committee, April 21stCCC are members of the FLMMA Biological Monitoring Committee. The purpose of this is to delineate socio-economic and biological issues in marine resource management, so that smaller working groups can learn discipline-specific lessons from each other to inform future conservation initiatives. The need for production of a standardised biological monitoring protocol to which all groups must ensure their survey methodology is comparable, was identified as one of the first tasks for this committee. There was also discussion of potential survey techniques for the 410 iqoliqoli areas in Fiji. The rights to these local fishing grounds are due to be handed back to the traditional owners in 2008, by which time there is a requirement that they have been fully surveyed and management plans written.
The 10-week school programme at Malolo District School, Solevu drew to a close successfully with the final session conducted just before the end of their term. Plans for next term include an extra couple of sessions with the children to round off the course, including a student production (drawing on themes addressed throughout the course), and hopefully an eye-opening trip to the reef in a glass-bottomed boat.
Education programmes are also in the pipeline for schools in the Yasawas and also possibly up in Yanuya, an island further north in the Mamanucas archipelago.
A lot of interest has been shown in the CCC Marine Scholarship Programme this month. Three applications are currently being processed: two from local coordinators working for the Fijian group, FLMMA (Fiji Locally Managed Marine Areas), and one from a member of the Laje Rotuma Environment Group. Hopefully these students will be joining us at Ravinaki within the next month or so.
Dive Into Earth Week Events, 27th-30th April
The Dive Into Earth Week Clean-Up Event 2004 was very successful. Organised by the Mamanuca Environment Society in conjunction Coral Cay and with support from a wide variety of local resorts, dive operators and of course the local communities, the four days of cleaning activity attracted a large number of participants. Tourists, divers, villagers and children all joined in together armed with black plastic bin-liners and protective plastic gloves. Turnout for these events was pleasingly high, and after listening to brief lectures from the MES on litter and the threat it poses to the environment, many signed up to the ‘Dive Into Earth Day’ Pledge to reduce litter.
Coral Cay sent volunteers and staff from our Ravinaki site along to all four of the clean-up days:
27th April - Solevu village, Malolo
28th April - Yaro village, Malolo
29th April - Yanuya village, Yanuya
30th April - Tavua village, Tavua
