Project update - Southern Leyte Coral Reef Conservation Project (Philippines) - December 2004
Added to website: 10 January 2005
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
Our baseline surveying programme is designed to gather data about the biological and morphological standing of Sogod Bay. These data are combined with information on human and natural impacts on the reefs, along with oceanographic data, to ultimately produce a Geographical Information System ‘map’ of the various habitats of the bay. It is like a ‘stock-take’ of the current marine resources, which is being produced to provide policymakers and concerned institutions with information necessary to effectively manage those resources. To date, the northern end of Sogod Bay has been surveyed, and the remainder of the project will concentrate on the south and Limasawa Island. If you would like more information on our surveying rationale or methodology, please don’t hesitate to contact our Project Scientist.
Number of transects completed
Transects 0606C, 0606D, 0606E, 0606F, 0612C, 0501E, and 0506A.
Transects 0606, 0612 and 0501 have now been fully completed and the whole of sector six has now been surveyed. Surveys are also planned for Limasawa over the coming months.
Reef Check
Based at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), ReefCheck is the name of both the world’s largest coral reef monitoring network and of the common methodology used, allowing the comparison of results from various locations worldwide. Although less detailed than CCC’s baseline surveys, the ReefCheck method is effective for monitoring changes in reef health over time. In order to do this, we mark the survey ‘transect’ with metal stakes, to ensure that repeat surveys are in the same place each time. These stakes are sited in rock, dead coral or sand for minimal disruption of the fragile reef system. CCC is proud to be a major contributing member of ReefCheck. Check out their site at www.ReefCheck.org
Reef Check monitoring sites are being set up in all the proposed fish sanctuaries around Padre Burgos so that their progress can be recorded as the sanctuaries are established and monitored in the future.
Interesting / Unusual Sightings
Volunteers continue to see interesting marine life, including turtles, in and around Sogod Bay. Large marine animals such as these are good indicators of the health of marine environments, so successful management of the area should increase sightings of such wonderful creatures.
Environmental Awareness
Capacity Building/Training of Local Counterparts
On December 6th, children from Barangay Tangka-an witnessed the first performance of the newly renovated Fred the Fish show on tour at the Health Centre in Tangka-an itself. This puppet show aims to educate young children about the destructive effects of practices such as dynamite fishing as well as introducing them to the concept of fish sanctuaries, no-fishing areas which will improve the fish stocks of Southern Leyte. Further performances of the Fred the Fish show are planned around the municipality of Padre Burgos.
Upcoming Events
In addition to further Fred the Fish dates, arrangements are being made to host an open day for a group of school children. Open days take place at our project base and allow children from around Southern Leyte to learn about what we do, see all the equipment we use, and receive talks on coral reefs and marine biology.
