Project update - Southern Leyte Coral Reef Conservation Project (Philippines) - August 2004
Added to website: 01 August 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
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 0603A, 0604C, 0605B, 0608A, 0608B, 0608C, 0609A, 0609B, 0610A, 0610B, 0610C, 0611A, 0611B, 0612A, 0707A, 0709A and 0709B.
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
Interesting / Unusual Sightings
More green & hawksbill turtles have been sighted in Sectors 5 & 6. Being algal grazers, green turtles are an essential part of the reef system, helping to control the coverage of algae which compete with the corals for habitat and light. For the generation of alternative livelihoods, turtles are an irreplaceable asset for the attraction of tourists to an area, with many of our volunteers considering their turtle sightings to be the marine highlight of their expedition. In recognition of this value, they are protected by law in the Philippines. Unfortunately, many still drown in discarded nets and other fishing gears, or are actively destroyed as ‘pests’ by mariculturalists. The solution to ‘stock loss’ in algae farms is simply to slightly increase the number of seedlings planted and to accept a small loss. Algae farming requires relatively little effort or expenditure on the part of the mariculturalist, and the small loss to wild turtles is generally considered to be easily absorbed by the relevantly high profit margins involved. This avoids the needless destruction of such a valuable and venerable biological resource; one which is increasingly endangered by so many other human activities.
Environmental Awareness
Capacity Building/Training of Local Counterparts
On Sunday the 8th of August, CCC smashed its Southern Leyte attendance record for a Marine Educational Open Day, when over 150 students from the College of Maasin came to our project base. The students were predominantly from the Mathematics and Nursing Departments, and took part in a series of lectures, videos and practical demonstrations. Every week, CCC volunteers and staff do a ‘clean-up’ of our beach front at Tangka-an, removing the abundant plastic debris that wash ashore. During the Open Day, the beach received the best cleaning of its life when all of the students kindly helped us remove the plastic bags, sandals, bottles, packaging etc, that would otherwise be washed back into the sea, clogging the reefs and choking fish and mega-fauna such as turtles and dolphins. All in all we collected around 300 litres’ volume of harmful garbage. We would like to thank the College of Maasin for their help in helping Sogod Bay.
Upcoming Events
We are looking forward to welcoming CCC’s Marine Science Coordinator, Ryan Walker, when he visits the project site for a week at the start of the September. Ryan is responsible for the daunting task of keeping the science departments all of the CCC marine projects worldwide running to clockwork. He will bring with him the finalised report of our first 18 months of habitat surveying in the northern end of Sogod Bay.
In September, we have two Open Days scheduled for the children of the Kinderhilfe Children’s Village in Padre Burgos. The first (September 5th) will cater for the 4-8 years olds and the second (September 12th) will cater for the older children and teenagers. During the third week of the month, we are hoping to take part in the St. James College (Padre Burgos) Coral Reef Symposium. A programme is yet to be finalised but we hope the symposium will be as interactive as possible, with groups from the college getting involved in debating topics and discussions.
On September 2nd, CCC is sponsoring representatives from Barangays Tangka-an, Santa Sofia and Buenavista to accompany our outgoing and incoming Project Scientists on a cross-site visit to the renowned community-based fish sanctuary at Apo Island in Negros Oriental. It is hoped that some of the lessons learned by the Barangay of Apo may be useful to the people of the coastal Barangays of Padre Burgos in the creation of an effective and practical management programme for their marine resources.
