Southern Leyte Coral Reef Conservation Project (SLCRCP) SLRCP Project Aim. Latest News. Monthly Project Update. February 2015

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Southern Leyte Coral Reef Conservation Project (SLCRCP) Monthly Project Update February 2015 Location: Napantao Dive Resort, Napantao, San Francisco, Southern Leyte Project Scientist: Alix Green

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

Coral Cay Conservation (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.

Latest News Contents Latest news Story of the Month Educational & Community Projects Survey Update Marine Scholarship News Marine Creature of the month CCC attends the first SMSMMA meeting of 2015 On

The attendees are made up of all the municipalities of Sogod Bay who have formed an alliance to work towards sustainably managing the marine resources of Southern Leyte.

1 Southern Leyte Coral Reef Conservation Project (SLCRCP) Monthly Project Update February 2015 Location: Napantao Dive Resort, Napantao, San Francisco, Southern Leyte Project Scientist: Alix Green SLRCP Project Aim The Southern Leyte Coral Reef Conservation Project (SLCRCP) is a collaborative project to protect 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. Coral Cay Conservation (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). Coral Cay Conservation provides the resources to help sustain livelihoods and alleviate poverty through the protection, restoration and management of coral reefs and tropical forests. Latest News Contents Latest news Story of the Month Educational & Community Projects Survey Update Marine Scholarship News Marine Creature of the month CCC attends the first SMSMMA meeting of 2015 On the 17 th February Project Scientist, Alix Green, attended the first SBSMMA meeting of the year. The attendees are made up of all the municipalities of Sogod Bay who have formed an alliance to work towards sustainably managing the marine resources of Southern Leyte. Coral Cay was asked to take part along with other volunteer organisations such as the US Peace Corps and LAMAVE, the Large Marine Vertebrates Project, who are all working with the local communities, the Municipal and Provincial Government to achieve this goal. The discussion this month focussed on enforcement. Although it is incredibly positive that we have so many MPAs and Marine Reserves in Sogod Bay, the level at which these are enforced is by no means mirrored across all barangays. Enforcement of MPAs is a problem faced by communities all over the world and it is important that the issues in this, a key area for the success of marine management, are discussed. The positives from the meeting were that patrol boats are being mobilised for use across the bay, and in the not too distant future should be seen helping people enforce the rules and regulations of their reserves. The aim is to have three key patrol stations where boats can be called upon to support those attempting to enforce the regulations of their reserves. At CCC our current focus is in understanding how we can help this process. To this aim we are working closely with the Municipality in San Francisco, and the Barangays of Punta, Santa Paz South and Napantao to help set up a municipal wide MPA enforcement strategy. It is vital that we all work together in cross-collaboration to ensure these strategies are successful and allow for Sogod Bay to realise the full potential of its efforts to protect this vital resource.

Since Chicago has little to offer in the way of SCUBA diving, he has conducted most of his dives in Malaysiaand the Philippines, where he has previously lived for five years.

2 Story of the Month CCC welcomes new staff CCC is excited to welcome two new members of staff this month Nick Luz and Erica Morris. Nick joins us from Chicago, Illinois and has been diving since the age of 12. Since Chicago has little to offer in the way of SCUBA diving, he has conducted most of his dives in Malaysiaand the Philippines, where he has previously lived for five years. His experiences living in the Philippines have exposed him to the beauty and wonder of one of the most diverse marine ecosystems in the world. Nicks first taste of marine conservation was through a volunteer trip to Glovers Reef in Belize, for shark research and conservation. One year later, he decided to pursue his PADI Divemaster (DM) certification on the small island of Malapascua in the Philippines, where he got to dive with the elusive Thresher Sharks on a near daily basis. On completion he travelled to the even smaller island of Mabul, Malaysia, where he worked as a DM for a small dive shop. Since then Nick has graduated with a bachelor of science in Biology from Indiana University in May, Nick has settled in well here and is already proving to be a fantastic Science Officer and an asset to the work we do here in the Philippines. Erica (Medical Officer) and Nick (Science Officer) at CCC s base, Napantao Erica joins us from the UK and having always loved the outdoors, has sought to combine her career as a doctor withher passion for adventure. She has taken a break from working in Accident and Emergency to join Coral Cay in the Philippines as Medical Officer. She is passionate about travelling and competing in Mountain Marathons, and is a qualified PADI Rescue Diver. Further, she has completed courses in PADI Chamber Awareness, Advanced Trauma Life Support and Wilderness Medicine, meaning she is ready for any emergency that might come her way!erica feels truly privileged to be able to expand her diving experience in such amazing waters, as are found here in Sogod Bay. She is learning a lot and flying through our intense training programme and looks forward to being able to apply her knowledge, with all our other volunteers, in the surveys we conduct. Education and Community Projects CCC holds its first Reef Rangers of the Month for Himayangan High School Napantao was bustling with activity on Saturday, February 7th when Coral Cay welcomed students from Himay-angan High School for a day of learning and fun! The sun was shining as staff and volunteers eagerly awaited the arrival of 10 students selected to participate in Reef Rangers, a programme with the aim of teaching youth about coral reefs. After receiving a warm welcome as they stepped off the bus, the students were given a tour of the site and an introduction to Coral Cay by Project Scientist, Alix Green. Afterwards, the students listened to a presentation on coral reef biology given by Education Officer Tracy MacKeracher, who also gave them tips on how to identify corals and fish. Some of our Reef Rangers entering the water for their first ever snorkel! Some of our Reef Rangers on their first ever snorkel trip!

The highlight of the day was when the students jumped in the water with Coral Cay s international volunteers to snorkel our beautiful house reef.

Using their newly acquired knowledge, the students pointed out many of the marine creatures they had just learned about.

3 The highlight of the day was when the students jumped in the water with Coral Cay s international volunteers to snorkel our beautiful house reef. Although all the students live very close to the ocean, this was their first opportunity to try snorkelling and they absolutely loved it! Using their newly acquired knowledge, the students pointed out many of the marine creatures they had just learned about. After a delicious lunch, the students were given a chance to get to know our international volunteers, including details about where they are from, why they chose to volunteer with Coral Cay, and their favourite thing about the Philippines. Following a thought-provoking discussion and reflection on the threats to coral reefs and what can be done to help protect them, the students set out in pairs to create a poster about a marine creature of their choice. The day finished with poster presentations by the students, and the building The Reef Rangers got to see a clip from BBCs Blue Planet, showcasing some of the best reefs in the world! was full of smiles and applause as the newly qualified Reef Rangers received their certificates! We have no doubt that these young leaders will continue to be role models in their community and by sharing their new knowledge with others, they will help contribute to marine conservation in Southern Leyte! Survey Update Survey background: Since January 2013, survey efforts have been focused on assessing potential and existing Marine Protected Areas in Sogod Bay to provide appropriate management recommendations. To do this CCC uses an expanded version of the Reef Check protocol, which has been customised to perfectly fit our work in Sogod Bay. Prior to this a baseline appraisal of marine resources in Sogod Bay was carried out. If you would like more information about our surveying please contact our Project Scientist, Alix Green One of our CCC volunteers rolling out a survey line This month we have been completing one of the bi-annual surveys we conduct on the outstanding house reef in Napantao. The reef has been showing good signs of recovery in recent years and we are excited to pull the data togther from this survey and map the changes we have seen over the years. Once the survey is completed our Project Scientist (Alix Green) will be looking at the last 8-10 years of data to report on any changes in fish and invertebrate assembledges and coral cover and health. Alix and Jesse (our local SCUBA Instructor) will be supplimenting this with interviews and focus groups in the local community here in Napantao. The questionnaire and focus groups conducted hope to bring to light the succeses of the MPA, as well as some improvements for future mangement. It is important to understand the locals feelings and perceptions towards their MPA, and to assess

4 wheter there has been a change in catch per unit effort for the local fishermen. By combining the natural and social data from both these projects, we hope to be able to ensure the MPA is managed in a way that ensures the local community benefit directly from its presence. Once completed in Napantao we will be looking at expanding the project to the rest of San Francisco. Scientific reports from all of CCC s sites around the world are available on our website at Marine Scholarship News Each month CCC offers Filipino nationals who display an ambition to study and protect the vital marine ecosystems of the Philippines an opportunity to take part in our Marine Conservation Scholarship. The programme lasts for one month and involves training in SCUBA diving to the level of PADI Advanced Open Water. Scholars then take part in an intensive Skills Development Programme giving them the knowledge and expertise to conduct sub-marine surveys of the coastline. This month CCC welcomed Jordan Santos onto our scholarship programme. Jordan is from Manila, and is studying a Bachelor of Science in Life Science atateneo De Manila University. Jordan is also a member of ISDA, an organisation CCC are developing strong ties with. The skin diving organisation is focused on spreading awareness of marine conservation issues and building capacity for the young people of the Philippines to work towards marine protection. Jordan has been a skin diver for two years and took to the waters in Napantao like a fish! He has progressed well in our intensive skills development programme and has learnt an awful lot about the biodiversity of Sogod Bay. He is well on his way to fulfilling his dreams of becoming a Marine Biologist / Conservationist and we hope he shares his experiences and knowledge with the youth of the Philippines after leaving us next week. My stay with CC has been nothing short of amazing! The training that I have received will definitely enable me to contribute to reef conservation. Also, sharing this experience with individuals that are truly passionate about the ocean made everything so much better. Thank you CCC! Jordan Santos, February 2015 If you would like to apply for the CCC Marine Conservation Scholarship programme or read more about it, please visit:

Marine Creature of the Month! CCC s Marine Creature of the Month is the enigmatic, beautiful and downright weird Pygmy Seahorse (Hippocampiusbargibanti).

5 Marine Creature of the Month! CCC s Marine Creature of the Month is the enigmatic, beautiful and downright weird Pygmy Seahorse (Hippocampiusbargibanti). This amazing creature is less than 2cm in height making it one of the smallest seahorse species in the world. Pygmy seahorses are only found on gorgonian fans, Muricellaplectana, at depths ranging from 16-40m. Like most seahorses they seem to form pairs and are thought to be monogamous. This little guy and three other individuals were spotted by CCC staff and volunteer Lloyd Evans on the famous South Wall, found by PGSLs very own Rio Cahambing. Very little is known about these creatures and as such they are listed as data deficient on the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) red list. There is no published data about population trends, total numbers of mature adults or area of occupancy so this rare sighting is an extremely exciting one. Pygmy seahorses tend to remain on their gorgonian fans so we will be keeping an eye on these guys during our dive trips out to Rio s Wall. Pygmy Seahorse Learn More! To learn more about the CCC Philippines project, to join the expedition, or to find out about local marine scholarships, visit

Southern Leyte Coral Reef Conservation Project (SLCRCP) SLRCP Project Aim. Latest News. Monthly Project Update. April 2015

Southern Leyte Coral Reef Conservation Project (SLCRCP) Monthly Project Update April 2015 Location: Napantao Dive Resort, Napantao, San Francisco, Southern Leyte Project Scientist: Alix Green (lrcp@coralcay.org)