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RODRIGUES
(Mauritius)
by Sabrina
Meunier
 The island of Rodrigues, part of the Republic of
Mauritius, is isolated by 500 km of Indian Ocean with a wide encircling
lagoon and large community of fishers. RC
was first introduced to the island by monitoring specialist Dr. Helge Vogt
in 1999. Since 2001 RC has operated out of a local non-profit, Shoals Rodrigues, which is
dedicated to local marine research, education and training
activities. RC
is used by Shoals as the first training target for new qualified divers
and members. The team focuses their time on two sites on the north side of
the island, where the foliose coral shapes tend to dominate. Some areas of
the north were bleached quite badly earlier this year, so having the past
three years of data has proved to be incredibly valuable. The data have
been used to help design a network of marine reserves are soon to be
declared on Rodrigues. For more information contact Sabrina.
ST LUCIA
by Susanna Scott
In 1999, five RC sites were
established in the Soufriere Marine
Management Area (SMMA) in St Lucia. However, in order to obtain
a more comprehensive view of the status of coral reefs in Saint Lucia, in
2002, RC activities were expanded and a site was established at an
offshore island (Maria Island in the south) and another off the village of
Laborie (south west). In early 2003, yet another site was
established, this time in the north of the island. Today, RC activities
are carried out annually and spearheaded by the Department of Fisheries in
collaboration with the Soufriere Marine Management Area. Dive operators
continue to support RC activities by providing tank refills and other
equipment. In 2003, the St. Lucia Reef Check team has conducted 11 surveys
at 8 sites. For more information, contact Susanna.
PAPUA NEW
GUINEA
by Bill Kiene
 RC has established a new country program in Papua New Guinea
(PNG) with the support of the David and
Lucile Packard Foundation. This new program builds on the work of
Norman Quinn and Mathew Motell, who managed the PNG program from
1997-2002. John Aini, PNG's new coordinator, will be overseeing RC
trainings and surveys in Kavieng, Kimbe, and Port Moresby, as well Madang
and Milne Bay. All activities are being generously sponsored by local dive
operators, resorts and research centers such as Walindi Plantation Resort, Lissenung Island Resort, Loloata Island Resort, National
Fisheries College, SCUBA
Ventures-Kavieng, Malagan Resort,
Madang Resort, Mahonia Na Dari,
UPNG and Motupore Marine Research
Centre.
PNG is considered to contain some of the only remaining intact coral reef
ecosystems in the Asia-Pacific region. However, the fisheries that
have decimated S.E. Asia's reefs are now targeting PNG's exceptional reef
resources. It is hoped that John's efforts will help PNG make the
choices necessary to maintain its productive marine environment as
external market pressures increase. For more information contact John.
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 Vietnam is bordered by China, Laos and Cambodia.
Results released by World
Resources Institute in 2002 indicated that Vietnam's coral reefs are among
the most threatened in the region. Destructive fishing practices, such as
poison and blast fishing threaten as much as 85 percent of Vietnam's reefs
while overfishing threatens more than 60 percent of Vietnam's reefs (Reefs
at Risk Southeast Asia, 2002).
RC Vietnam has been in operation
since 1998 and is led by Dr. Vo Si Tuan of the Institute of Oceanography of Nha Trang. On August 25-29, RC hosted a
training in Haiphong, dedicated to expanding RC throughout the northern
provinces. Participants included
young agency staff from the relevant government departments. Despite the
arrival of a typhoon on the first day of the Workshop, the training was
extremely successful. Trainees were challenged by no electricity and no
ferry transport but managed to make the best of things.
The Workshop was
facilitated by Tran Dinh Lan of Haiphong Institute of Oceanography and the
training was led by RC's Executive Director Gregor Hodgson and Dr. Vo Si
Tuan. Participants spent a good deal of time conducting land-based
training as the water was completely red from all the runoff.
 The team was
finally able to get in the water to carry out the first stage of the
in-water training on the reef in 1 m visibility. As the visibility
improved a complete RC was carried out by the students. Everyone was very
enthusiastic about getting involved in more monitoring and in making an
effort to work closer with staff from the Ha Long Bay Management
Authority.
Most importantly,
Dr. Dam Duc Tien of HIO, agreed to serve as the Vietnam Northern Area
Coordinator and pledged to work with Dr. Vo Si Tuan to establish the first
National Coral Reef Monitoring Network. HIO, IUCN and the consultants have
agreed to carry out a second training workshop early in 2004 to analyze
the data and interpret the results. For more information contact Vi So Tuan.
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Recent
Activities
Upcoming
Recent Activities
DEMA Show, Miami
 This was the second year that RC had a booth at DEMA's annual
trade show held in Miami, October 8-11. RC volunteers provided eager dive
professionals with information about how they could get involved, while
Kelly met with travel agencies, resorts, dive operations and manufacturers
to develop stronger corporate partnerships. RC teams including Fiji,
Australia, Kosrae, Panama, Canada, Florida, and Mexico were all
represented at DEMA this year, providing a wonderful opportunity for teams
to collaborate and brainstorm on future activities. RC Canada launched a
fabulous new t-shirt line, SeaTurtle
Sportswear, and will be dedicating a percentage of each t-shirt sold
to RC. As a result of all of our hard work, RC attracted new teams in
Florida, Bahamas, Costa Rica, Belize, Venezuela, Honduras, Cozumel, and
Tahiti. A huge thank you to Michele Sohn, Dan and Stephanie Clarke and
Heather Froeming for all of the volunteer hours they dedicated to making
DEMA a huge success!!
Mactan island workshop- CEBU,
PHILIPPINES
 Some 30 participants and staff members, all from leading Mactan
Island resorts, joined together on September 6 - 7 and 13 – 14, 2003 for
an integrated RC training and reef management course. These innovative trainings, targeting
many of the resort staff dive guides, are designed to assist the
respective resorts to help monitor and better manage reef areas fronting
their properties. The course was
conducted by the Coastal Dynamics Foundation in partnership with
the Ocean Care Advocates (an association of local concerned resorts and
dive operators) under funding from
East Asia and Pacific Environment
Initiative (EAPEI). Special thanks to the Shangri-La Mactan Island Resort where the workshops were held.
In addition to EAPEI, these
trainings were largely supported by contributions from the participating
resorts and the City of Lapu Lapu – many thanks to all participants and
supporters for a great training!
SE
Asia Training
On October 5-11,
RC Philippines hosted the Regional Southeast Asia "Training of Trainers"
at the new SE Asia Regional
Training Center, Cebu, Philippines. Building on the
success of regional trainings conducted in 2001 and 2002 at the Phuket
Marine Biological Center, Thailand, the training was supported
by USAID / EAPEI. The training brought together highly qualified team leaders and
scientists with the aim of increasing the number and quality of RC
instructors and teams in Indonesia,
Vietnam and the Philippines as well as other participating SE Asian
countries. For additional information,
please contact Mike
Ross.
Dive Expo,
Australia
by Jos
HIll
 RC Australia
raised the flag at the Sydney Dive Expo this September along with a host
of both Australian and Pacific dive operators, equipment and merchandise
companies. Thanks to the generosity of Quiksilver International, the Dive
Expo organizers and RC Headquarters, plus a little creative graphic design
by Jos and volunteers in Townsville, RC Australia was able to set up an
exhibit (along side the World Wide Fund for Nature). The expo was a
huge success, RC volunteers from Sydney and Brazil answered queries from
hundreds of visitors at the exhibition stand while Jos made sure she spoke
to every person in the building about RC activities. The response was
awesome with a 100% positive interest in RC from everyone we spoke to.
We'd like to extend a thanks to everyone who was involved - the contacts
made will undoubtedly push RC Australia to dizzying heights!
Western Indian ocean
Training
By Sammy
Ndirangu
In June, RC hosted a "Training
of Trainers" in Malindi, Kenya. The training was led by RC Europe
Director, Georg Heiss and brought 25 participants from Kenya, Tanzania,
Seychelles, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Zanzibar together to help form a
solid RC presence in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region. The training
was sponsored by US NOAA with support from ICLAN-WIOMSA and UNEP. Kenya
contributed the highest number of participants, coming from as far south
as Shimoni and as far north as the Kenya-Somali border Kiunga. Kenya
has committed to monitoring the entire coastline (approx. 600km) over the
next year. Team members united with the saying “Hatucheki na watu tuna
cheka na samaki “ which means “We are are not laughing with people, we are
laughing with fish” which will also be remembered as a theme of many
evenings. RC WIO hopes that this sentiment can remain in the minds of all
25 participants for a long time to come, accompanied with a commitment to
establish RC sites and teams in their regions. For more information,
contact Sammy.
CUBA
TRAINING
 In July, RC
was asked by SIBARIMAR on behalf of UNDP to train 26 park rangers and
managers from the new MPA network in Cuba. During the first week, the
participants were formally trained in scuba at Guanabo – east of Havana.
Several had been scuba diving for many years without a formal
certification. This was followed by four days of classroom and in-water
training with RC methods. The Cuban participants were enthusiastic,
swimming long distances to reach the offshore reefs. Protecting coral
reefs in Cuba is extremely important due to the fact that Acropora
palmata (Elkhorn) stands there are some of the largest remaining in
the Caribbean. On-going coral reef management work in Cuba will be
supported by a grant from the Oak
Foundation. For more information contact Mario.
Upcoming
CARIBBEAN REGIONAL
TRAININGS
Over the next 6 months Andre Miller, RC Caribbean
Director will be conducting trainings in
St Vincent, Grenada,
Dominica, St Kitts, Antigua and Tobago. This project was made possible
with the support of a UNEP/CZMU grant and is aimed at outreach to
Caribbean countries that currently do not have an active RC Team as well
as connecting with and supporting teams that were established at the last
Atlantic training. For more information contact Andre.
BELIZE
TRAINING
November 12-13 a mini-training will be held for dive
masters in San Pedro, Belize to kick off a new RC Belize project sponsored
by the Oak Foundation. For information contact Robyn.
THAILAND
TRAINING
Feb 29 to March 12, 2004 - Reef
Check Training Course and Survey will be offered in the Andaman Sea on the West coast of
Thailand. This course will be organised in collaboration with the
Phuket Marine Biology Center (PMBC). This training is open to
professionals in marine science and conservation,
but also to non-professionals interested in learning more about coral
reefs, marine biology and conservation, and monitoring techniques.
For more
information contact Georg.
MYANMAR
EXPEDITION
March
16 – 26, 2004 - A 10-day Reef Check cruise and
volunteer expedition will be offered to the reefs
off Myanmar (Burma). The expedition will be conducting surveys
of reefs of the Andaman sea with departure scheduled for March 16, from Ranong
(Thailand). If weather conditions allow,
the trip will cruise up to the Mergui archipelago. If you are interested to join this exciting
trip, please respond soon by e-mail. Space is limited, we will accept
volunteers on a "first come, first serve" basis. Contact Georg
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This month we are highlighting
Kimberly
McCarty and Candice Ludkiewicz,
two RC supporters who show that one person really can make a
difference. If you know a Reef Check Champion that you would like
to nominate, please email a brief description of their contribution as
well as a photo (if possible) to Kelly.
Every month, Reef
Check receives hundreds of email from people all over the world inquiring
about how they can help save coral reefs. Here are two inspirational
stories that show how sometimes the smallest gesture can become the
greatest contribution.
Wedding
Bliss
In September, RC
received an email from Candice Ludkiewicz, a certified scuba diver who was
enquiring about the best locations in Fiji to dive as that is where she
was going for her honeymoon. Candice and her fiancé were married on
October 4th and in commemoration of their beautiful day, they are making a
donation to RC on behalf of each of their 500 guests. Congratulations
Candice and thank you for using this event to help conserve coral
reefs!
Lemonade
Anyone?
The following is a letter
RC received in August from eight and a half year old Kimberly
McCarty.
Dear Reef
Check,
After I saw a film about the Coral Reefs in the Museum of
Science in Boston, MA, I decided to help the Coral Reefs. I had a lemonade
stand to make money for the Coral Reefs. I made $8.00, and I'm sending it
to you. Please use my $8.00 to the reefs who need it most.
From,
Kimberly
Kimberly's
example of making a difference has touched many hearts as the story has
been shared by RC staff. May Kimberly's efforts to help save coral reefs
be an example to everyone that every effort counts. |
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NEW STAFF AT RC
HEADQUARTERS
RC Headquarters recently said goodbye to two of our
staff, Craig Shuman and Lena Maun. Both were graduates of UCLA. Craig
graduated with his doctorate from UCLA and decided to apply his new
knowledge to local California issues and is working as a staff scientist
for Heal the Bay while remaining on the RC Board. Lena decided to take a
crack at government work and is working at the Port of Los Angeles in
their environmental department. So, in order to fill their 'big' shoes, RC
has hired two new staff:
Bill Kiene -
Director for Conservation Science
 In August,
Dr. William Kiene joined Reef Check
as Director for Conservation Science. Many of you have known and
worked with Bill in his 25 years of coral reef research and conservation
advocacy. Originating from land-locked Kansas, he chased reefs all
the way to Australia, where he obtained his MSc and PhD during the 1980s
studying the Great Barrier Reef. From 1991 to 1996 he held a research
post in Germany, and conducted bio-erosion studies in Australia and in the
Bahamas. In 1996 he moved to the Smithsonian in Washington DC where
he developed public programs on coral reef science and conservation, while
continuing research. From 2001 until joining RC in August 2003, Bill was
field coordinator for a Wildlife Conservation Society program in Papua New
Guinea and Indonesia that documented ecological and socio-economic impacts
of coral reef management strategies. Bill has experience in coral reef
science and conservation in the Pacific, West Atlantic, and Indian Oceans.
He looks forward to working closely with all the RC Teams to help them
effectively use the results of their surveys, and to helping promote their
dedication and commitment to coral reef conservation.
Ashley Spencer - Operations
Coordinator
Ashley earned a B.A. in Political
Science and Environmental Conservation from the University of New
Hampshire in June 1995, and spent a semester in the Turks and Caicos
Islands with the School for Field Studies studying tropical marine
biology, resource management and socioeconomics. In an effort to affect
change by working within the political arena to shape environmental
policies, Ashley has worked with the NGO Clean Islands International and
Baltimore County’s Recycling Division. She received her NAUI Scuba
Instructor certification in 1998 and has spent time teaching diving in the
Caribbean which resulted in Ashley returning to school to pursue her love
of coral reefs. In 2000, Ashley
returned to school to become a marine biologist and enrolled at Tulane
University where she was awarded a B.S. degree in Ecology and Evolutionary
Biology. Ashley's interest in coral reef ecology and resource
management has brought her to RC and she looks forward to working directly with RC teams to
help create a stronger international RC community.
CCDS in Bimini
 In August, Outreach Director Kelly McGee joined seven middle
school students from the Chicago City Day School (CCDS) aboard the Coral
Reef II Research Vessel to train them in RC methods. The trip was a
collaborative effort between CCDS and the Shedd Aquarium and was the first
middle school excursion that Shedd had ever offered in their history of
their education program. Everyone worked tirelessly on learning all of the
RC methods and definitely set a high standard for all of the middle school
classes to follow. RC looks forward to collaborating with Shedd on a
variety of educational programs. A special thanks to Captains John and Lou
for making the trip memorable!!
RC Data Reveals
Recovery from Bleaching in the Mamanucas,
Fiji.
by Ryan
Walker
In
response to the 2000 bleaching event, resulting in up to 80% coral
mortality in some regions of the Fiji archipelago, the UK based NGO Coral
Cay Conservation (CCC) in collaboration with the Fijian Ministry of
Tourism, Culture, Heritage and Civil Aviation, undertook repeat
RC surveys at 22 sites in the Mamanucas
Islands, western Fiji in 2001 and
2002.
Results revealed a 14.3% overall mean increase in scleractinian
coral cover across the sites over the 12 month period. Non-Acropora
corals increased from 9.8% in 2001 to 19.3% in 2002, whilst
Acropora cover more than doubled from 3.3 to 8.0%. Between 2001 and
2002 the coral reefs of the Mamanucas progressed from “poor” to “fair” in
accordance with the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)
systems for describing the health of coral reefs. This mean increase
suggests a significant and encouraging recovery of scleractinian corals
post bleaching in the Mamanucas region, an area famed for spectacular
diving with a well-established tourist industry. The full paper will be
published in the next edition of the Silliman Journal, or can be
requested from the authors (Simon Harding or Ryan Walker).
Coral
reefs as experiential environmental education: Learning with Australian
students.
by Carl
Stepath
 Teenagers
from a number of high schools in Queensland are using the Great Barrier
Reef as a classroom this year. Students are
involved in inter-disciplinary research investigating environmental
learning, environmental attitudes and willingness to undertake
environmental action in relation to the future social and ecological
sustainability of coral reefs. This is a wonderful opportunity for
different groups in the community to work together teaching students about
the wonders of the coral reef, as they learn RC monitoring
methodology. Funding and support for this project has been supplied
by James Cook University, Cairns and Far North Environment Centre and
PADI.
Carl
Stepath, a PhD candidate at James Cook University, has organized his study
so to involve students to take part in different marine education programs
about coral reefs, based on programs developed by UNESCO and MTAQ (Marine
Teachers Association of Queensland). Marine environmental education
is the primary focus, but the state of coral reefs is also looked at. The
aim is to monitor changes in the students’ environmental awareness,
attitudes and action skills with respect to coral reefs and education
strategies. The research assesses the effectiveness of marine education
programs in the region and contributes to developing tropical marine
teaching strategies. Carl is exploring new ways of thinking about
environmental knowledge, education and action with the use of RC
methodology. For more information, contact Carl.
(Editors note: Carl
is the former RC Coordinators for Hawaii)
Award for RC
Hawaii
This October, RC
Hawaii and Island Divers
received a 2003 Partnership Award from Coastal America for their
contributions to the Alien Algae Research and Removal Project, known
locally as A'ohe Limu E. RC Hawaii was one of nine across the nation
selected by Coastal America to receive the award, recognized for providing
volunteers for the project. Island Divers was acknowledged for
contributing air tanks and other logistical support. Mahalo to Dave Raney
and Matt Zimmerman, and to the many enthusiastic RC volunteers who have
contributed so much time and energy to this very worthwhile community
project.
Earthwatch in
Philippines
by Vangie White,
Finance Manager and Board Secretary
The Saving
Philippine Reefs Program of CCE Foundation successfully conducted its
7th Earthwatch Expedition last April 11-30, 2003 in Bohol. The expedition
included volunteers from USA, Australia, England, Indonesia and
Malaysia—and of course Filipino staff from CCE Foundation, Silliman
University and the University of San Carlos. Bohol had not been surveyed
since 1999 so Earthwatch volunteers were put to work using RC methods to
continue on where past teams had left off. The data will supplement the
coral reef monitoring aspect of the existing Bohol Marine Triangle Project
with which CCE Foundation is a one of its collaborators. Data collected in
the various communities adds to the Marine Protected Area Project
of CCE Foundation and will assist the MPA managers of the area. The report
will be available in July of this year. For more information contact Melody.
WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT
YOUR TEAM IS UP TO!!
If you would like to submit a story or
photographs for the next issue, please contact Kelly. To be highlighted in the next
edition of The Transect Line, all submissions must be received by December
12th, 2003.
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