Mamanuca Islands Coral Reef Conservation Project
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MAMANUCA ISLANDS CORAL REEF CONSERVATION PROJECT Year Three Report- 2005 -Prepared by- James Comley, Director of Marine Science Mike Dowell, Project Scientist Peter Raines, Chairman September 2005 Coral Cay Conservation Ltd. 13th Floor, The Tower 125 High Street, Colliers Wood London, SW19 2JG, UK Tel: +44 (0) 870-750-0668 Fax: +44 (0) 870-750-0667 Email: [email protected] Ministry of Tourism www: www.coralcay.org Table of Contents Mamanuca Islands Coral Reef Conservation Project- 2005 TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures..............................................................................................................II List of Tables..............................................................................................................III Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................IV Executive Summary .................................................................................................... V Introduction..................................................................................................................1 2. Project Background.............................................................................................2 2.1. The coastal zone of Fiji..................................................................................2 2.2. The Mamanuca Islands ..................................................................................3 2.3. Aims and Objectives ......................................................................................5 3. Methods .................................................................................................................6 3.1. Benthic data....................................................................................................6 3.2. Conservation Management Ratings and Geographic Information System....7 4. Environmental Awareness and Community Work ........................................11 4.1. Mamanucas Environment Society...............................................................11 4.2. Malolo District School Environment Programme .......................................11 4.3. Environmental Field Day with International School, Suva .........................13 4.4. Coral Cay Conservation Student Scholarship Programme ..........................13 4.5. Matamanoa Island Resort Barge Impact Assessment..................................13 4.6. Dive into Earth Week 2005..........................................................................14 5. Results .................................................................................................................17 5.1. Survey Progress............................................................................................17 5.2. Conservation Management Rating and Geographic Information System...20 6. Discussion............................................................................................................22 6.1. Survey Progress............................................................................................22 6.2. Conservation Management Rating and Geographic Information System...22 6.3. Management Findings and Recommendations ............................................22 7. Recommendations ..............................................................................................25 8. References...........................................................................................................26 Prepared by Coral Cay Conservation I. List of Figures Mamanuca Islands Coral Reef Conservation Project- 2005 List of Figures Figure 1 The Mamanuca Islands showing Island names and points of interest.............4 Figure 2 CCC volunteers assisting with dramatisations at Malolo District School.....12 Figure 3 CCC volunteers provided props and ideas for the children to make the exercises more fun. ......................................................................................................12 Figure 4 Dive into Earth Day at Solevu Village, Malolo Island..................................15 Figure 5 Dive into Earth Day, Yanuya Village, Yanuya Island ..................................15 Figure 6 Aquatrek Mana Dive Masters clean rubbish off the lagoon floor .................16 Figure 7 Map of the Mamanucas, showing completed survey sectors ........................18 Figure 8 Location of survey transects carried out in years one and two (yellow dots) and year three (red dots)...............................................................................................19 Figure 9 Geographical Information System depicting the Conservation Management Rating of the reefs of the Southern Mamanuca Islands ...............................................21 Figure 10 Location of all recommended MPA sites ....................................................24 Prepared by Coral Cay Conservation II. List of Tables Mamanuca Islands Coral Reef Conservation Project- 2005 List of Tables Table 1. Quantitative description of the fifteen benthic classes defined from the data collected in years one and two of the FCRCP........................................................9 Table 1 (cont.). Quantitative description of the fifteen benthic classes defined from the data collected in years one and two of the FCRCP.......................................10 Table 2 Parties present at each day of Dive into Earth Week, 2005............................14 Table 3 Name, Area and Geographic Location of all recommended MPA sites from each year of the FCRCP...............................................................................................23 Prepared by Coral Cay Conservation III. Acknowledgements Mamanuca Islands Coral Reef Conservation Project- 2005 Acknowledgements The third year of the Fiji Coral Reef Conservation Project has continued to be a success, with many people providing a third year of unfaltering help and assistance, and others lending assistance for the first time. CCC would like to extend their utmost gratitude to all these people, but make a special note of thank you to Geoff Shaw, Dawn Wakeham, and Waz and Elle Meredith of Castaway Island Resort, and Alifereti Qauqau and Terri Tuxson of the Mamanuca Environment Society. Finally, we would like to acknowledge the guidance, encouragement and generous support provided by the following project partners (listed in alphabetical order): Air New Zealand: Francis Mortimer, Simon Bean and colleagues. Aqua-Trek. Beachcomber Island Resort: Dan Costello and colleagues. Biological Consultants Fiji: Edward Lovell. Bounty Island Sanctuary Resort: Bruce Carran British Airways. British High Commission, Fiji. Bula FM Captain Cook Cruises: William Gock and colleagues Dive Centre Suva Dive Pacific Magazine. Dive Tropex: Alex and Will Wragg. Fiji Institute of Technology: Winifereti U. Nainoca Fiji Times FLMMA Network members International Secondary School, Suva: Litiana Temol and colleagues. Malolo District School, Solevu Malolo Island Resort. Ministry of Fisheries & Forests: Aisake Batibasaga and colleagues Ministry of Tourism: Ratu Napolioni Masirewa, Kerisoni Baledrokadroka, Manoa Malani, Marika Kuilamu, and colleagues. Musket Cove Resort: Dick Smith and colleagues. Mamanuca Fiji Hoteliers Association: All members. Nacula Tikina Tourism Association: Andrew Fairley and colleagues Pacific Marine Vuda Resource owners: Ratu Jeremaia Matai, Ratu Sevanaia Vatunitu Nabola, Ratu Sakiusa Tuni Toto, Ratu Osea Gavidi and others. Resort Support: Helen Sykes. Solevu Village, Malolo Island; friends and associates SOPAC: Wolf Forstreuter, Litea Biukoto, Robert Smith and colleagues. South Seas Cruises: Peter Ducan, Penny Smith and colleagues. Subsurface Fiji: Tony Cottrell, Tony Cohen, John Brown and colleagues. Tokoriki Island Resort: Andrew Turnbull and colleagues. UNDP: Marilyn Cornelius and Asenaca Ravuvu. University of the South Pacific (USP): USP Institute of Applied Science; Prof. Bill Aalbersberg, Alifereti Tawake and colleagues West Side Water Sports: Lance and Lily Millar, John Purves and colleagues. WWF: Etika Rupeni and colleagues. Finally, we would like to thank all the CCC team members and local staff members at Ravinaki/Castaway Island Resort who have contributed to the production of this report in various ways. Prepared by Coral Cay Conservation IV. Executive summary Mamanuca Islands Coral Reef Conservation Project- 2005 Executive Summary · The Fiji Coral Reef Conservation Project (FCRCP) in the Mamanuca Islands has entered it’s third year and phase of operation. · In this year, 93 baseline transects gave been completed involving 534 dives and accruing some 38,000 in-water recordings on the coral reef communities · From this data collected, the final 6 MPA sites required to form an Integrated Marine Management System in the Southern Mamanucas have been identified, and the following recommendations have been made Recommendation 1 – Finish remaining transects and Reef Check dives in the Southern Mamanucas to ensure a comprehensive dataset is available. Recommendation 2 – Move north so that the Northern Mamanucas can be surveyed. It is anticipated that surveys in the Northern Mamanucas will yield additional recommended sites for the establishment of Marine Protected Areas. Recommendation 3 – Continue to offer assistance and support to the Mamanuca Environment Society with the implementation of the recommended Marine Protected Areas and with community education and awareness. Recommendation 4 – Having moved the main thrust of survey effort