Science Workbook 2020 This document is intended to provide a brief scientific introduction to the volunteers who have booked onto Coral Cay Conservation’s Philippines project; The Southern Leyte Coral Reef Conservation Project. This document was updated in 2019. Coral Cay Conservation The Kiln Grange Road Tongham Surrey UK GU10 1DJ [email protected] +44 (0) 0207 620 1411 +44 (0) 333 340 7111 (Emergency Line ONLY) If you have queries regarding the contents of this document, or the expedition package you have booked onto, you are advised to contact Coral Cay Conservation prior to your departure. All images within this document are copyrighted and credited, where due. Images within this document must not be used without written permission from Coral Cay Conservation or the owner of the image. Coral Cay Conservation is a division of the Lifesigns Group © Roisin Maddison CONTENTS Welcome to the Philippines ................................................................................................................. 1 The Philippines .................................................................................................................................... 2 Southern Leyte’s Reefs ...................................................................................................................... 2 Coral Cay Conservation (CCC) ...................................................................................................... 3 The Southern Leyte Coral Reef Conservation Project (LRCP) ...................................................... 4 The Science ........................................................................................................................................... 6 Fishes, Belt Transects & SDP .............................................................................................................. 8 Invertebrates & Impacts ................................................................................................................. 12 Substrates & PITs .............................................................................................................................. 14 © Roisin Maddison OUR HEAD OF SCIENCE The need to conserve our Ocean, its inhabitants At the centre of all our efforts are our committed and the services that are provided to staff and enthusiastic volunteers. During your communities has never been so critical and I am time with us you will undertake our Skills thrilled that you have decided to join us on our Development Programme, an exciting and mission. You are setting out on a life-changing fascinating course designed to provide you with endeavour and I hope that during your time the essential skills to become an effective with us your affinity to the marine will grow and scientific diver. When you join one of our survey you will leave Coral Cay Conservation, not only teams, the data that you collect will be utilised as a member of our extensive global family, but to provide local communities with marine spatial also as a pro-active environmental steward; management plans to protect, restore and driving conservation actions for the amelioration promote marine resources; a truly pivotal role in of the natural world. the building of ecosystem resilience to current and projected environmental stressors. The Southern Leyte Coral Reef Conservation Project is our flagship project and has been I hope you enjoy your time with us, and continually undertaking essential work in the welcome to the family. Philippines for the past 17 years. Since its inception in 2002, we have undertaken numerous phases that have entailed ecological mapping, providing recommendations for marine spatial management plans and Tom Dallison providing educational opportunities to local Head of Science Filipinos. © Roisin Maddison Coral Cay Conservation 2020 Welcome to the Philippines 1 Welcome to the Philippines © Tom Dallison Coral Cay Conservation 2020 e are excited for you to join us at Leyte is an island found in the Visayas. Leyte Coral Cay Conservation (CCC), is mostly heavily forested and mountainous, in the Philippines, to help us conserve and but the Leyte Valley in the northeast has protect fragile reef environments. It’s a much agriculture. Politically, the island is great pleasure for us to have you on board divided into two provinces: Leyte and and contributing to this critical project. It’s Southern Leyte, where our expedition site is solely because of volunteers like yourself currently located. Much of the province is that we are able to do the work that we do, centred around Sogod Bay within which so welcome to the Southern Leyte Coral CCC is focusing its conservation efforts. The Reef Conservation Project (LRCP)! Bay’s coastline is characterised by narrow fringing coral reefs, intertidal flats and CCC has been working at different project beaches. Depths in the bay reach a sites throughout the Philippines since 1995. maximum of approximately 1,400 metres in This massive team effort has made a the centre. It is home to a stunning array of significant impact towards raising coral, invertebrate and fish species and awareness and increasing the science frequently visited by macrofauna such as capacity needed to implement effective pilot whales and whale sharks. You only conservation measures for the reefs of the have to dip you head under the waves to Philippines. be wowed by what Sogod Bay has to offer! As a volunteer, you will be making your own contribution to this project by helping to Southern Leyte’s Reefs gather ecological data about the health of the reefs as well as having the opportunity Coral reefs are one of the richest and most to get involved in our community diverse ecosystems on the planet, educational programmes. You’ll be supporting over 4000 species of fish in the expected to put in the groundwork, Indo-Pacific region, of which 2500 are learning all about the reef species and the found in the 25,000km2 of coastline fringed methods we use to survey in the water. with coral reefs in the archipelago of the You’ll be getting to grips with our Philippines. Coral reefs provide livelihoods approach, which coral reef organisms to for coastal communities through fishing, identify and the theory behind coral reefs aquaculture and tourism. However, they and efforts to conserve, whilst diving in the are under huge threat from impacts such most biologically rich region of the Indo- as solid and liquid pollution, overfishing, pacific; the Coral Triangle. habitat degradation, climate change and elevated sedimentation levels. Fortunately, The Philippines the coral reefs of Southern Leyte remain some of the least disturbed habitats in the The Philippines is located in Southeast Asia Philippines. Sogod bay is characterised by in the western Pacific Ocean. It forms part a rich diversity of marine habitats including of the Coral Triangle, an area known to mangrove forests, narrow fringing coral contain the highest marine biodiversity in reefs and seagrass beds. As well as being the world! The country is therefore an important area for fish and coral larval endowed with an incredible array of flows, Sogod Bay has been targeted by natural resources and a diverse range of Department of Agriculture as one of the habitats. country’s ten largest bays in need of assessment and management; which is An archipelago comprising 7,641 islands, where CCC and its volunteers come into the Philippines is categorised broadly into play. With projects worldwide, CCC use three main geographical regions: Luzon, volunteers like yourself to map and assess the Visayas, and Mindanao. Its population coral reefs, in order to work towards the is estimated to be around 105 million of sustainability of natural resources and the whom approximately 80% depend on the conservation of these fragile environments. country’s coastal resources. 2 Coral Cay Conservation 2020 © Tom Dallison Coral Cay Conservation • advancement of environmental knowledge amongst local communities, resource stakeholders Founded in 1986, CCC is a non- and system actors as well as governmental international conservation amongst resource managers and organisation that helps protect threatened governing agencies; coral reefs and associated ecosystems as • generation of environmental well as terrestrial environments. stewards; inspiring the next We work in collaboration with government generation to undertake and NGOs within a host country and do not conservation actions charge for the services we provide. We • and working with natural operate under a citizen-science custodians of the reefs, by framework, and inject funds raised from increasing local capacity and financial contributions back into the understanding of the ecological project. We also leverage funding from threats to their natural systems, various other organisations, governments through educational activities, and charities to support our efforts. scholarships and alternative livelihood programmes. The principal aims of CCC’s work in-country are the: CCC have been successfully running • Provision of scientific data for the volunteer-based conservation projects in generation of marine spatial developing countries since 1986 with management plans for the notable conservation successes: marine protection, restoration and enhancement of marine resources; ecological information gathered by CCC and building scientific capacity; Providing resources to help sustain livelihoods and alleviate poverty through the protection of coral reefs and associated ecosystems3 Coral Cay Conservation