Handout Freediving Instructor Course Guillaume Chièze Instructor: Richard Wonka “Can Freediving play a role in the research and restoration of coral reefs, and is it the best method?” August 2015 Guillaume Chièze Freediving Instructor Course 2015 Table of Contents Handout Freediving Instructor Course ------------------------------------------------------------ 1 Guillaume Chièze --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Instructor: Richard Wonka --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 “Can Freediving play a role in the research and restoration of coral reefs, and is it the best method?” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Introduction --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 I. Coral reefs, the environmental context ----------------------------------------------------- 4 Importance of coral reefs on our planet ------------------------------------------------------------- 4 Threats facing coral reefs ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 II. Coral reef restoration --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 Concept ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 Process ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 Advantages ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6 Costs -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 III. Why Freediving? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 Freediving and Monitoring: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 Natural reef: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 Artificial Reef: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 Freediving and settling a new reef ------------------------------------------------------------------ 11 Environmental assessment ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11 Sinking structures and filling them ------------------------------------------------------------------ 12 Grafting coral props ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12 Synthesis ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 Conclusion ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 References ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 Guillaume Chièze Freediving Instructor Course 2015 2 Introduction Part of the exam of the Freediving Instructor Course is to write on a subject we have expertise or a great interest in. Having worked in the coral reef restoration field and being a scuba diving instructor made me have no second thoughts about choosing my topic. I am in love with the ocean and I try to do everything I can to protect it. Because I did not arrive by myself where I am today, I will refer as “we” in this paper. I like to think that the credit also belongs to my numerous “teachers”. I received a business education thanks to my parents, and then chose to redirect my path into marine biology later. My many teachers, friends, coaches and of course my family brought me my knowledge and opened my eyes on the world. Thanks to Miguèl Vannieuwenhoven and to Richard Wonka, my passion for Freediving grew day after day. They taught me the techniques to achieve my goals, and at the same time taught me the patience and the philosophy of Freediving. Thanks to them and their efforts, I am today able to take this Instructor Course, and share a little bit of my knowledge with you. I chose a topic that is of crucial importance to me nowadays: The health of coral reefs. They are greatly endangered, and we have the power to stop this massive extinction. It made then sense to write about Freediving and coral reefs at the same time. I came up with this issue: “Can Freediving play a role in the research and restoration of coral reefs, and is it the best method?” The reason I chose question is that I truly believe that the use of Freediving could help corals, or at least reduce the damage we are causing. Guillaume Chièze Freediving Instructor Course 2015 3 I. Coral reefs, the environmental context Importance of coral reefs on our planet Coral reefs are a treasured world with their amazing diversity of shapes and colors. Having a vital role in the marine food chain, they provide a daily alimentary resource to millions of people (1). They represent around 0,1% of the ocean’s surface, but host more than 25% of the world’s underwater species. Their biodiversity contains hidden potential still unexplored by science. Thus, they create a complex and diversified food chain around them, where all parts find what they are looking for: • Tourists: Multiple species and colorful dive sites • Local fishermen: Around one billion of the human population rely on fish as their main protein source, mainly in developing countries: (2) • Bigger predators: The first links of the food chain are supported by coral reefs, creating a healthy food chain, with predators like barracudas or sharks patrolling the area • Worldwide fishing companies: They buy permits to countries, allowing them to fish resources and import them to their respective harbors. All the while protecting coasts and human habitations by absorbing wave energy, coral reefs are an important source of monetary income thanks to tourism. Many islands would not exist without coral reefs and their power of limiting erosion. Threats facing coral reefs Coral reefs are sensitive animals working in symbiosis with all their surrounding elements. If this fragile equilibrium comes to an end, consequences would be catastrophic. Coral reefs are highly endangered: One fifth of their area having been continually destroyed over the last forty years. The causes are simple to understand but difficult to counter for many concerned individuals and organizations. The over-exploitation of marine resources, the harmful effect of global warming, acidification of oceanic waters and the growing pollution have indeed negatively impacted the entire marine ecosystem (3). Guillaume Chièze Freediving Instructor Course 2015 4 II. Coral reef restoration Coral Reef Restoration in Koh Tao Concept Coral reefs are bustling cities under the sea. The buildings are made of corals, where fish settle down and prosper. Techniques differ from all around the world, but the results show that it is fully possible to bring life to a deserted seabed and restore a disturbed marine environment. Artificial reefs and coral transplantation projects have had much support from governments around the world. Likewise, they have been widely acknowledged by scientists as a valuable tool for increasing fish populations and nurturing coral reefs back to health. The aim is to mitigate the adverse impacts to coral reefs by human development. Process The installation is counted in weeks, but it depends on the size of the project. When a project is launched, the installation of underwater steel structures begins, on which corals are transplanted. Afterward, special rocks are created with natural elements, attracting the food chains' first links and placed into the structures. A chain reaction is launched until the coral nursery reaches its full sheltering capacity. This kind of project needs full attention during the development stage. Indeed, corals need to be competition free (algae, plastic etc…). This means that during the first three months, artificial reefs must be monitored daily. After this period, the inspecting frequency can be reduced to weekly visits. After 3 years of development, observing visits become monthly or bi-monthly. According to Susan Clark, artificial reefs are very resistant to extreme conditions: “Initial monitoring [in Mexico], after one month, showed that mortality was low even after Hurricane Roxanne had impacted Cozumel just after the completion of transplantation” (pp. 180). Guillaume Chièze Freediving Instructor Course 2015 5 Advantages Because graphics speaks better than words, we inserted two different ones. The first graph shows the growth of the biomass over the years. We can notice that it is growing pretty constantly and that after one month only, the biomass will be around half of the one in three years. Figure 1 The Second graph shows that after 6 months, the reef is fully colonized in number of species, from benthos (first link in the food chain) to predators. The individuals will grow until they become too big for the reef, leaving it instead of devouring all the other species. Figure 2 Guillaume Chièze Freediving Instructor Course 2015 6 Costs The cost of an artificial reef depends of its nature. If it is a nursery made by metal or concrete structures, then it will not cost the same as an ex- warship transformed in an underwater museum. The technique we chose to use for this paper is called “Transplantation using Acropora fragments in low to moderately exposed shallow reefs without the use of scuba”. The costs are around US$ 7000 per hectare. This way is cheaper