Coral reef adventure and ecocamping
Coral reef protection and rehabilitation
Productive fisheries
Education of fishing communities
Donations are needed to seed this vital eco-project (please contact Timothy Leach)
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Tanzania
Marine Parks have now managed to establish several coral reefs as protected
zones.
Besides research, my personal experience through snorkeling and diving on some
of these reefs for a little over two decades tells me that reefs are severely
degraded through familiar destructive forces. Some of these reefs have been
adopted by Marine Parks and there has been noticeable coral re-growth of certain
faster growing species, but reef productivity for fisheries is very low.
Mafia Island Marine Park has reefs that are incredibly diverse and productive in comparison to other reefs along the Tanzania coastal area. I believe this may be mostly due to the promotion of sustainable fishing methods and the prevention of destructive fishing practices. Mafia Island Marine Park may be more conducive to these methods in comparison to other coral reefs that are under higher pressures, such as high demand fisheries.
In order to fully harness the potential productivity of coral reefs, fishing needs to be well managed. When dynamite and destructive netting on reefs are restricted, there results in coral re-growth and subsequently juvenile creatures, including smaller fish may develop in the newly rehabilitated niche. For the productivity of this reef to reach full potential however, a critical mass of reef species need to reach maturity and breed.
Fishing on the reefs is incredibly difficult to control due to the physical effort of inspecting the fishermen's catch and method, and therefore many species on the reef will not get the chance to reproduce. As the coastal human population's demand is high and increasing, the size of fish, crustaceans and cephalopods decrease to the point where juveniles are being caught. This is not a highly productive and sustainable system.
To see a rare but proven system for increasing reef production to high potential, we need not look far. Chumbe Island is a great example. In this case the reef has a demarcated no fishing zone that is protected by professionals who are supported by tourism and donors. The later form of funding is not sustainable and too complex to apply around the region. A self sustaining system of reef protection and fisheries management is needed.
In the case of larger and less protected reefs there needs to be a clear definition between 'no-fishing' zones and 'fishing' zones. The concept of preventing fishing above the coral reef and promoting fishing along the edge of the coral reef allows reef dwelling species to mature and breed readily and thus the populations may reach carrying capacity, causing a potential outflow of biomass consisting of adult sized individuals of many species.
The main issue with this method of reef protection is the social aspect of artisanal fisheries. A balance between reef protection and the essential needs of artisanal fishermen may be possible through minimal compromise and education.
Proposed Method
Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge and Timothy Leach (director) are proposing to work in conjunction with Tanzania Marine Parks and the Fisheries authority to find and adopt a coral reef that has the potential for being a good location for this pilot project.
Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge will invest in creating a small semi-permanent camp on location following stringent environmental impact standards. Lake Natron Camp is an experimental low-impact terrestrial camp. From this we are learning more about low-impact eco-camping that we can apply to the reef project. Ngare Sero Lodge will market this destination as part of two other up country locations. Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge at the foothills of Mount Meru is our base for safaris and Lake Natron Camp at the bottom of the Rift Valley. We have good village relations at both locations where revenue from tourism is used to promote human-wildlife relations, environmental protection and sustainable practices.
Help is needed from donors to raise funds inorder to seed the project including the acquisition of hardware for the educational aspect of this project. And to organize village (fishermen) meetings to discuss the proposed project, digital video will be used to record the on going project, both terrestrial and marine. The digital video stock will be edited to create educational video pieces for local fishermen as well as other Kiswahili speaking coastal people. If the pilot project is successful, the video record may be used to start up new projects. Video of the underwater environment may also be used for research purposes. Short educational video pieces can be shown to the local population by firstly donating these short films to local television broadcasters and by establishing a small scale mobile cinema that could move along different fishing villages. This would be set up to run by training and employing Tanzanians and would be supported by income from tourism.
Once Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge acquires the concession for the potential location,
protection of the coral reef will ensue, hopefully with the support and empowerment
from Tanzania Marine Parks and the Fisheries authority. And after a good relationship
has been established with the local fishermen, the no fishing zone should be
established by following the reef's edge. This zone should then be demarcated
with buoys.
Filming will start from the beginning and underwater footage will immediately
be edited to show the local users of that reef in order to establish reasoning
and good understanding between the fishermen and Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge.
The camp will then be moved on location and adventures for guests organized,
focusing on the marine environment and the social issues connected. It would
then be an exercise to learn about the potential income, running costs, effectiveness
of the ecosystem protection and education of the fishermen and ultimately the
reef productivity over time.
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HUMAN EXPLOITATION AND EFFECTS ON THE MARINE ECOSYSTEM
Tropical marine environments are typically composed of three main habitats: Mangrove forests, seagrass beds and coral reefs. In addition to these: Rocky shores, mud flats, sand beaches, lagoons and algal beds are also important habitats, supporting a large diversity of species. Each of these habitats comprise a specific assortment of species, however most species in each habitat require other habitats for stages of their life such as for feeding or reproduction. Even though the global marine ecosystem is experiencing similar situations from human exploitation and pressure, the focus will be on the western Indian ocean, specifically the east African seashores.
Mangrove forests
Mangroves are salt tolerant plants that generally grow on the upper tidal range,
especially in estuaries and other protected areas. In east Africa there are
nine species of mangroves. They are responsible for the protection of soft shorelines
from erosion, they trap sediment especially in estuaries, and they recycle nutrients.
The mud houses many permanent species, but high tide allows for many reef fish
to enter the mangrove for feeding and reproduction. Mangroves support many pelagic
and reef fish juveniles. Therefore the destruction of mangroves can have devastating
effects on other habitats as well. In east Africa mangroves are exploited for
many purposes: Fire wood, charcoal, building poles, masts, fish traps, tannins
and more. However the increasing pressure from population growth and indiscriminate
cutting means destruction of many mangrove zones. Other direct destruction occurs
from mangrove clearing for prawn farms and salt pans. This allows for sediment
to flow into the ocean covering and blocking reefs and sea grasses from sunlight.
Seagrass beds
Seagrasses were terrestrial plants that have adapted to marine life. They occur
on sandy sediment in the lower tidal range and below the low tide mark. Their
lower limit is controlled by the availability of sunlight, while their upper
limit is controlled by the exposure to air and heat. In the western Indian ocean
there are ten species of seagrasses. They are responsible for trapping sediment
and thus stabilizing sand and mud from erosion. Seagrass beds support a large
diversity of permanent invertebrates, and provide food for many fish species
that directly feed off the leaves. They are also vitally important nursery grounds
for juveniles of many pelagic and reef fish, as well as, commercially important
shrimp and prawns. Mangrove destruction allows for sediment to cover seagrasses
and cause the water to be turbid, greatly reducing sunlight availability. Sewage
dumping and seepage into the ocean causes high levels of nitrates and phosphates,
which in turn causes algae to grow rapidly. Algal blooms further decrease sunlight
availability to seagrasses and coral reefs.
Coral reefs
The diversity of species in a coral reef is only matched by that of tropical
rain forests. 25% of all marine species and 65% of marine fish reside within
coral reefs.1 However, the understanding of coral reefs, even by those living
close to them, is minimal. Coral reefs are composed of an array of bottom dwelling
species of plants and animals. The community includes: Hard and soft corals,
algae, sponges, molluscs and worms. The mass of the reef is primarily created
by hermatypic corals that produce a calcareous skeleton formed by chemical reactions.
This is dependent upon symbiotic algae that live within the coral tissue. The
zooxanthellae (algae), obtain energy from sunlight and share the energy with
the coral polyp, which in turn deposits calcium carbonate to form the skeletal
mass. Clear waters are therefore vital for the existence of coral reefs and
its entire ecosystem. The reef system supports thousands of free moving species,
many of which are linked to other ecosytems, such as pelagic fish. Corals are
mostly limited to water temperatures of 25 to 30 degrees celcius and therefore
located between 35 degrees of latitude, north and south.10 The main global destroyer
of reefs is due to increasing sea surface temperatures, caused by global warming.
When the sea water temperature surpasses the limit for the coral species, then
the coral polyps become free floating, leaving behind empty skeletons. An effect
known as coral bleaching.
Stress exerted on coral reefs from such factors as warming temperatures, sediment
and nutrient pollution are causing new coral epidemics. The first recorded coral
disease was in 1973. There have been an increasing number of new diseases mostly
in the past decade. On the reefs of Florida the number of epidemic coral diseases
has jumped from five or six to thirteen during the past decade. In 1996, 9 of
the 44 coral species were infected, a year later the number of infected species
jumped to twenty eight. Coral epidemics are also appearing in the Pacific Ocean,
Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.1
Local pressures on coral reefs are mostly derived from human activity. The reefs
of the east African seashore are greatly suffering from over fishing, dynamite
fishing, algal blooms and turbid water. The last two covering and blocking the
coral from sunlight. Dynamite fishing has also been extremely destructive. Even
though plenty of energy has been directed into physical protection of reefs,
dynamite fishing is still widely practiced. Dynamite fishing is highly effective
in stunning fish, however the blast can destroy a diameter of up to five meters
of coral. Hundreds of years of coral growth can be reduced to rubble in a second.10
Leaving the reef highly susceptible to disease. Local fisheries management and
control is close to non-existent, leaving these precious reefs vulnerable to
permanent destruction from a rapidly increasing human population.
Coastal population
Most countries in the western Indian ocean have a population growth of three
percent, meaning the population will double in twenty years. Most of the population
live in urban centers were population growth can reach seven percent, such as
Dar-es-salaam, a coastal city in Tanzania. The majority of the global human
population lives on the coast. The western Indian Ocean alone supports 30 million
people. The rapid growth of coastal populations has serious implications on
the marine ecosystem. 10 A problem that is being faced all over the world, is
how to use the marine ecosystem in a sustainable fashion.
Ecosystem sustainability programs
We believe the combination of programs on different levels from individuals
to local communities to authority and government, can lead to sustainable systems
of all kinds. On the east African seashores there are certain research and conservation
programs in action. For example, the physical protection of marine parks and
other vital coral reef zones, from destructive fishing methods as dynamite fishing.
However, prevention of dynamite fishing will not, in any way help curb the increasing
sea surface temperatures and coral bleaching. This is certainly up to the governments
to work together for the control and reduction of green house gases.
Individuals: Lost Horizons will educate as many people as possible about current dire situations such as that of the global marine ecosystem, in order to spur interest and inspire individuals. So that they may perhaps look into it further, then do something positive for the global balance, even if it's a slight behavioral change within themselves. After all, Lost Horizons was concepted by two individuals who were also inspired through education. Two less people saying "I am only one person, what can I do to make a difference?" Since the project began in September 2000 many individuals have become involved by donating their time, resources etc. Now with the idea of two people put to action. Thousands of people will be receiving information that will help save the life of future generations and the world.
Local communities: With education, communities can
work together to be more energy and environmentally efficient. For example,
coastal communities could be taught how to culture food using local and natural
mariculture systems, that do not harm the surrounding environment. In the early
1970's Bill Mollison and David Holmgren were developing an earth science, that
they named Permaculture. By 1981 the Permaculture idea had matured to where
they began teaching others. Graduates now form a global network and are acting
in many different countries. Permaculture uses naturally occuring life cycles
and systems to culture many different species for the consumption of people.
These are systems of all kinds, mariculture, aquaculture, terrestrial farming,
polyculture and so on, that do not harm the surrounding environment and other
ecosystems.11
We believe that, if coastal communities such as those of the east African seashore,
are educated about their environment, then local pressures on mangrove forests,
seagrass beds and coral reefs will be greatly reduced. Combined with other programs
such as coral reef protection, control on fisheries and sewage dumping and the
expansion of coastal protection systems. Then sustainability could be achieved,
and the suffering ecosystems could then slowly recover.
Authorities and government: These organizations need to work together and support each other as much as possible to curb the destruction of ecosystems such as the global marine environment. Green house gases should be on the top of the agenda for all governments. Those that are more capable to help should do as much as possible. President Bush pulling out of the Kioto treaty in order to focus on the countries economy first, is blindness to the future. The environment is what will determine the well being of economy from this point. On a local scale, governments need work to reduce direct pollution such as sewage dumping into the oceans and the protection of vital zones such as mangrove forests. By projecting out information, we hope to spread awareness and concern to government and authority officials.
Written by: Timothy Leach
REFERENCES
10. Richmond, Mathew, D., ed., A Guide to The Seashores of Eastern Africa and the Western Indian Ocean islands. Sida, Department for Research Cooperation, SAREC. 1997
11. Mollison, Bill, Permaculture: A Designers' Manual. Australia.
Tagari Publications. 1988