Cozumel Coral Reef Restoration Program

Dr. German Mendezdrgmendez9@gmail.comFB Cozumel Coral Reef Restoration Program

OBJETIVES

1. Restore areas outside the marine park as

alternative areas of use for diving activities.

2. Underwater ecology and research programs.

3. Protection of the areas restored according to the

Presidential Decree of 1980 called refuge zone

for the protection of the Flora and Fauna marine

of the Cozumel island West Coast

4. Create educational programs for visitors and

diving operators

Cozumel Coral Restoration Program

• Coral Reefs of the world are in danger and in the last century we have lost more tan 50% of the reefs because of :

Over fishing Climate Change Acidification Contamination

Sedimentation Coral Reef Diseases Overdevelopment(Calica)

Hurricanes

Damage caused by the cruise ships on to the coral reef during theconstruction and the operation. When ships back up, they lift allthe sediments and sand that by the currents close to the shore,are verted on top of our shallow reefs, smothering them andcovering the reefs with algae.

In Key Largo, Florida, they started with a program to restore coral reefs bycreating a Coral Farm where corals are grown, cataloged and reintroduced ináreas where the coral has been damaged by storms or by over developmentwith very good results working with ramificated reefs such as the Acroporacervicornis.

Acropora cervicornisOver concrete baseswhere coral grows freeof sediments.

Montrastea cavernosaDiploria sp

Over a concrete slab at 26 ft of depth

Volunteers in the farm, cleaning the concrete bases of algae.

Acropora cervicornisAttached with the epoxyto the coral substrate andThe label one side of it

In Cozumel, there is very little coral ofthe species Acropora cervicornis whichis the most adequate coral forrestoration due to its fast growth. (1 cmper month. Lewis 1968). However inCozumel we will be working mostlywith two other fast growing,fragmentation corals which are thePorites porites, and Agaricia tenuifolia.These species are common in Cozumeland sometimes storms and diverssometimes break this fragile coralswhich fall to the sand and aresmothered by it. Those pieces of livecoral are the one use for restoration inthe farm, this pieces are collectedoutside of the Cozumel Marine Park.

The purpose of this program, is to establish an area in Cozumel outside of the marine park where coral will begrown on top of a concrete slab with cup holders where there will be planted corals to grow in a controlenvironment and under care with the help of volunteers to restore the most affected areas of Cozumel coralreefs due to the storms, overdevelopment and divers overload. Also it will be an area where there will bepromoted studies for research and the conservation of coral reefs, as well as to learn of reproduction, diseases,contamination and propagation.The area is located in front of the beach of the hotel Royal Park , about 300 m east of the international peer, andabout 40 m west from the from the beach at a depth of 30 ft. The first restoration areas are ouside of the marinepark in the area between the international peer and the downtown peer

Location from landAquaworld dock.

40 m west.

Restoration area ata depth of 7 m.

Substrate has to be cleaned from algae

and sediments

Northern portion of the restoration area.

Southern coral restoration areas

The beginning of the farm October 2013

Farm of Coral and restoration areas. This project begins in October 2013 opposite the Royal Park Hotel

Procedure to Attach the coral colonies

Method of transplantation of coral Porites Porites in the restoration area

1 locate Coral fragments alive On the sandy areas

2- Retrieve the coral fragment holding it from where has no living tissue

3.-cleaning the area of transplantation with the spatula

4-removal of sediments with plastic brush

5-Coral colony fixed with epoxy to the substrate

6-set of colonies fixed with epoxy in the restoration area

Area for planting bases of concrete with fragments of coral

This area is located at a depthof 6 m, and at a distance of 10m to the East of the area ofrestoration. It has 10 m longfrom East to West and 6 mwide from North to South.It has begun with thesediment cleaning andremoval of harmful algae.Once cleaned the area, will befixed with epoxy colonies thatwill be supervised by a fewtables before beingtransplanted to places ofrestoration. This area iscleaned by volunteers oncethey take the orientationcourse (theoretical)

Marine and Reef Restoration Ecology Programs

1. Diving equipment 8- Plastic color tape

2. Metal and wood spatulas 9- Tupperware containers

3. Plastic brushes 10- Mesh bags

4. Chisel and hammer 11- Permanent markers

5. Epoxy clay 12- Slates, waterproof papers and pencils

6. Plastic labels 13- Underwater camera

7. Quick dry cement 14- Rulers and measuring tape

Material

Two different epoxy uded for coral to anchor the coral transplants

Wood and metal spatulas

Plastic Brushes

The program consists in educating the volunteers through a training course that will aloud the participants tohelp in the coral farm and in the coral reefs restoration program. The course consists in 4 theory classes and 4diving practices. At the end of the course, the participants will receive their “Coral Reef Conservation” PADISpecialty and a diploma validating their volunteer work.

The theory is divided in:

I II1- Project Aware 1- What is the Coral farm?2- Importance of Coral Reefs 2- Cleaning of the concrete coral holders3- Understanding Coral 3- Methods of collecting coral fragments4- Complex Nature of Life on the Coral Reef 4- Handling of live coral fragments5-Coral Reefs in Peril 5- Diving protocol in the coral farm with6- Protect the Living Reef emphasis in buoyancy control

III IV1- Handling of coral holders 1- Restoration area protocol2- Use of the epoxy clay 2- Preparation of the area for coral transplant3- Knowledge and use of tools for restoration 3- Methods of permanent tagging of transplant4- Methods to mark planted corals 4- Transport and handling of coral transplants5- Data collecting protocol 5- Data collecting and photo of transplant

Objectives

The course also consists of 4 training dives which will be held from the beach in front of the Aquaworld at a

distance of 40 m of the beach and a depth of 30 ft. Each dive is about 45minutes.

Four training Dives which are:

! II

1- Knowing the coral farm underwater 1- Labeling planted corals

2- Cleaning of the slab from algae and sediments 2- Cleaning of the coral holders

3- Handling the epoxy underwater 3- Selection and identification of the corals to plant

4- Location of coral fragments 4- Collection of Data and photography of coral

5- handling underwater of live coral panted in the farm.

III IV

1- Location of the area to restore 1- Visit of the transplanted corals

2- Preparation of the area for coral transplant 2- Meassuring growth and data collecting

3- Tagging the trasplantrd coral 3- Photo of the coral colony

4- Data collecting and photo of the coral 4- Look for new areas to restore

Putting fragments of coral on a concrete base, fixed with epoxy

Cleaning algae and sediments of the concrete base

Transport of the colonies of coral to theconcrete quarantine area

Corals on the concrete base in the quarantine area secured with epoxy

Epóxico All Fix which combines underwater and hardens in 5 min. There is a local alternative epoxy that dries in 15 m

Cleaning the area where the corals will be set at its base to the substrate with the epoxy

Substrate after having been cleaned of algae and sediments to plant the colony of coral.

Fixation with epoxy base to the colony of coral to the limestone substrate.

Restoration Reef dives

We created a system of boy markers around the restoration areas to advice the diversto avoid to go over those fragile new reefs. And to control their buoyancy.

Areas restored around Coral farm

More restoration áreas where the Fish population has increased due to the new healthy coral colonies

Outside the Marine Park coral restoration areas

The future of the Cozumel Coral reef RestorationProgram

The confinment area will be made of pvc where will be attached to bases of concrete where the new design of the containers in this case called ¨COOKIES¨ where smaller size colonies will be attachedand then kept inside the control area (fig 1).

In this new design for the coral restoration confinment áreas, we are using themethod described by Dr, David Vaughan from the Mote Institute which is usingwhat thecookies where coral colonies are smaller and easily attaches to differentstructures with a minimal amount of epoxy.

Project South University of Quintana Roo

Area south project Reef Balls 1 and 2 made in the year 2009. Opposite the condominium el Palmar

North zone 2 formed by pieces of concrete of the dock that fell in 2005

The importance of the program of restoration of the reefs ofCozumel, is based on coral recovery more quickly from eventssuch as storms or overdevelopment in areas where today, morethan 90% of the coral has died and has not recovered mainly thatthere is more traffic of motorboats, construction of infrastructureand other causes that have affected the areas of coral from theinternational dock to the dock in downtown. It is important thatboth locals and visitors are involved as a volunteers through coralreef ecology programs and really help us to be an example in theCaribbean where more than 80% of the corals have beenaffected.

In this past elections the new gobernor of the state of Quintana Roo Mr,Carlos Joaquin made a comittment with Cozumel Coral Reef RestorationProgram and Restore Coral.org to plant a coral for every vote recieved.This program is state wide so Akumal, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Puerto

Morelos , Cancun, and Mahaual will be participating involving al theMesoamerican Reef in Mexico, which will help this barrier reef so affected byNew development.

Thank you

for

your

attention