gvi seychelles newsletter issue 2 march 2014

8/12/2019 GVI Seychelles Newsletter Issue 2 March 2014

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Spring 2016, Issue 4

The previous edition of the newsletter

highlighted how the GVI Seychelles Curieuse

Island research base has reduced its carbon

footprint by switching to renewable energy with

the installation of a solar system. Globally,

climate change initiatives are a big part of the

work GVI undertakes and the marine research

team at the Cap Ternay expedition base has been

looking at ways to capture and use more of the

rainfall we receive.

Despite recent late deluges, rainy season is now

almost at an end. As the months go by, pressure

on local reservoirs will increase, no doubtleading to the now annual water rations for

many parts of Mah. With water such a precious

resource it is important that those of us

connected to the mains supply try to reduce the

amount we use and find ways to reuse our grey

water.

Even when connected to a water supply,

rainwater harvesting can be hugely beneficial.

Aside from reducing the demand on existing

water resources, a rainwater harvesting system

is able to provide a useful supplementary supply

and act as an important backup when the main

supply is not available.

The new system at Cap Ternay collects

rainwater from roof guttering and transfers it

directly into a 1000 litre water container. The

water container then feeds into specially

designed tanks for washing SCUBA diving

equipment. The inside of the tanks are sloped

and allow water to be easily drained and

collected. Once collected the water can then be

reused for other purposes.

Inside this Issue Rainwater Harvesting Terrapins on Curieuse Island

Childrens Artwork Calendar

Coral Bleaching

GVI Charitable Trust

Assisting with Black ParrotResearch

UniSey Work Based Experience

Placement National Scholarship

Programme

GVI SeychellesMarch 2014,Issue 2

Water, water, everywhere

It has been a busy three months since the first

edition of the GVI Seychelles Newsletter, with

plenty of new and exciting developments.

Hawksbill nesting season has come to an end

and sea temperatures are on the rise. As we

leave rainy season behind us and enter the drier

months it is hoped our newly implemented

rainwater harvesting systems at Cap Ternay will

begin to prove beneficial.

The Charitable Trust has witnessed its first

fundraising event of the year and we are

currently looking forward to a second on

Curieuse Island.

As ever we hope you enjoy reading the

newsletter and welcome your feedback.

Introduction


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The power of recovery Programme with the aim of assessing how individual colonies respond tobleaching events and to ascertain whether recovery is genera specific or

linked to morphology, depth or sunlight.

Line Intercept Transects (LIT) were conducted at two depth along fixed

line transects, while coral colonies representing fourteen genera were

tagged and photographed (see below). The colonies were revisited every

two weeks and further images taken alongside recordings of water

temperature.

Despite several of the colonies being severely bleached and lacking

almost all pigmentation, over the following weeks as SSTs lowered

many of them recovered. In total 94% of the colonies displayed full

recovery within two months of having been tagged. Whether the

colonies in question expelled their zooxanthellae as part of an adaptive

bleaching response or due to other factors is not clear. What is likely, isthat the balanced biological and ecological integrity of the Baie Ternay

coral reef, brought about in part by the lack of coastal development and

the protection afforded by its marine park status, contributed to the

colonies resilience.

Many of the colonies that were tagged back in 2010 and survived the

bleaching event continue to thrive today. One particular colony of

Acropora sp. which, measured 12cm x 15cm four years ago, now

measures an impressive 50cm x 60cm.

Low levels of pollution and turbidity coupled with a balanced functional

diversity within the reef play an important role in coral health and may

directly affect a corals ability to deal with a period of stress. As such

Marine National Parks can be useful tools in helping to build coral reef

resilience.

As we approach April and annual sea temperatures around the inner islands

begin to peak, coral reefs are once again susceptible to bleaching.

The last bleaching event although relatively minor occurred in 2010 when

after a considerable period of warm sea temperatures within the Indian

Ocean, the Seychelles was placed on Bleaching Alert Level 1. At the time

observations of coral colonies along the coast of northwest Mah indicated

significant bleaching, particularly within shallower areas as SSTs remained

high for the time of year.

At the start of May 2010 the extent of coral bleaching within the Baie

Ternay Marine National Park indicated as many as 80% of Acropora spp.

colonies in less than 2m of water, displayed signs of bleaching. A furtherfourteen coral genera had been recorded as bleached down to a depth of

16m.

At the time GVI designed and implemented a Coral Bleaching Monitoring


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Lorem Ipsum

GVI Charitable Trust

The GVI Charitable Trust was formed in 2005 to provide disaster relief to

communities in Guatemala following the devastation caused by Hurricane

Stan. The Charitable Trust is a non-political, non-religious charity that has

grown to support projects in over 20 countries.

On Mah GVI Seychelles has been raising money for the Presidents

Village Childrens Home since 2010. Over the years money raised

through the trust has paid for Christmas presents for the children,

including clothes and shoes and a pair of bicycles for the home. Funds have

also been used to cover the cost of ferry tickets to Praslin enabling the

children to go camping. Currently the marine research base at Cap

Ternay is raising money to pay for a solar installation at the childrens

home. Enabling the Presidents Village to switch to a renewable energysource will help reduce their future electricity bills and is inline with

GVIs commitment to combat climate change. In addition to the

fundraising activities, GVI volunteers accompany kids from the Childrens

Home on weekly snorkeling trips with a view to fostering a love for the

marine environment.

On the 23rd of February 2014 staff and volunteers from the marine

expedition took part in the Seychelles Eco-Healing Marathon to raise

money for the Presidents Village Childrens Home. A total of 26

participants joined competitors from all over the world to run distances

ranging from 5km to 21.1km. On a hot sunny Sunday morning in Beau

Vallon all the GVI participants managed to complete their distances and in

the process they raised over SCR 23,000.

While the Marine Expedition on Mah is raising money for the Presidents

Village Childrens Home, the Curieuse Island research team are

fundraising for the Seychelles Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to

Animals (SSPCA).

Over the coming months there will be further GVI events with

the aim of raising additional funds for the two nominated

organisations.

On March 28ththe staff and volunteers on Curieuse Island will be

taking part in Curieuse Island Monopoly. This real life version of

the popular board game will require teams to traverse the island

completing challenges as they go. The event should be a lot of fun

but more importantly will raise funds to directly assist the SSPCA

with the excellent work they undertake within the Seychelles.

Anyone wishing to donate to what is a very good cause can do so

by visiting: http://www.justgiving.com/GVI-CurieuseMonopoly

The page will be active for one month following the completionof the event.

Heading back to Mah, and on Thursday June 12th the GVI

Marine Expedition will be hosting the 3rd Annual Raft Race for

Rupees. Held each year within the Baie Ternay Marine Park the

Raft Race requires a team of four competitors to complete a

predetermined course on a homemade raft in the quickest time

possible. Once again the event will be raising money for the

Presidents Village Childrens Home.

Winners of the last two years events, the Seychelles National

Parks Authority, will once again be competing in the hope of

retaining their crown. Any other organisations wishing to

participate please contact: [email protected] for further

details.


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GVI SEYCHELLES March 2014, ISSUE 2

Assisting with black

Parrot research

The black parrot, Coracopsis nigra barklyi, is the national bird of the

Seychelles and it is one of the endemic birds of the inner granitic islands.

The only population is found in the Valle de Mai on the island of Praslin,

however in the past there have been sightings of them feeding on Curieuse.

The Seychelles Island Foundation (SIF) began collecting research on the

black parrots around 4 years ago. They wanted to find out more about these

charismatic birds such as their feeding and breeding ecology to better

understand the threats the birds may face. Full time monitoring begins

during September, the start of their breeding season, it involves searching

for and observing potential nest sites and listening for breeding calls, which

are unique to each female. Once a nest has been located a camera can be

lowered into the hollow Coco de Mer trunk to see if the female has laid anyeggs. After a nest site has been confirmed a small access door is made in

the tree trunk at the height of the nest, this allows regular monitoring of the

chicks until they are ready to fledge.

Last month GVI Science Coordinator Nol Dunn and Science Officer Kate

Quinton were lucky enough to help Terence Payet and Patrick Woods, two

of SIFs black parrot researchers in the Valle de Mai, with checks on some

of the black parrot chicks. Black parrots often nest in the hollow tree

trunks of Coco de mer trees so getting to the chicks proved to be an

interesting task. We found you need some vital pieces of equipment,

ladders, ropes and a fondness of heights. A ladder is tied with special knots

to four trees with four ropes so it stands securely just in front of the Coco

de Mer with the nest, the ladder cant be leant against the tree in case it is

unstable. Once secure you need a willing volunteer to climb up the vertical

ladder to get the chicks.

After getting harnessed up, Kate started her ascent to the access door and

was amazed to find, two black parrot chicks squawking from within. Kate

carefully placed the birds into individual bags to keep them calm, before

descending the ladder. Measurements of the birds were then taken,

including wing length, weight and beak height. One was much bigger than

the other and was ready to be ringed. They receive a ring on each leg and

each black parrot has a unique colour combination to aid identification in

the field. According to Kate, being able to get this close to one of the

Seychelles most unique birds was an amazing experience Five chicks were

successfully measured and GVI would like to thank SIF and Terence and

Patrick for providing a glimpse of their black parrot monitoring project.

Work Based Experience

In February 2014, University of Seychelles student Abel Sorry joined

the GVI Seychelles Marine Expedition for his Work Based Experience

placement as part of GVIs National Scholarship Programme. Abel spent

four weeks on the marine expedition at Cap Ternay learning to dive and

undertake scientific monitoring of coral reef fish species; here is what

Abel had to say about the experience in his own words.

Hi, I am Abel and have been on the GVI camp for three weeks now. I

came through the University of Seychelles WBE programme and I

actually came here without any diving experience. During these three

weeks Ive completed my PADI Open Water course as well as my

Advanced Open Water. I have also been learning a great deal about fish

monitoring and the different methodologies used to actually do that and

will be surveying at various sites around the Northwest of Mah.


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Apart from the daily dives GVI has given me the opportunity to meet

other people and socialize just like a family would. To live with other

people of different nationalities and backgrounds has been a greatexperience for me. One major experience for me is in the field of

cooking. During these three weeks I have learned to prepare several

different (though not necessarily complicated) dishes and I had the

opportunity to cook one of my traditional dishes for the group, which I

believe everyone enjoyed.

I would also encourage anyone wanting to participate in such marine

expeditions to join this great GVI family and help in the global challenge

of research and environment protection, especially in the face of climate

change. The reason why I wanted to join GVI was basically because I

believe that environmental research and protection is important and

critical for a small island such as Seychelles and it is only by participating

and at times volunteering that one can make a real difference for the

future generations to come.

The staff will certainly miss having Abel around the research base and

hope that one day he returns to help us with monitoring the coral reefs

of northwest Mah. We would like to wish him all the best for the

remainder of his course at the University of Seychelles.

National Scholarship

Programme

The National Scholarship Programme is free to any Seychellois aged 18

years or over with a background/interest in marine or terrestrial

conservation and enables individuals to gain valuable practical experience

in marine/terrestrial research monitoring techniques. Chosen candidates

join a team of international staff and volunteers on either our marine or

terrestrial expedition and participate in the day to day running of the

base while learning about conservation here in Seychelles.

GVI runs NSP programmes in over 20 countries worldwide to enable

and fund local nationals to participate in our programmes and receive all

relevant training. When receiving applications for NSP programmes we

are looking for candidates who can demonstrate a real interest in the

relevant training opportunities of the programme and those that can

explain how this opportunity will enrich their current interests and

future pursuits. As an organization we hope to be able to use our

resources to enrich local capacities and provide unique opportunities for

local youths.

GVI Seychelles scholarships include:

4 weeks on project site (minimum)

Food and shared accommodation while on project base

PADI Advanced Open Water training and certification

(marine only) PADI Coral Reef Research Diver Speciality Certification

(marine only)

Species identification and survey methodology training

Emergency First Responder Training

Personal Mentor

To apply for GVI Seychelles Marine Conservation or Island

Conservation Scholarship please send a CV, a statement of interest and a

reference to [email protected]

Follow GVI Seychelles

Website - www.gvi.co.uk

Charitable Trust website - www.gvi.org

Facebook -

https://www.facebook.com/GVISeychellesMaheCurieuse

Twitter - https://twitter.com/GVISeychelles

GVI SEYCHELLES

PADI Dive Instructor Lee Bush, puts Abel through his paces

as part of the PADI Advanced Open Water course.

gvi seychelles newsletter issue 2 march 2014

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