| Title | 2019 Saving Philippines Reefs Report : Moalboal-Badian Expedition |
| Publication Type | Report |
| Year of Publication | 2020 |
| Authors | White AT |
| Series Editor | Apurado J, Neri F, White E |
| Keywords | SPR, Report |
| Abstract | The team composed of 11 international Expedition Research Volunteers together with the staff of Coastal Conservation and Education Foundation (CCEF) revisited six sites in the Municipality of Moalboal and the Municipality of Badian in Cebu. Data such as the substrate cover, which includes the cover of living and non-living substrates, and the abundance, density, and biomass of fishes in the area.
Underwater surveys were conducted last May 7-13, 2019 in shallow and deep areas of the reef using systematic snorkeling surveys and SCUBA surveys using Point Intercept Transect (PIT) method. Classification of the coral reef status in the survey sites was based on the categories set by Gomez et al. (1994). The overall live hard coral (LHC) cover in the MPAs of Moalboal and Badian ranges from fair (25-49%) to good (50-74.9%). In the Municipality of Moalboal, Pescador MPA has the highest LHC cover of 60.3 SE ±7.2% followed by Saavedra MPA (54.2 SE ±4%) and Basdiot MPA (54 SE ±10%). For the two MPAs surveyed in the Municipality of Badian, the LHC cover of Lambog and Zaragosa MPAs were 54.3 SE ±2.2% and 44.2 SE ±3.9%, respectively. The shallow areas of the MPAs in Moalboal and Badian are all in fair condition. Overall, there is a significant increase in the LHC cover in most sites surveyed compared to the results from 2013. Fish surveys were conducted using a 50 x 10m Underwater Visual Census (UVC) survey. Classification of fish densities followed that of Hilomen et al. (2000), where values were computed for 1000m^2 area. Basdiot MPA had the highest fish density with 3413.5 SE ±222 ave. fish/500m^2 of all the MPAs surveyed in the Municipalities of Moalboal and Badian. This was followed by Pescador and Saavedra MPAs with an average fish density of 2867.5 SE ±588 ave. fish/500m^2 and 1651.8 SE ±385 ave. fish/500m^2, respectively. For fish biomass, Basdiot MPA had the highest with 21.72 kg/500m^2 followed by Pescador (15.2 kg/500m^2) and Tuble (9.2 kg/500m^2). Overall, there is a significant decrease in the species richness, density, and biomass in all MPAs surveyed. Based on the results and observations from the data gathered, several recommendations which include the (1) review or re-evaluation of the coastal resource management in these areas, (2) continue monitoring for sustained management, (3) need to improve and sustain coastal fisheries law enforcement, and (4) increased information, education, and communication efforts were given to further enhance conservation of MPAs in these municipalities due to the decreasing density and biomass of fish observed. |
| File | SPR 2019 Technical Report |