Punta Gruesa

End of Phase Presentation

111
Overview
•Aims and objectives
•Dive sites
•Benthic data – previous results
•Fish data – previous results
•Other monitoring programmes
•Your contribution this phase
•Where has the data gone?
•Summary of training received
•Future opportunities at GVI - keep in touch!
 Aims and Objectives
• Continuation of the MBRS Synoptic Monitoring Programme (SMP).

• Daily bird monitoring

• Incidental sightings programme

• Continuation of weekly beach cleans monitoring waste composition and

trends

• Collection of Coralwatch data

• Continuation of seagrass monitoring programme

• English language and environmental education classes to the people of

Mahahual

• Continuation of the National Scholarship Programme at Punta Gruesa,

whereby GVI Punta Gruesa accepts Mexican nationals on a scholarship basis
into the expedition
 Percentage Cover of Macroalgae and Hermatypic Coral

80

70

60
Percentage Cover (%)

50

Hermatypic Coral
40
Macroalgae

30

20

10

0
081 082 083 084 091 092 093 094 101 102 103 104
Phase
Site Changes

Percentage Cover of Hermatypic Corals by Site

25
CN

FDC
20
LB
Percentage Cover (%)

LD
15
LG

LJ
10
LM

LP
5
SN

Averag
0 e
81 82 83 84 91 92 93 94 101 102 103 104
Phase
Benthic composition:

Corals Seen per Phase

100%
Other

90%
Agaricia agaricites

80%
Dichocoenia stokesi
Percentage of Sightings

70%
Diploria strigosa
60%
Meandrina meandrites
50%
Millepora alcicornis
40%
Montastraea cavernosa
30%
Porites astreoides
20%
Siderastrea siderea
10%
Stephanocoenia intersepta
0%
081 082 083 084 091 092 093 094 101 102 103 104
Phase
 Predation Occurrence
Sponge
80 Gorgonian
Number of colonies affected

70
Fire Coral
60
50 Tunicate
40 Damselfish
30
Short Coral
20 Snail
10 Fireworm
0 Parrotfish
081 082 083 084 091 092 093 094 101 102 103 104
Zoanthid
Phase
 Disease Occurrence

45 BBD
Number of Colonies

35 DS-1
Affected

25 YBD

15 Other
RBD
5
WP
-5 081 082 083 084 091 092 093 094 101 102 103 104
Phase

Bleaching Occurrence

400
Number of Colonies

300
Affected

200

100

0
081 082 083 084 091 092 093 094 101 102 103 104
Phase

Pale Sid sid Pale Non Sid sid Partial Full Total Bleaching Occurrence
 Number of Individuals
Ac

10
12

0
2
4
6
8
an
th
u r id
ae families
Ba
lis
ti da
e

Ca
ra
ng
id
ae
Ch
ae
to
do
nti
da
e
Ha
em
ul
id
ae

La
b rid
ae

Lu
t jan
id
Adult fish - Presence of key fish

Family
ae
Po
m
ac
an
th
i da
e
Po
m
ac
en
tr i
d ae
Number of Individuals per Transect

Sc
ar
id
ae

Se
rr
an
i da
e
Sp
h yr
ae
n ida
e
94
93
92
91
84
83
82
81

104
103
102
101
 Adult Fish – Average Number of
Individuals Recorded per transect
20

18

16
Average fish per transect

14

12

10

6
360 adult fish recorded
4
9 per transect
2

0
081 082 083 084 091 092 093 094 101 102 103 104
Phase
Juvenile recruitment

Average Number of Juvenile Fish per Transect

35
179 juvenile fish recorded
30 4.5 per transect

25
Fish per transect

20

15

10

0
081 082 083 084 091 092 093 094 101 102 103 104
Phase
Correlations
70

60
Percentage Abundance (%)

50

40 Acanthuridae
30

20 Haemulidae

10

0
81 82 83 84 91 92 93 94 101 102 103 104
Phase
Correlations: Percentage Cover of Turf Algae
and Relative Acanthuridae Abundance

35

30
Percentage Abundance (%)

25

20 Turf algae

Acanthuridae
15

10

0
082 083 084 091 092 093 094 101 102 103 104

Phase
Other programmes

Beach clean
Incidental sightings
Seagrass
Birds
Beach Clean

44.56kg of rubbish
Including 25.35kg plastic

111
Incidental sightings data

• Sharks and Rays

• Eels

• Turtles

• Marine Mammals

• Great Barracuda

• Lionfish
 Total Number of Incidental Sightings

350

300
114 sightings of
exciting things!
250
Number of Observations

200

150

100

50

0
91 92 93 94 101 102 103 104 111
Phase
Lionfish

168 lionfish recorded

111
Seagrass

Percentage cover is at its

lowest on transect closest
to the reef
 Birds project
Bird surveys

• Counts give an idea of presence

and how common a species is
• Aim to collect 40 transects per
phase. This phase = 47
• 2140 birds!

• 669 Great tailed grackles

• 176 Sanderlings
• 158 Brown pelicans
• 110 Tropical mockingbirds
Your contribution this phase
Thanks to all your hard work, this phase we have:
• 33 monitoring boats
•145 training boats
•20 benthic transects - equivalent to 600m of reef
•402 coral colonies monitored
•46 fish transects - equivalent to 1.38km of reef
•539 fish identified and monitored
•972 tanks used
•253 colonies monitored for Coral Watch
•3 Seagrass transects
•1500kg of fruit and veg
•100kg of porridge
•Managed to set a new PG record for
most naked people on the beach
at any one time!
Where has the data gone?
•MBRS data provider - largest data provider. Use
for regional management decisions.

•ASK - Phase and Annual reports and part of the

largest Mexican coral reef database

•CONANP - annual reports. Use to modify local

and regional management strategies

•OBIS SEAMAP- marine mammal, sea bird, sea

turtle data

• Coral Watch- coral bleaching

•Status of the Coral Reefs - bi-annual

international publication

•Healthy Reefs - annual assessment

 Where has the data gone?
Slide
Papers, publications and conferences
• ITMENS - The effects of bleaching in Mexico following the active 2005 hurricane
season - Ponce-Taylor, D and Cameron, A.
• RCUK -several posters and presentations
• Mexican Coral Reef Symposium - several 2006 and 2009
• Mesoamerican Eco-tourism Conference: “GVI Mexico :una nueva formula de
turismo alternativo” Ponce-Taylor, D. Arochi, C and Cameron, A, 2006
• Franquesa-Rinos, Albert. 2007. USING VOLUNTEERS IN A COMPARATIVE REEF
MONITORING BETWEEN A PROTECTED AREA AND A TOURIST ZONE. 60 th Gulf and
Caribbean Fisheries Institute. Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
• Caribbean Corals in Crisis: Record Thermal Stress, Bleaching, and Mortality in
2005 - collaborative efforst - in review by Nature
• Melanie McField, Nadia Bood, Ana Fonseca, Alejandro Arrivillaga, Albert
Franquesa Rinos and Rosa Maria Loreto Viruel. Status of the Mesoamerica n Reef
after the 2005 Coral Bleaching Event in Wilkinson, C., Souter, D. (eds), 2008
Status of Caribbean Coral Reefs After Bleaching and Hurricanes in 2005 Global
Coral Reef Monitoring Network, and Reef and Rainforest Research Centre,
Townsville, 152 p.
• Juan Bezauri - Desarrollo integral de las actividades turiticas en la Reserva de la
Biosfera Sian Ka’an, Quintana Roo, Mexico (book)
Summary of training received
During your time here, and with all your work, you have gained the
following training and skills

•PADI Advanced Open Water

•PADI Rescue Diver
•1st aid and CPR Trained
•Intro to Coral Reef Ecology
•Identification of over 70 fish species
•Identification of over 45 coral species
•Use of the SMP MBRS coral reef monitoring method
•Coral Watch methodology for coral health evaluation
•Intro to English teaching and community programmes
•BTEC in Biological Monitoring
•PADI Coral Reef Research Distinctive Specialty
Share your images

GVI Photo and Video competitions

Share your photos

• Help promote your

programme
• Monthly competition
• See your photo on the
website and newsletter
• May win a free t-shirt
• May win free 2 week
volunteering trip
• Email photos@gviworld.com
Share your videos
• Help promote your
Are YOU the difference? programme
• Promote volunteering in
general
• See your video on the
website
• May win a free t-shirt
• May win free year with GVI
• Contact neil@gviworld.com
or info@gviworld.com
Share your feedback

You will be sent an online feedback form – please take the

time to fill it in:
• GVI operations are feedback led
• We aim to provide the best programs and need to know
how we are doing and how we can do better
• You can share your opinions if delighted or unhappy and
offer solutions to any issues you encountered
• Opportunity to say thank you to staff in field and HO
• Highlights exciting stories for website
• You may win a 2 week volunteering program!
Share your time
Become a GVI Ambassador
• Represent GVI
• Help promote your programme
• Share YOUR travel/volunteer experience back home
• Introduce GVI to local educational institutions
• Offered to hard working volunteers to help them stay in
touch with GVI
• Work with GVI staff back home
• Cash incentive and opportunity for free trip
• E-mail the Ambassador Program Manager at
stephanie.roberts@gviworld.com or info@gviworld.com
Share your time
Become a GVI Ambassador

Case Study: GVI

Ambassador Michael
When he started: August 2009

Projects completed: Attended a

travel expo in New York City,
visited local schools sharing his
experience, posted blogs online to
assist future travelers and share
his experience

Where he is headed: Ambassador

Annual Trip next year!
Share your time
Raise money via the GVI Charitable Trust
• Spread the word and represent GVI
• Support your project and raise funds for GVI’s partners
• Plan an event
• Run a marathon
• Set up a standing order
• Over 100,000 GBP of direct funding raised each year
• Punta Gruesa Projects include; raising funds for water
filters for the people of Mahahual to reduce plastic and
save money .
•To raise funds to eradicate lionfish and raise awareness
to reduce their impact.
• see www.gvi.org.uk or contact info@gvi.org.uk
Gain new skills
Become a GVI HO Intern

•Level 3 BTEC Business Administration

•Experience dealing with volunteers and volunteer
industry
•Learn about the rest of the nearly 200 projects GVI has
•Work in a fun and exciting office environment
•Career opportunities

•Commitment:
•3 days a week for 6 months or equivalent.
•Expedition incentives (free expo). Available at UK, Oz
and US
Stay connected!

•Facebook fan page

•Twitter (@GVIWORLD)

•Programme blog www.gvimexico.blogspot.com

Summary

•Aims and objectives

•Dive sites
•Benthic data – previous results
•Fish data – previous results
•Other monitoring programmes
•Your contribution this phase
•Where has the data gone?
•Summary of training received
•Future opportunities at GVI - keep in touch!
THANKS FOR COMING AND FOR
ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK!

Thanks for your hard work!