In May 2022, our HER Planet Earth all-female diving team will spend a weekend on Pangatalaan island in Palawan, Philippines to work on a coral restoration project run by the Sulubaaï Foundation.
Created in 2012, the Sulubaaï Environmental Foundation is a Philippine-based non-profit organisation dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring the natural resources of Palawan through environmentally sustainable practices and active ecosystems restoration. Its action is mainly focused on the island of Pangatalan and its surroundings in the Shark Bay region.
Created in 2012, the Sulubaaï Environmental Foundation is a Philippine-based non-profit organisation dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring the natural resources of Palawan through environmentally sustainable practices and active ecosystems restoration. Its action is mainly focused on the island of Pangatalan and its surroundings in the Shark Bay region.
Island revegetation and water run off
Because of the deforestation of the island before 2011, the island’s soil had been severely damaged and eroded during past rainy seasons. The phenomena was compromising the integrity of the remaining vegetation and impacting the coral reef due to siltation (a process by which water becomes dirty as a result of fine mineral particles infiltrating it). Since 2013, more than 39,000 native flowers, plants and trees have been replanted. Infrastructures have also been built (retention tanks and water-flow moderators) in order to help restore the soil and considerably reduce water run-off from the land. Thanks to the foundation's work, since 2016, the vegetation of the island has returned to a sustainable and healthy level. |
Coral Reef Restoration
In order to accelerate the resilience of the reef, our HER Planet Earth team will participate in an active coral grafting project in May 2022, which will involve fixing unstable coral fragments on concrete support structures called SRPs (or Sulu-Reef Prosthesis) directly or indirectly on strong reef structures using nails and wire.
The SRP modules were originally designed in 2016 to support coral cuttings and increase the natural resilience of the coral reefs surrounding Pangatalan Island. The SRPs provides a new habitat for marine flora and fauna. They are made of reinforced concrete and manufactured on the island. Any type of coral can be fixed on the SRPs, without any plastic or chemical compound. SRPs also allow natural recruitment of corals. The survey shows a survival rate of 76.6 % and an attachment rate of 70.9% amongst the coral fragments fixed on SRPs within the first year. From 7-10 February 2020, out HER Planet Earth team will work alongside other local women from the surrounding islands to graft coral and help restore the Pangatalaan island reef.
In order to accelerate the resilience of the reef, our HER Planet Earth team will participate in an active coral grafting project in May 2022, which will involve fixing unstable coral fragments on concrete support structures called SRPs (or Sulu-Reef Prosthesis) directly or indirectly on strong reef structures using nails and wire.
The SRP modules were originally designed in 2016 to support coral cuttings and increase the natural resilience of the coral reefs surrounding Pangatalan Island. The SRPs provides a new habitat for marine flora and fauna. They are made of reinforced concrete and manufactured on the island. Any type of coral can be fixed on the SRPs, without any plastic or chemical compound. SRPs also allow natural recruitment of corals. The survey shows a survival rate of 76.6 % and an attachment rate of 70.9% amongst the coral fragments fixed on SRPs within the first year. From 7-10 February 2020, out HER Planet Earth team will work alongside other local women from the surrounding islands to graft coral and help restore the Pangatalaan island reef.
Other Areas of Conservation Work on the Island
Mangroves replanting
The marine protected area includes 2.5 hectares of mangroves ecosystems. Unfortunately, 20% had been destroyed prior to 2011 due to the cutting down of mangrove trees to make charcoal. Mangroves constitute a key ecosystem and are extremely functional. Thus, in order to facilitate their regrowth, the foundation planted 5,000 propagules in a nursery and transplanted around 1,000 plants in May 2016. Today the Sulubaaï team is continuously gardening and taking care of the plants that are thankfully thriving.
A Marine Protected Area
In 2016, a 41-hectare Marine Protected Area surrounding the island was established and placed under the responsibility of the foundation. The area includes a fringing reef (a coral reef that lies close to the shore) and one isolated reef (pinnacle). In total, 12 ecosystems are present in the area and constitute a highly diversified environment. The Marine Protected Area is defined as a “No Take Zone” and aims to improve the resilience of ecosystems such as coral reefs, other marine life and fish stock surrounding the island.
In the past, the area suffered from a massive bleaching event (2010) and was commonly exploited for fishing using dynamite and cyanide. Today, the foundation constantly measures the efficiency of their restoration methods in the Marine Protected Area, by monitoring and surveying the environment and ecosystems using a photo transect method. Photo transects involve taking evenly measured photos of the reef bottom. This not only gives us a permanent record of the reef condition, but it also allows us to do a more detailed analysis after the dives.
HER Planet Earth is a global women’s advocacy movement that promotes a deeper connection
between female empowerment and the integrity of the environment.
between female empowerment and the integrity of the environment.