Achievements

ReefDoctor in Ifaty

ReefDoctor’s directors started to establish a base in the Toliara region of south west Madagascar in January 2002 and, after liaison with centres of higher learning and science, created a memorandum of understanding between with the IH.SM (Toliara’s marine institute) and the University of Toliara.

This memorandum helped ReefDoctor to begin working with local communities to establish an appropriate base in the area. After a series of exploratory expeditions and surveys in the south of the Bay of Ranobe, a base was found in Ifaty and ReefDoctor began establishing a rapport with the local community leaders and the head of the primary school.

The base centred on buildings once used by the University of Toliara as a marine research station and place to conduct outside research e.g. experimental site for a biomass fuel project. For a period of 15 years the buildings had been neglected and unused and required refurbishment before they could be used by ReefDoctor and students of the IH.SM and University as a base for conducting marine research in the Bay of Ranobe.

Alongside this, ReefDoctor established an accommodation facility, working area and dive shop near the village of Ifaty to house visiting staff members and create a centre for all of ReefDoctor’s work.

With this in place it became possible for ReefDoctor to begin research programmes and work with the local community. To this end we offered employment opportunities to both local villagers and students of the IH.SM and University of Toliara.

Over time we have developed a team of local permanent staff that act as guardians to ReefDoctor properties, a cook and two boatmen. Local people have also joined our science programmes helping with the construction of artificial reef enhancement structures, working on our fisheries survey and acting as liaison with local fishermen and community leaders.

To focus our activities we have a team of three western staff members and two interns, supplemented regularly by international research students working alongside ReefDoctor.

Reef health research

Since settling in Ifaty in 2002 one of ReefDoctor’s primary goals has been to establish a programme of marine health research. To this end exploratory surveys were conducted within the lagoon and on the exterior reef to establish monitoring sites for a programme of long-term surveys.

With 10 sites selected for reef health surveys, permanent line intersect transects were installed and survey schedules and procedures were established based on a standardised system of monitoring agreed by the Capricorn Coastal Alliance (a collaborative conservation effort between marine research organisations working in Madagascar).

Since late 2003/04, these 10 sites have been surveyed using permanent and transient transect methods at least once a month, enabling us to gather data on plant life, corals, invertebrates and fish. This data has been collated for analysis to provide an overall picture of reef health in the area and to enable us to monitor how this changes over time.

In 2005, this work was supplemented by a sedimentation study. This involved placing settlement traps at our lagoonal survey sites over a period of one year in 2005/6. Carried out by Emma, a marine biology graduate studying for her degree at the University of Hull, UK. Analysis of the samples taken is now being carried out in order to establish sedimentation levels within the Bay of Ranobe.

In addition to the transect surveys, we began work on the placement of artificial reef structures - IARCs (Indigenous Artificial Reef Constructions) - in 2001. These were placed on rectangular limestone bases and survey work began to assess their potential and effectiveness for attracting and harbouring coral reef organisms.

IARCs were placed in 2002 and 2003, with a programme of surveying taking place once a quarter to gather data for analysis. The data from this work has been collated and the results of its analysis are to be used for the ongoing development of our artificial habitat programme.

Marine management

The focus of ReefDoctor’s Marine management programme has been our Fisheries survey and Artificial habitat programme.

The fisheries survey was conducted between April 2005 and April 2006 and centred on interviewing local fishermen and collectors to establish the variety and quantity of catches from within the Bay of Ranobe. It has been the work of Chrysostophe, one of our IH.SM scientists, and data is now being analysed and presented for publication.

Our artificial habitat programme is part of an ongoing programme and focuses on developing appropriate FADs (Fish Aggregation Devices) that are affordable and accessible to the local community, and that will successfully provide new fishing areas.

Our first experimental FAD was placed on the exterior of the lagoon in 2004, with a further two FADs using alternative materials - tyre and metal ‘ropes’ - in 2005. In 2006 we hope to begin placing permanent FADs, and implementing a programme of scuba and fish catch surveys to assess their overall effectiveness.

Community development

Since arriving in Ifaty in 2002, ReefDoctor has developed a strong relationship with the local primary school. This began by providing help to build a new dining room and store room for the school so that it would be able to receive funding from PAM (French arm of the World Food Organisation).

Since then, our relationship with the school has continued alongside the development of a relationship with the educational authorities in Toliara. This has resulted in the implementation of a marine environment curriculum in Ifaty.

ReefDoctor now funds the salaries of three additional teachers at Ifaty primary school, which caters to over 320 pupils. Prior to this, there were only four teachers in the school, resulting in large class sizes and teaching in mixed age groups. Now there are nine teachers, which has helped to centralise age groups in proper class sizes.

In addition to school education ReefDoctor has also conducted classes for the local community. To accommodate this, ReefDoctor built its own classroom where it has held weekly English classes for over a year now, and where local village elders have gathered to discuss how ReefDoctor’s marine management programme might be best implemented. Due to expansion of these classes and more villagers involved in our meetings they now take place in the school.

In 2006 the school buildings, built in the late 1970s, were in need of repair and ReefDoctor paid for and provided labour (staff, volunteers, professionals) to repair the school. This included everything from mending the holes in the roof to putting in new ceilings, doors, cupboards, windows, floors and desks and a new coat of paint inside and out.

Through ongoing meetings and discussions with Ifaty’s president, ReefDoctor has been able to keep the village informed of our work, and introduce elements of marine science and ecology to the local fishermen.

Video showings of the Blue Planet in the village have were a particular favourite, showing villagers what a healthy reef system looked like.

Education enrichment

ReefDoctor firmly believes in providing opportunities for local students to supplement their education and broaden the scope of their work wherever possible.

To this end each year ReefDoctor offers two one-year contract positions for English-speaking Masters degree students from the IH.SM and University of Toliara to help with coral reef survey work, marine management projects, education and awareness work about coral reef ecology and resource management and community liaison.

During their time with us they have the opportunity to learn to dive with our PADI instructors to support their studies and enhance the scope of their work. To date all ReefDoctor staff have received dive training to Advanced Open Water level, as well as a number of additional students from the IH.SM.

ReefDoctor also helps students of the IH.SM to secure funding for overseas education opportunities wherever possible. This has included financial and fundraising support for one student employee, who won a sponsorship award, to go to the Society of Conservation Biology Conference in Duluth, Minnesota, and another to raise funds for flights that would enable him to take up a one year study opportunity in France.

Volunteer programme

In January 2005, ReefDoctor began inviting small groups of volunteers into its scientific team to help expand data collection and facilitate further development of ReefDoctor’s core programmes. Since then, ReefDoctor’s Research Assistant Volunteer programme has developed to accommodate up to six research assistants at any one time, helping with all aspects of our work.

Previous volunteers have worked on:
• scientific underwater surveys in the Bay of Ranobe, as part of our daily diving activities;
• fisheries surveys, carried out on the beach with fishermen and local traders;
• education ventures in Ifaty village, Ifaty school and with tourists;
• repairs to Ifaty primary school;
• producing content for small environmental museum in Ifaty;
• and camp management activities such as helping with our weekly shopping.

We now have an established training programme for volunteers that offers dive and scientific training and experience alongside a host of new cultural experiences.

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