tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89431425748256366422024-03-13T04:06:02.602-07:00Mangroves for FijiAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12143691045716576502noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8943142574825636642.post-38323711521420310322017-05-16T20:36:00.003-07:002017-05-16T20:36:57.066-07:00Mangrove Work!<br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Mangroves! At first I came here because of, you
can imagine, the sharks.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I read many things about the mangroves on the
projects-abroad webpage, but I didn't realize that they are so important for
the sharks and especially for our environment!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">But then I saw so many mangroves when I rode the
bus from Nadi to Pacific Harbour and the huge mangrove nursery next to our
apartments and thought: "Okay... this must be a big thing in this
project..."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">And so it is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Every (mangrove)-Monday a few volunteers go out
and carry out some form of mangrove activity. Whether it’s building a nursery,
collecting mangroves from the forest, planting mangroves in the wild or
planting mangroves in the nursery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1jCxA3fg1pd_nP9I_aDS5eBzYC6oAkw8uIihGRimka-MFtsBKW_SyfId5qN48JOODHHm15nZaV23qgAh0Ov-D8BsVlK__5USiHNYalLgCDuEuLssm57uzrBTq8p1fDRnLR0MWSDfgza0/s1600/20170508_101833.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1jCxA3fg1pd_nP9I_aDS5eBzYC6oAkw8uIihGRimka-MFtsBKW_SyfId5qN48JOODHHm15nZaV23qgAh0Ov-D8BsVlK__5USiHNYalLgCDuEuLssm57uzrBTq8p1fDRnLR0MWSDfgza0/s320/20170508_101833.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Our red mangroves love the environment on the beach
of a river near to the sea.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Red Mangroves? I will explain this to you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">There are three different types of mangroves.
Red, black and white mangroves. And all are different and tolerate different
levels of salt in the water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The white mangroves tolerate the least amount
salt of these three types. Mostly you can see it on beaches (land) next to the
ocean.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">A little bit further in the water, you can find
the black mangroves. They like the salt and the fresh water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">And then there are our favourites: The red mangroves!
We plant them on the tidal flats of beaches as they have the highest tolerance
level to salt water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Now you may ask why they are so important for the
sharks. Well, that's easy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> The
pregnant sharks (sicklefin lemons, scalloped hammerhead, bulls...) are giving
birth in the rivers and the juveniles are growing between the roots and get
safety from them. This the reason we try to catch and tag some of sharks next
to the mangroves in the river, because it's like a "shark-nursery"
between the roots! After a few months the little sharks head off to the ocean
and start the life out in the blue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA8eI2kbkRdHw49rlp85IwYXLuR3CzOCqRChMh_-KL2Bm7PvxtwoQ-kgnVEirNpq3c0jj6QdufgjIGLrsG6eQS4TqRxNFFntwa8hXVjL_qkWgbvhfY5zurHFh_1V-xtjdqjOvMgT5Nt0Et/s1600/20170508_112526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA8eI2kbkRdHw49rlp85IwYXLuR3CzOCqRChMh_-KL2Bm7PvxtwoQ-kgnVEirNpq3c0jj6QdufgjIGLrsG6eQS4TqRxNFFntwa8hXVjL_qkWgbvhfY5zurHFh_1V-xtjdqjOvMgT5Nt0Et/s320/20170508_112526.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Summarized you can say, mangroves are the home
and the kindergarten for the baby sharks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I learned so much about mangroves on this
project, especially in the workshops. You will love the work with mangroves even
if it's the dirtiest and most exhausting day in the week but it's worth it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">After you've planted nearly 200 mangroves in the
mud and can't see your feet anymore, you’ll feel amazing knowing you just built
a home for the sharks and did something very important for the environment. Come
back after 5 to 10 years and you can see a little mangrove forest and can tell yourself:
"Yep!! That was me! Good job!" ;)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibCiYA7JOXi35__Mds8kPy0KAiURihWICxA9AHEVHJxCmay-OsrP0witWeCtF5neLo0-RSGJAmSM1lUk6owXv6-xWyayU9AHrjo4Rtl7eBCBGSt1ewVGRkOnO-AebtyH1Vw83ke7hF8KTK/s1600/20170501_110541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibCiYA7JOXi35__Mds8kPy0KAiURihWICxA9AHEVHJxCmay-OsrP0witWeCtF5neLo0-RSGJAmSM1lUk6owXv6-xWyayU9AHrjo4Rtl7eBCBGSt1ewVGRkOnO-AebtyH1Vw83ke7hF8KTK/s320/20170501_110541.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Great feeling! Great plants! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12143691045716576502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8943142574825636642.post-39771802401688945122017-03-21T15:15:00.000-07:002017-03-21T15:15:05.768-07:00Mighty Mangroves<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-size: small;">Before I applied to volunteer with the <i>Projects Abroad Fiji Shark Conservation</i>
I can honestly say that I had not even heard of mangroves. I’m from the
prairies located in the middle portion of Canada; a place where you definitely
will not find a mangrove. When I signed up for the project I read that I would
be working in a mangrove nursery, as well as going out and planting them. I
didn’t look too far into the whole “mangrove thing,” because I was so focused
on the shark aspect of the project. It was not until I arrived and had my
mangrove workshop that I realized how vital mangroves are, not only to our
marine ecosystem, but to us on land as well.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnFMfb56OH2rWAYfZFjYk20E3BWPvTKdAu4jl4ZfU212uAWZI_fz_sVYOaxi4-VGWR646lgwAu4q73v3qpwKTqg84TNW4s4DwCA-7F1h86cybgBUOYu7Z4I1kQA5tQzhkGDRCow-qxwgB/s1600/20170221_095059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnFMfb56OH2rWAYfZFjYk20E3BWPvTKdAu4jl4ZfU212uAWZI_fz_sVYOaxi4-VGWR646lgwAu4q73v3qpwKTqg84TNW4s4DwCA-7F1h86cybgBUOYu7Z4I1kQA5tQzhkGDRCow-qxwgB/s320/20170221_095059.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Mangrove forests can be found on the coasts of
tropical climates throughout the world. They can be a nursery to various marine
life, they also can help protect against tsunamis and storms, help keep the
water cleaner by filtering debris and dirt sentiments through their roots, and they
improve air quality by using carbon dioxide for the photosynthesis process.
Just to name a few of the many qualities that not only marine life benefit
from, but us as well when mangroves are around. The red mangroves are able to
produce new plants that hang off of their leaves which are called “propagules.”
They are so self-efficient that they eventually drop into the water where they
float along upright until they reach a spot where they can plant themselves. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At Projects Abroad we go out during low
tide to find propagules that have not rooted themselves in the sand yet and we
bring them back to our nursery to plant them in recycled bottles. After a few
months in the nursery</span><span style="text-indent: 36pt;"> we pull them out and plant them along the coastline.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><o:p><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlWeshL63fgJvt2GXZEPc3m7DFPhpsOGLJ1WOnxIDA7tsMFPy3ygQXyj3RSSNDD5lcDhuq6LH-JveaSK-Hl7YVZX5IIj4c088RzZhyt7DaP_IX8H96PT5TkWfXA3Oxrz0PWHIGK1UckpMG/s1600/20170209_112537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlWeshL63fgJvt2GXZEPc3m7DFPhpsOGLJ1WOnxIDA7tsMFPy3ygQXyj3RSSNDD5lcDhuq6LH-JveaSK-Hl7YVZX5IIj4c088RzZhyt7DaP_IX8H96PT5TkWfXA3Oxrz0PWHIGK1UckpMG/s320/20170209_112537.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="text-indent: 36pt;">Volunteering here with Projects Abroad I have
had the opportunity to go out into the mangrove swamps and collect propagules, plant
the propagules into recycled bottles at our nursery, and then go out and plant
the propagules along the shore line. During the two months of my time here at
the project I took part in planting 5000 propagules. I now realize how
significant these plants are to both of our ecosystems and I think it is important
that people become aware of their significance and how special they are</span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack" style="text-indent: 36pt;"></a><span style="text-indent: 36pt;">. While being a part of the project here, working with
mangroves was one of my favourite activities. I think this was the case, because
I realized how much we need them and how much the marine ecosystem needs them
as well. They have adapted to withstand the harshest of conditions and this is why I have given them the name: Mighty Mangroves.</span><span style="font-size: x-small; text-indent: 36pt;"> </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12143691045716576502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8943142574825636642.post-82406814497465274072016-12-13T14:34:00.000-08:002016-12-13T14:36:58.416-08:00Mangrove Monday!<div class="normal">
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If wading through murky water with legs knee deep in mud and
your wet T-shirt bulging with plants sounds cool, then propagule collection in
the mangroves is for you.</div>
<div class="normal">
I had only been in Fiji a couple of days and was really looking
forward to getting my hands dirty. I was not disappointed. On this day we were
collecting not just for the mangrove nursery but also needed loads more for the
upcoming Corona music festival at Uprising Resort, where we were setting up a
stand to teach people about the valuable role of mangroves in Fiji’s coastal
ecosystem.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAzDvt451MIkUsibG-g7ExzURnkzbrwpAduSNCoAKGraJ1A5HMjjpDvyrfUbnW-KAe51-1dG1q6nVlVPeOWVVLgToascKh9KYHAp0BhFN2Q8z3h0XtO8FdG_IZ6ci_Qx7IR4q3C7h7z7gI/s1600/14915583_645647358947016_8327531092354560048_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAzDvt451MIkUsibG-g7ExzURnkzbrwpAduSNCoAKGraJ1A5HMjjpDvyrfUbnW-KAe51-1dG1q6nVlVPeOWVVLgToascKh9KYHAp0BhFN2Q8z3h0XtO8FdG_IZ6ci_Qx7IR4q3C7h7z7gI/s320/14915583_645647358947016_8327531092354560048_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The mangrove collection takes place near the small village of
Vunibau near Pacific Harbour. To get to the mangroves we had to first walk
through the village in our Projects T-shirts and sulus. where we were all
welcomed with “bula” and friendly faces. Once down by the mouth of the Navua
River we slipped off the sulus and got down into the mud. “You might have to
crawl on your hands and knees,” said Sydney with a slightly wicked smile as we
waded in. “Sometimes that’s easier.”</div>
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The mangrove propagules can be found on the muddy shore, in the
water floating, or still attached to the branches ready to be picked. The high
ones are for the tall people who haven’t sunk down too far into the mud.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYgiTBSAbedaLnkBoYJR3a3Hze7GqITyZSt0s3kVlqHDkQPkUFiPGMI7nqxjQE6gSbKiuYFyDsZz_iKDQmkWo-YGVHmo83kuFYud1CEiMZaQirxcao2LORmCAjOMKjpM0b-1g1I2xDpSu/s1600/14650069_638474422997643_1333891057705261324_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYgiTBSAbedaLnkBoYJR3a3Hze7GqITyZSt0s3kVlqHDkQPkUFiPGMI7nqxjQE6gSbKiuYFyDsZz_iKDQmkWo-YGVHmo83kuFYud1CEiMZaQirxcao2LORmCAjOMKjpM0b-1g1I2xDpSu/s320/14650069_638474422997643_1333891057705261324_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
Some people are happy going barefoot to avoid losing their flip
flops or shoes. I kept my aqua shoes on, and seeing some of the rubbish in the
mud and trees I would definitely advise having something on to protect your
feet (dive booties worked well for others, too).</div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="normal">
We collected hundreds. As we trudged back muddy, hot and
carrying our bags of precious mangrove pups, the smiles on the faces of the
children in the village tell a great story. Somehow I think they are grateful
that we also care about their home, their livelihoods, their mangroves.</div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxer5Tnu3yC61oDfq1zJiqYlKQvtAH5psGIlnk1-PWD_4HUdNiUdP0xa90PiHpcxzdA2Ct9ATzg_PTJmADAHZrtlMxV1Oadtb59sTVV19_-BxdG6sTj775Gq4IXWBGHnQZWTNYHGGXAiOc/s1600/20161101_154327.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxer5Tnu3yC61oDfq1zJiqYlKQvtAH5psGIlnk1-PWD_4HUdNiUdP0xa90PiHpcxzdA2Ct9ATzg_PTJmADAHZrtlMxV1Oadtb59sTVV19_-BxdG6sTj775Gq4IXWBGHnQZWTNYHGGXAiOc/s320/20161101_154327.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12143691045716576502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8943142574825636642.post-14403285255725865342016-11-15T14:29:00.001-08:002016-11-15T14:29:39.198-08:00Mangrove Awareness!<div class="normal">
Mangrove Monday is a
returning event at Ventura every week. An event where you can expect to get
your hands dirty but for a reason that is worth all the sweat and all the
hours.</div>
<div class="normal">
The mangrove forests have during the last 20 years experienced
a drastic fall which leads to a lot of concerns. This is because the forest not
only serves as a shield from tsunamis and storms for coastal villages but also
because the mangrove forest is the most important habitat for shark
reproduction. The whole underwater worlds well-being and food chain depend on
the mangroves.</div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
This is the reason why
we at Project Abroad Fiji Shark Conservation not are afraid of getting our hands
or volunteer t-shirts dirty. The Mangroves not only serve as a shield for
humans but also for baby sharks and in that sense is the thing that connects
land and sea, humans and the marine life.</div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVW1GVdMMk6nXBQySle1RQTNFc04TDknB4BQLVYc3tVqzyE35wTnnZfULkNEU56sFksg4FstinKU8CNVnHBswAtl3-3glDX7zq3Efqt1IAxbDiO5N7UCoLyrGpx9oUjdUjDTKkIzwDBWGr/s1600/14650318_639696876208731_1859083002256631673_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVW1GVdMMk6nXBQySle1RQTNFc04TDknB4BQLVYc3tVqzyE35wTnnZfULkNEU56sFksg4FstinKU8CNVnHBswAtl3-3glDX7zq3Efqt1IAxbDiO5N7UCoLyrGpx9oUjdUjDTKkIzwDBWGr/s320/14650318_639696876208731_1859083002256631673_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="normal">
Two days ago we
finished the biggest mangrove nursery in the South Pacific and maybe in the
whole world. We planted 250 Propagules so the nursery now houses around 18.000
mangroves. A big moment for Mangroves for Fiji which includes all the
volunteers that have come and gone and have put a lot of effort into helping
the mangrove replanting project as well as current volunteers.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNJFtG2aMPuShfmM5uc6wulgf5QmYn4wobsvNLH9oiC5DDUwZ8HJjlHdWoqRw5SPM7-N5VohQD-dVSEVXsi2KyDL5SKLGNnkfLkAnh184_5-8vM2eUXHJVVRn1Ou4VAvBtWQb65kzTSsQc/s1600/14724490_637427449769007_3069355877645577124_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNJFtG2aMPuShfmM5uc6wulgf5QmYn4wobsvNLH9oiC5DDUwZ8HJjlHdWoqRw5SPM7-N5VohQD-dVSEVXsi2KyDL5SKLGNnkfLkAnh184_5-8vM2eUXHJVVRn1Ou4VAvBtWQb65kzTSsQc/s320/14724490_637427449769007_3069355877645577124_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
This nursery has
created a foundation for many mangroves to come and therefore we are also
working on making all of our nurseries bigger. During the last weeks we have visited
different schools where we in different ways are trying to create awareness
about the mangroves. Last Monday we went to Pacific Harbour Multicultural
School where we replanted around 300 propagules. It was rainy and muddy but you
could feel the teamwork between the volunteers and you could see within two
weeks how the Propagules planted had exploded with green leaves. You realize that the work you have done
actually makes a difference and will stay and help Fiji when you leave.</div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM4FTf9-opUgOCipMMfjnzDvOGdhvGiHTbB-_WO3m7k-nR2h13m0JzomPkI42XolhJ7OOtcKNFRRba9z__qJhLVaJYWdqBdfVKeVmDxSS52p1H75lEh6I5kAP4bzrwluYzDcdozGO9oyGH/s1600/14702306_634063880105364_7677120736356635359_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM4FTf9-opUgOCipMMfjnzDvOGdhvGiHTbB-_WO3m7k-nR2h13m0JzomPkI42XolhJ7OOtcKNFRRba9z__qJhLVaJYWdqBdfVKeVmDxSS52p1H75lEh6I5kAP4bzrwluYzDcdozGO9oyGH/s320/14702306_634063880105364_7677120736356635359_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="normal">
We also gave the
local children an insight into the reasons we need to protect, replant and
conserve the mangroves. We had the
honor of visiting a local primary school for an hour to talk about the
mangrove forest and the sharks. We prepared a presentation and the pupils were
very interested and quick learners. We left the school with a good feeling and working
together with locals is the most important part in saving the mangroves on
Fiji. At the same school we also took a whole day off and went to the school
all volunteers to paint a white wall which became a wonderful day for both us
and the volunteers!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzx3PjAsh25fWUURe29kxwZcrW0u7cAc8Le09et1AS8vFerDqxqrTAdu7px5NsTAUI5FaWbI8xG9PSqR2UqpzRX4Xh66vUUaOmq2QoFEXvrWTrwGguD9Lg3AUA6yzfIViqRY4LPSlBTrcw/s1600/14650301_631160150395737_8426277014054450304_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzx3PjAsh25fWUURe29kxwZcrW0u7cAc8Le09et1AS8vFerDqxqrTAdu7px5NsTAUI5FaWbI8xG9PSqR2UqpzRX4Xh66vUUaOmq2QoFEXvrWTrwGguD9Lg3AUA6yzfIViqRY4LPSlBTrcw/s320/14650301_631160150395737_8426277014054450304_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="normal">
VINAKA VAKALEVU to everyone around the project and in Fiji!!!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12143691045716576502noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8943142574825636642.post-57534084293557716882016-09-17T14:22:00.000-07:002016-09-17T14:24:18.693-07:00Mangrove Mania!!!<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Mangrove
Mania!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It was Monday afternoon at the beginning of
lunch when I saw the volunteers troop in from the Mangroves; dirty, sweaty and
exhausted. Panic struck me when I started to realized how hard maintaining the
nursery must be. It was 1.55pm when I prepared myself for an absolutely
draining activity and slowly made my way down to the nursery. How wrong was I!
Although two and a half hours seemed like 24 hours of laborious weeding – the
activity itself was quite enjoyable, especially with the people we were working
with. 2016 chart music was blasted from the boys’ phones and the weirdest and
most wonderful conversations took place. Either way we all ended up in
hysterics. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCs3tBP30EGhhZAiU09Ms6Sb5T5b2Ej21Oug-aX8F1CrU5UPvkMhJ-cZdHqedTTHn4JDtJQO6Fo5cwcVBm9_v39GKsO4tgHPFG2gBxXVEDG_HAqzia4jNVUVPKQwV-LJmfaJpxZYFuJ7_I/s1600/20160606_154811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCs3tBP30EGhhZAiU09Ms6Sb5T5b2Ej21Oug-aX8F1CrU5UPvkMhJ-cZdHqedTTHn4JDtJQO6Fo5cwcVBm9_v39GKsO4tgHPFG2gBxXVEDG_HAqzia4jNVUVPKQwV-LJmfaJpxZYFuJ7_I/s400/20160606_154811.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Even though I hadn’t been scheduled into
the environment workshop yet, seeing as there was an obvious equal divide on
the project focused on diving and mangroves it didn’t take much time for anyone
to realize that Mangroves had a massive impact on the conservation of sharks.
This was slightly embarrassing seeing how quite a big majority of the world’s
population think they know all about protecting marine life – they really
didn’t! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">My next activity involving mangroves was
collecting propagules (mangrove seeds) and rubbish on the beach in Sulu’s and
our Projects Abroad t-shirts which did bring a huge sense of pride knowing we
were helping out the community. Our work was definitely greatly appreciated by
the locals as we walked up the beach while they happily beamed out “Bula!
Vinaka!” In this heat the job at first was quite hard at first since I couldn’t
identify the propagules; after getting really excited that I finally found one
but then realizing it was dead was a massive let down. After an hour or so on
the beach I was extremely happy with my big black bag breaking from the weight
of propagules I had picked up. We then trekked into the humid forest towered
over by multiple types of trees, being me; the first thing that clouded my mind
was spiders. A standard phobia but after hearing stories about how big they are
here it caused me to be a lot more alert. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU07hg5oah-VNM4HQrCBWZt0r7-0lQgCRCuh0oJV3m1aEV5w_ABsbSgrsMRnuerpS_0CuskyXz8mxBpjnu2huNZNhmTyUPN8ewJBeCAqYO_13TjD1OQRyT9A0E-NuQo_fLGx1CGKYEEEKH/s1600/14035001_606617792849973_7040778692560840239_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU07hg5oah-VNM4HQrCBWZt0r7-0lQgCRCuh0oJV3m1aEV5w_ABsbSgrsMRnuerpS_0CuskyXz8mxBpjnu2huNZNhmTyUPN8ewJBeCAqYO_13TjD1OQRyT9A0E-NuQo_fLGx1CGKYEEEKH/s400/14035001_606617792849973_7040778692560840239_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">We hopped over barbed wire and pushed
through bushes finding piles and piles of propagules, it got to the point where
phobias had fled my mind and my main worry was if my bag was going to break as
I started having trouble carrying the hundreds of seeds. It was fascinating
watching our leader, a local Fijian, rip through the bushes and trees with a
machete. I’ve never seen this before and I’m so used to the lazy 1<sup>st</sup>
world countries using electricity to do everything for them. During the
collection I saw fully grown mangroves, in the flesh you realise the structure,
strength and rigidity of them and it then made perfect sense as to how they
protect the village and marine life against natural disasters. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">My most recent activity involving the
mangroves was a full day of weeding by the whole team; volunteers and staff. We
all put 110% effort in to make sure the nursery was weed-free and all the
mangroves were happy and healthy. It was brilliant to see everyone enjoying
themselves although the heat was powerful the music was booming and sun was
shining. After a very satisfied feeling of ripping the weeds from the soil and
getting covered in head to toe with mud the nursery was in a great condition,
knowing that the mangroves would be a home for juvenile marines species or
protect a village from potential natural disasters.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfIj3LDi_OgnS8z9ZXRjmX5asPCnBDQYh5Nh3qTVWVVNiIStfwlbH_ME1jZS4Mg8_beWbKUgF_B1Rie541s42jQ3aVTzoqOAPQIchCsCrKWV-u7FNkrv3ymt-xyYR-kUOql9ehbu2O_CO9/s1600/P6160114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfIj3LDi_OgnS8z9ZXRjmX5asPCnBDQYh5Nh3qTVWVVNiIStfwlbH_ME1jZS4Mg8_beWbKUgF_B1Rie541s42jQ3aVTzoqOAPQIchCsCrKWV-u7FNkrv3ymt-xyYR-kUOql9ehbu2O_CO9/s400/P6160114.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12143691045716576502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8943142574825636642.post-62733072674042361942016-09-03T15:14:00.000-07:002016-09-03T15:14:31.334-07:00Mangrove Monday!!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">When I first arrived on the Shark
Conservation Project, I was a little skeptical about the connection between
mangroves and the survival of the shark population; however after taking part
in the eye-opening environmental workshop the link was made clear. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Mangroves are carbon sinks, better carbon stores
per square km than rainforests, the storage of carbon helps prevent the increasing
effect of global warming. As the earth’s temperature increases, so does the
ocean temperature, when this happens quickly corals can’t adapt to the changing
conditions and consequently die. Many prey species for sharks live around these
coral structures, so without them the shark’s food supply reduces. Mangroves
also provide perfect nurseries for juvenile sharks to live in until they are
strong enough to survive in the open ocean. Around Fiji there are known shark
nurseries in large rivers like the Rewa and Navua, these are both surrounded by
mangroves. But there are also shark nurseries which have not yet discovered so
it is important to conserve <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>all mangrove environments to
ensure these nurseries aren’t unknowingly destroyed. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">After being inspired by the workshop, it
was not hard to get stuck into working in the onsite mangrove nursery at
Projects Abroad, which is the largest in the South Pacific. My first experience
in the mangrove nursery was planting propagules. Recycled plastic bottles are
cut in half and used as plant pots, this is a small thing which helps prevent
plastic entering the ocean. The team of 8 I was a part of worked like a machine
and we planted the majority of the propagules we had in one morning. The job
was swiftly finished by other volunteers in the afternoon. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRyydSAJo7GZkJSwkQURGgG13rDaXXDKXkc6ZS0UwdPaq45FIKGGkK1lKCif8mFBVMAyGZz2-dmimfS1V1q6jFUeOcs-DRCpWpX4bGS9Wy0sw2zZ9MvR-JKhdTxACVdTH4kETHUS9BLu7Z/s1600/nursery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRyydSAJo7GZkJSwkQURGgG13rDaXXDKXkc6ZS0UwdPaq45FIKGGkK1lKCif8mFBVMAyGZz2-dmimfS1V1q6jFUeOcs-DRCpWpX4bGS9Wy0sw2zZ9MvR-JKhdTxACVdTH4kETHUS9BLu7Z/s320/nursery.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">As a result of the hard work, the propagule
store needed to be replenished, so when out on the beach cleanup that week, it
wasn’t just plastic we were picking up but also propagules that had been washed
up onto the beach. We left the beach with 2 full sacks ready to be planted. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfxkkDPOsGD2LtNzDriWEGH7ZmG93tgBJwL8dvQ9YQe14jNyVHGBLXFuGeZHPUFBiGYgFJ_vrxVVIf0yv_8cxMzWHOr9tVoHKeFcUdErJbPfzd2vYI08_mT0l4ddOntCE8-HH1NpIewrA/s1600/clean+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfxkkDPOsGD2LtNzDriWEGH7ZmG93tgBJwL8dvQ9YQe14jNyVHGBLXFuGeZHPUFBiGYgFJ_vrxVVIf0yv_8cxMzWHOr9tVoHKeFcUdErJbPfzd2vYI08_mT0l4ddOntCE8-HH1NpIewrA/s320/clean+up.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">However it’s not just planting in the
nursery that needs to occur to conserve the mangroves, once they have grown to
a substantial size and have started growing leaves they can be harvested and
planted in the community. We were given a target of 1100 propagules to harvest
and tie into bundles of 10. This seemed like an unachievable target in one
afternoon; however it was quickly reached by the group of tireless volunteers.
These propagules were then taken to a local village and planted, hopefully in a
few years they will still be growing into adult mangrove trees. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">1100 propagules had been removed from the
nursery, so 1100 more propagules had to be planted to replace them. The beach
cleanup had provided the propagules, and the volunteers provided the man power
to plant them. Again the team worked well together, replacing all the propagules
that had been harvested and planting most of the propagules that had been
collected.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9EtLD5FIESfnBtOIuFTpv7jWmhkTgZfwodKWvJZKpPVEo9hUvie30xBBUMoyzuMbjzVQap-3HrlV5IGZHNtWq5OPWu8CPyEwZbof4l9Wn46zZFMxNy4CjVllVo1u86fb1RuyXh4vEIGcE/s1600/nursery+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9EtLD5FIESfnBtOIuFTpv7jWmhkTgZfwodKWvJZKpPVEo9hUvie30xBBUMoyzuMbjzVQap-3HrlV5IGZHNtWq5OPWu8CPyEwZbof4l9Wn46zZFMxNy4CjVllVo1u86fb1RuyXh4vEIGcE/s320/nursery+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In order to give the propagules the best
chance of survival in the nursery, they need to be regularly weeded and
watered. Weeding was surprisingly therapeutic and by the end of the session there
wasn’t a weed in sight, so hopefully soon these propagules will have matured
enough so they too can be harvested and planted in the community. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I have grown to love working in the
mangrove nursery, it is hard not to feel a sense of achievement when we plant
all the propagules, or when you see them growing successfully. Projects Abroad
are hoping to extend the nursery on sight, and the one at the local resort Uprising
in order to try and make the resort carbon neutral. I am proud to be part of
the work towards a bigger, healthier mangrove habitat in Fiji. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12143691045716576502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8943142574825636642.post-83934586673979149072016-06-29T16:39:00.002-07:002016-06-29T16:39:32.636-07:00Mangroves For Fiji!!!<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Before joining the team here at
Projects Abroad in Fiji, I’ll admit that I knew very little about mangroves,
never mind that they are a habitat in their own right. It therefore came as a
surprise to find out that the habitat and niches that they create are critical
for supporting many juvenile marine species, of which sharks are the major
focus of this particular conservation effort. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">My very first ‘Mangrove Monday’
threw me straight into the mix. I found myself out in the purpose built nursery
at the back of the Projects Abroad villa, barefoot, muddy, sweaty and loving
life. My first introduction to a mangrove propagule confronted me with half a
soil-filled Fanta bottle housing a delicate plant with brilliant green leaves. My
arrival had been at a climactic point of a large ongoing project, current
volunteers, and some now gone, had been working tirelessly towards. This Mangrove
Monday required us to harvest 5000 mangrove propagules from our nursery. These
seedlings had been collected previously and cultured in the nursery for 8-12
weeks to maximize the chance of growing a robust propagule with an established
root system most likely to survive the planting process and reach a mature
tree. The afternoon was hard work, especially in the midday sun, but the
atmosphere was excited and everyone knew that their efforts would be fruitful
in the form of the Big Plant the following week. With the music and
conversation, the time flew by and before long we had our five-hundredth bundles
of 10 mangroves signifying that we had reached our target of 5000 propagules.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><br /></span></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><br /></span></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">In the meantime, the following
Monday saw us revisiting a school where on a previous trip we had begun
constructing a small nursery housing approximately one hectare of seedlings. Due
to expansion of the school, the nursery had been dismantled and therefore
required rebuilding and replenishing the propagule population.</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Thursday the 16<sup>th</sup> of
June was the big day. We set off at 9am and journeyed to the decided location
to plant the 5000 propagules that had been so carefully propagated and nurtured
in our nursery. The work was made light due to the collective enthusiasm of the
locals that turned out to help us. At the end of the day, the gravity of our
achievement was obvious due to the vast area of beach that was now speckled
with ordered rows of newly planted Mangrove trees. I would love to return one
day a few years from now to see how the landscape and wildlife will have adapted,
hopefully for the better, with a new mangrove rain forest. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvjNxgucvxiMgnv2dNhJP_BBKr1MyqbKKq5zgt6Ey4xWyBcsm_b6r6TvcKwmgDY7yqR584ahEzXkBMNL6ctOCW_hQF62mg7qZ3Q-FJV8TNLXNCNplCVnzaGO-HG_vlRKD0nlPbf-jgfyyP/s1600/P6160090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvjNxgucvxiMgnv2dNhJP_BBKr1MyqbKKq5zgt6Ey4xWyBcsm_b6r6TvcKwmgDY7yqR584ahEzXkBMNL6ctOCW_hQF62mg7qZ3Q-FJV8TNLXNCNplCVnzaGO-HG_vlRKD0nlPbf-jgfyyP/s400/P6160090.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">The next stage in our Big Plant
operation was repopulating the Projects Abroad Mangrove nursery. In order to
achieve this we had to venture out to the forest near Rampur School with sacks
to collect as many seedlings as possible. The staff had taught us well, holding
a seminar explaining the basic biology and the species of Mangroves that are
found along the coastal regions. We were specifically after as many seedlings
from the Black or Red Mangrove species, as these trees are able to populate the
salt-rich soil found along coastal estuaries. Much of the morning was spent
hanging out of trees and wading in small estuaries trying to reach that elusive
seedling. The satisfaction came at the moment you realized that it was no
longer possible to lift your sack-full of seedlings. The grand total came in
the region of 7000 picked seedlings – enough to replenish those lost by the Big
Plant, and then some! Once we had returned to Ventura the biggest struggle was
sourcing enough empty containers to hold and store the massive seedling haul!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJi7-3MHhfuPfLLgvtl3kYIUTUX7Ja2QMDfSFjTYKNSAeuuXudpFFpHZDgX-jEhEKlTHT4aSQvqj8z2lw1O_mWOUpMTcyERJxIk7L7Gm5QKBGFMpUpdiwFB51FKKZRSvQs8rMCPrVVHSi/s1600/20160613_111656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJi7-3MHhfuPfLLgvtl3kYIUTUX7Ja2QMDfSFjTYKNSAeuuXudpFFpHZDgX-jEhEKlTHT4aSQvqj8z2lw1O_mWOUpMTcyERJxIk7L7Gm5QKBGFMpUpdiwFB51FKKZRSvQs8rMCPrVVHSi/s400/20160613_111656.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Over the course of the next week,
the nursery needed a huge overhaul to reorganize the propagule tables. To make
life as easy as possible, it was decided to organize the tables progressively
from oldest to yougest. The oldest propagules that would be needed on the next
planting trips were grouped together at the front of the nursery, with the
younger towards the back of the nursery with finally empty pots and free space
to make sure time is used efficiently on the next seedling cultivation. This
was tiring but it was the first time in years I’ve had a good excuse to crawl
around in the mud.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">I sit here at the start of my
fourth week here at Ventura, part of this crazy shark-obsessed family, shocked
at how fast my time has flown. Tomorrow will likely be my last dig-in down in
the Mangrove nursery which is a sad thought, but I also can’t believe how much
I have been involved with solely related to Mangrove conservation in this same
time. I signed up to this project with the slightly selfish goal of becoming a
better scuba diver; never did I think that my whole outlook on how my actions affect
the health of the environment would be so radically altered. One person’s choices
really can make a difference and their passion for conservation is contagious.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp2JAD_HOr_8nKql_vnyvFppSMtaVhm1sb8B3-bzaxnl9uR8h9ov-JYnInnyKiimym4VV-3Re2QHIJRK62ixI2di47BaS9boIzp6d5PuqxkNUGeX08SeVC3T1Fat7jdliBAOZomySZ2pYV/s1600/P6160114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp2JAD_HOr_8nKql_vnyvFppSMtaVhm1sb8B3-bzaxnl9uR8h9ov-JYnInnyKiimym4VV-3Re2QHIJRK62ixI2di47BaS9boIzp6d5PuqxkNUGeX08SeVC3T1Fat7jdliBAOZomySZ2pYV/s400/P6160114.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">The Project’s long-term plan to
turn Pacific Harbor into a carbon-neutral town, in collaboration with Mangroves
for Fiji and other organizations really is achievable based on what I’ve
witnessed and been a part of. In fact, at the rate the enthusiasm is growing
and the amount of propagules that are being planted; I won’t be surprised if
years from now I read somewhere that Projects Abroad has made Fiji the first
carbon-neutral country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12143691045716576502noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8943142574825636642.post-63774072524387910022016-05-28T19:57:00.001-07:002016-05-28T19:57:46.145-07:00Mangrove Monday!!!<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Mangrove Blog<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
main purpose of our Shark Conservation project here in Fiji is to study and
protect sharks in the region. No surprises there. However to protect the sharks
we must also protect their environment and mangroves play a huge role in both the
lives of sharks and the health of the marine environment as a whole. Most
people don’t realize just how important mangroves are. I certainly didn’t
before arriving here. As a result the world’s mangrove forests are disappearing
at an alarming rate for various reasons, construction of hotels and resorts for
tourists being one. Therefore mangrove conservation is an important part of our
work here at the project. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Every
week Monday and Tuesday afternoon is set aside to work on various aspects of
our mangrove project. This includes collecting propagules (mangrove seeds),
planting them, maintaining our mangrove nurseries, both here at the project and
in the local community, and replanting the young mangroves back into their
natural environment. We also visit local schools at least twice a month to raise
awareness of our project and teach the students about the importance of
mangroves to the marine environment and also how important they are to their
lives.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgOl4p_W6OADnb8czg_eJjxdBDudsd05yh2QSLL_EiYJ_z7GheJZy43YnfBDnRqwLYzA-wIJBQ9Wmd6jesnZs_G0LPMoWqFRRLhPFHyEYfl99mBh9ATf3Ild6qebCjkcoI3xoAqubrlWvv/s1600/Nursery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgOl4p_W6OADnb8czg_eJjxdBDudsd05yh2QSLL_EiYJ_z7GheJZy43YnfBDnRqwLYzA-wIJBQ9Wmd6jesnZs_G0LPMoWqFRRLhPFHyEYfl99mBh9ATf3Ild6qebCjkcoI3xoAqubrlWvv/s320/Nursery.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
most direct way to conserve mangroves is to plant new mangrove forests and this
is the primary aim of our mangrove project. To plant a forest of any type of
tree you first need to get the seeds so that’s the first step. My first
experience of Mangrove Monday here at the project was floating slowly through
the mangrove forest on Navua River on a beautiful sunny Fijian morning in a
small fishing boat with three other volunteers and a fisherman from the nearby
Vunibau village collecting propagules. Propagules, the scientific name for
mangrove seeds, can be found hanging from the branches of the mangrove trees or
floating in the water and our aim for the day was to fill as many of the sacks
we’d brought with us as possible. After about two and a half hours in one of
the most tranquil places I’ve ever been we’d filled just over two sacks and it
was time to return to Vunibau for lunch and kava. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCcORoN1cI3d3aVIRFwmMbhT_X4tiE23YQfHonHbKQO4nodivRj6yebXs_ajqk7xlvHiDuF4FM-throTLaanJkzOfV6TC83RtJdPPv7uRYSbAI-ZDIeFFptzzjrSoA5biCegocw31_jRR5/s1600/20160508_104512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCcORoN1cI3d3aVIRFwmMbhT_X4tiE23YQfHonHbKQO4nodivRj6yebXs_ajqk7xlvHiDuF4FM-throTLaanJkzOfV6TC83RtJdPPv7uRYSbAI-ZDIeFFptzzjrSoA5biCegocw31_jRR5/s320/20160508_104512.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We
make these propagule collecting trips once every week or so depending on how
many propagules we’ve planted and how much space there is in our nurseries.
They are not always as easy as drifting along in a boat picking them as we go
past. When the tide goes out and the river level drops and no boats are
available the only way to get to the propagules is to wade out into knee deep
mud and collect the bunches that have got stuck in the mud or are floating in
the river. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Once
we have collected the propagules the next step is to plant them. However we do
not want to plant them in the wild straight away. Instead we take them to one
of our mangrove nurseries and plant them in makeshift pots which are in fact
recycled plastic bottles which have been cut in half and filled with soil. This
guarantees the propagules nutrients and space to grow and takes away the stress
of being flooded by the incoming tide every day. This gives the propagules a
much higher chance of survival. We have our main mangrove nursery at our
apartments but we also have a smaller one which we recently built in Vunibau</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFurHtaVy5yHdH1g1KBDr-SPF7GW8Y0gtwx99zDOHGRy81BMddCqs1ACjoACDbHxM-iJfr9Lrk2jDnP0h4dq_8ajLDKsjM9GebBqne0oc_bVsuu1QhGmmBF_iqWbCHnMz8UVVCSAbsFU8y/s1600/20160509_100220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFurHtaVy5yHdH1g1KBDr-SPF7GW8Y0gtwx99zDOHGRy81BMddCqs1ACjoACDbHxM-iJfr9Lrk2jDnP0h4dq_8ajLDKsjM9GebBqne0oc_bVsuu1QhGmmBF_iqWbCHnMz8UVVCSAbsFU8y/s320/20160509_100220.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
village with the enthusiastic assistance of the village children. In the last
few weeks we have also constructed a small nursery at Uprising Beach Resort who
have recently agreed to join us on the project. This is another step forward
towards our goal of getting the support of all the small businesses in and
around Pacific Harbour.<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Planting
propagules is actually simple to do and using a simple system we can plant
hundreds per day. In front of our mangrove nursery there are cages filled with
plastic bottles which have been collected from local businesses as well as from
volunteer’s apartments. Some volunteers cut the bottles in half. Some fill the
half bottles with soil and pass them on to others who then place the top halves
on the specially made tables and the bottom halves on the ground beneath them.
Finally other volunteers take the propagules from the sacks and push them into
the soil filled bottles, one or two to a bottle depending on the size of the
bottle. Propagules are hardy seeds which can float for up to a year in the
ocean before finding land so this procedure is not a problem for them. Once in
the soil they pretty much take care of themselves. The only maintenance they
need is to remove some of the bigger weeds which join them in the bottles.
Working out in the nursery is hot, hard work but at the end of the day it is
satisfying to look at what was empty tables at the beginning of the day and see
them now filled with planted propagules. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCiH_Xzza8S1xNnBteNuWx5e6uChzsNm1b32lOqnHFWFNu5kEyrrM_7jCg7-PNAdecfq6MAkQjkaDL9L88iZPJjkLYyP_0Fzi_RNMd1Nz7DMRyStLrLLsMCbU0WaDzhU-6RIOGrnduE_-q/s1600/20160509_144307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCiH_Xzza8S1xNnBteNuWx5e6uChzsNm1b32lOqnHFWFNu5kEyrrM_7jCg7-PNAdecfq6MAkQjkaDL9L88iZPJjkLYyP_0Fzi_RNMd1Nz7DMRyStLrLLsMCbU0WaDzhU-6RIOGrnduE_-q/s320/20160509_144307.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After
a few months it is easy to see the progress the seedlings have made. They have
grown taller and green leaves are sprouting from the top. Underneath in the
bottles their root systems have started to develop. This is the sign that they
are ready to be replanted back into the wild. Recently I took part in a
replanting day when we replanted a thousand mangrove plants along the banks of
the Navua river opposite Vunibau village. With the help of some of the children
from the village we planted them in rows along the sandy shore adding to the
mangroves that had been planted the month before. The children were excited and
keen to help which was good to see although some of the mangrove plants had a
rough time being pushed into the ground a little harder than they would have
liked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHPFNmuzNP25bSNJ0CfKWc-zqKSdlm234tfZRhITPza8vxzuKVTOt5NktwSXQ9aav-QavGDBptfvs4MgoHGLVsxAGqeHQQkJ_1eeaJULSbRrupO1qPYUcauAiOPQkQke0RAMuNDwzix2o/s1600/nursery+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHPFNmuzNP25bSNJ0CfKWc-zqKSdlm234tfZRhITPza8vxzuKVTOt5NktwSXQ9aav-QavGDBptfvs4MgoHGLVsxAGqeHQQkJ_1eeaJULSbRrupO1qPYUcauAiOPQkQke0RAMuNDwzix2o/s320/nursery+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Replanting
mangrove forests is important for mangrove conservation but what is also
important is getting awareness and support from the local community and in
particular the younger generations. Mangroves take thirty five years to fully
grow so by the time our new mangrove forests grow the children in school now will
be the adults in charge. Therefore on at least two Thursdays a month we spend
the day in a local school, normally Rampur Primary School which is the biggest
school in the area, to teach the students about sharks, marine life and
mangroves and how important they are and why it is worth protecting them. We
explain what we do on our projects and we also tell them what they can do to
help. This can be something as small as throwing their plastic bottles and
wrappers in the bin and not on the ground or into the rivers. The days in the
schools are possibly one of the most rewarding parts of the project. The sea is
a big part of life in Fiji so many of the children are interested to learn more
about the things that live in and around it. While they are shy at first soon
they are anxious to answer questions and learn more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lnQEuLhLLOH6gGMgrxH6hAUsUW3D1paVg-x4eje6aGWVuuOaNhyphenhyphenfcCrU7cPbOJSwN6wHoFriy3dcBrfunMoym2rXVE0z-XE_zTkrmtd7p_kw0FDw_PrI036bDp1dDrNufPvEHHawpRvH/s1600/IMG_2040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lnQEuLhLLOH6gGMgrxH6hAUsUW3D1paVg-x4eje6aGWVuuOaNhyphenhyphenfcCrU7cPbOJSwN6wHoFriy3dcBrfunMoym2rXVE0z-XE_zTkrmtd7p_kw0FDw_PrI036bDp1dDrNufPvEHHawpRvH/s320/IMG_2040.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Working
on the mangroves project has been an enjoyable experience. It also feels like
we are actually making a difference whether by replanting lost mangrove forests
or by educating the next generation so that the good work can continue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Mangroves
for Fiji baby!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12143691045716576502noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8943142574825636642.post-26195824020161974992016-05-24T16:17:00.000-07:002016-05-24T16:17:06.204-07:00Mangrove Monday!!<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US">Being a new volunteer, clocking in at just two weeks on this
Project, I have only participated in two Mangrove Mondays so far, and both have
been hard but rewarding work. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US">The first Mangrove Monday we spent the entire morning at a local
village called Vunibau, building an extension to the already-existing nursery
to expand the area available for propagule planting by another thousand. Holes
were dug, bamboo pillars erected, beams latched on to the pillars, and netting
spread across the new structure to provide shade and protection for the
mangroves. Then came the actual planting, just as equally methodical: holes
were cut into the bottom halves of plastic bottles repurposed as pots to allow
drainage and filled with soil brought from the nearby river, and propagules
were planted and arranged in neat ten by ten rows under the new nursery wing. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US">Everyone pitched in, even the little village children who were off
from school, who helped around with odd jobs and went to collect more propagules
for us along the river. And while the task may sound arduous, it was in fact
punctuated with laughter, casual chit-chatter, and lots of fun. It was quite a
sight to see volunteers on each other’s shoulders struggling to maintain their
balance as they worked to tie off the beams to the pillars. During our brief
moments of rest, we engaged in games with the children, which involved a lot of
singing and excited shrieking. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US">Having planted the entirety of our propagules, we moved on in the
afternoon to an area across the river, carrying two large bucketfuls of five
hundred grown propagules each. These ones were grown at the Project nursery,
and had successfully sprouted a sturdy root system which we were now to plant a
metre apart alongside the muddy bank in hopes of growing a mangrove forest. As
expected, we all ended up a little muddy, but nonetheless got the job done in
record time!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US">My second Mangrove Monday was a more relaxed affair. This time, with
a smaller group of volunteers, we worked at the Project nursery. I was on weeding
with two others, and we moved our way down row upon row of sprouting
propagules, pulling out the grasses which have carpeted the pot soil with great
fervour. Meanwhile, the others formed an efficient chain of movement where one
sorted and tossed plastic halves to volunteers who filled them up with earth,
who then passed it on to two others who brought the bring the newly-filled pots
to the back of the nursery where they awaited planting. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US">When that was all and done, we loaded up a set of 147 planted
propagules in pretty Fiji Water bottles and brought them over to Uprising, the
nearby resort. Having partnered up in an effort to make them a carbon-neutral
business, the first stage was finally ready to kick off. We arranged them in an
attractive manner on a shaded table along the main walkway so that they would
be visible to patrons as they walked past, giving them the knowledge that they
are supporting an eco-conscious business. Of course, having just a little over
a hundred mangroves is not enough to offset the pollution of a resort- we still
have 191 more to go!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US">All in all, Mangrove Mondays serve as a critical aspect of the
conservation we are currently doing here in Fiji. As it is with gardening, it
does tend to get messy, but the results are priceless- lower carbon emissions, fish
population growth, coastal line protection- all of which lead to a better ocean
and a better environment. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12143691045716576502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8943142574825636642.post-71855735790752131192016-04-30T15:16:00.000-07:002016-04-30T15:17:24.519-07:00Mangrove Monday!!!<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<i><span lang="EN-GB">‘Mangrove Monday’</span></i><span lang="EN-GB"> the
words that bring terror into the minds of the Projects Abroad volunteers,
guaranteed to leave you sweaty faced, sunburnt, reeking of the smell of rotting
organic matter, and absolutely exhausted. But it’s also the most rewarding day
of the week, you can really see the impact of the work you are doing. Whether
it’s wading through waist deep water and rotting soil to find that one extra
propagule, erecting new nurseries in the local villages or floating down the
rivers masses of work gets achieved. In my 4 weeks in Fiji I’ve so collected
hundreds of Propagules, built a nursery, planted and replanted our nursery and
de-weeded an extortionate amount of bottle pots. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span lang="EN-GB">Building
the Nursery</span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">In the last
Mangrove Monday we were sent to the local village Vunibau whose nursery was
tragically destroyed by cyclone Winston. Our task for the day was to rip down
the remaining flimsy structure and assemble a new bigger stronger nursery. It
was in a sorry state, dead propagules scattered everywhere in a mix with our
repurposed half-bottle-pots. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaeHmW7hcKKhP8emg0JUxzxkeBTTS7X7Upp3affjA93Q-a1DXVYh5WcD8H2E22o1_0Jop2Napp96BP7FR7f-F8u4bJj6xWodVI4mBGSI9DgpkCLS7YdI8ZnU4Jwj1kxp3pUl35r0OAmFs1/s1600/Blog+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaeHmW7hcKKhP8emg0JUxzxkeBTTS7X7Upp3affjA93Q-a1DXVYh5WcD8H2E22o1_0Jop2Napp96BP7FR7f-F8u4bJj6xWodVI4mBGSI9DgpkCLS7YdI8ZnU4Jwj1kxp3pUl35r0OAmFs1/s320/Blog+1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">We first emptied
all the bottle pots and moved them out of the area, ridded the ground of the
weeds of which were covering what was going to be our construction site then vaguely
flattened the ground and pulled down the remaining rickety structure. We
hatched a plan of the new structure, and with the help of a few villagers the
boys proceeded to hack up bamboo to equal lengths and dig the new deeper
foundations for the bamboo poles to be firmly placed into. The girls were giving the laborious task of
filling the now empty bottle pots with fresh soil and new living propagules.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZdwyV_zVeZwS_VYnjt69s0vhGVLGJBdV5psJLv0BOKmSdARztc8Zf_TfG6x9l8C4v8jKJeTW9ZCmhl2eEmcRFhKabv-A4Q1wQ-qXoRtm5qa1gyxeInScdTv0HiH-1RY0S-v7pD-4hJbd7/s1600/Blog+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZdwyV_zVeZwS_VYnjt69s0vhGVLGJBdV5psJLv0BOKmSdARztc8Zf_TfG6x9l8C4v8jKJeTW9ZCmhl2eEmcRFhKabv-A4Q1wQ-qXoRtm5qa1gyxeInScdTv0HiH-1RY0S-v7pD-4hJbd7/s320/Blog+2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">In a short
period of time great feet’s had been made with the building work and we had transformed
a rickety structure into the beginnings of a Herculean monument. As all structural
engineers know the best building material available to man is the trusty
zip-tie, capable of holding huge weights this was chosen to be the main
component in making sure the nursery would have a much greater chance of
surviving the next cyclone!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWhHoWlC0vuI666-Hic3x1bHRvWaUEARaFxiQG_br1_t_g4q6-lgpKyfgd8SccwwHJ5WrO2KDUzqSgfWPpGVNITuUPU8Rr9oDJLHyVxbBDPsdJ6S1vjZl1p7yBwXo8nNWWLp3fqmeRNbbs/s1600/Blog+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWhHoWlC0vuI666-Hic3x1bHRvWaUEARaFxiQG_br1_t_g4q6-lgpKyfgd8SccwwHJ5WrO2KDUzqSgfWPpGVNITuUPU8Rr9oDJLHyVxbBDPsdJ6S1vjZl1p7yBwXo8nNWWLp3fqmeRNbbs/s320/Blog+4.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"> After
the new structure was raised and secured, we started to cover the roof and north
facing side in perforated netting which would protect the new mangrove
propagules from the sizzling Fiji sun. This required a fair bit of balancing,
as one volunteer wasn’t tall enough to reach over the upper poles. I being the
lightest was thrown onto the shoulders of the tallest in order to zip tie the
netting to the bamboo.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"> As
the day was coming to a close and motivation was falling, we had some
reinforcements… The local children were coming home from school! The girls had
been filling the pots at an incredible pace and we soon had over 800 propagules
planted! The children, a tad confused and very excited to see what had been
built in their village ran out to start putting the now perfectly filled bottle
pots with the new propagules into the nursery. Darting in and out they helped
us to place the bottle pots into 10 by 10 squares, until the 800 were in place.
</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIxfXVDWWlf7c7LKo_XdyLs45JLwcvedGcYfsHswdmRAh_j8AcXQMOWQTnMnxQBwVHL6K_XPpSSiGWY9q11YxCOZsvQkn53Z0VGCEZIwXCTMRVK6YQz_DWEcb55-kvnzxLc9RM80oND3gW/s1600/Blog+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIxfXVDWWlf7c7LKo_XdyLs45JLwcvedGcYfsHswdmRAh_j8AcXQMOWQTnMnxQBwVHL6K_XPpSSiGWY9q11YxCOZsvQkn53Z0VGCEZIwXCTMRVK6YQz_DWEcb55-kvnzxLc9RM80oND3gW/s320/Blog+3.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">It’s incredible
to see what can be achieved when we git our teeth and work together. I loved to
see the kids so enthusiastic about their new nursery, as its them who will be
growing up in the new Fiji which if is going to prosper needs the help of the
mangroves to protect against the Cyclones, and over fishing which is occurring
in there waters.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span lang="EN-GB">Collecting
Propagules </span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"> Every
few weeks we have to restock our mangrove propagule supply. This is either via
walking up the rivers and beaches, plucking them from the trees, or the best
wading through the stink and collecting them from the water and mud. We collect
about 8 bags a time which last us about a week, and is vital for the
continuation of the planting around our nurseries and the ones in the villages
and schools around us. We also try to collect as many bottles as possible from
the beaches on the clean ups to repurpose into the bottle pots. We try and get
as many of the locals involved in the clean ups to show them firsthand the
damage that the plastic’s do to the environment (it’s also nice to have a few
extra hands here and there!). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span lang="EN-GB">Work
in our Nursery</span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"> At
our very own Ventura apartments we have our very own, very large nursery which
has managed to pump out over 66,000 healthy developed mangrove propagules set
with a root system and leaves into the wild. We have a near factory system of
planting -> weeding -> return to the wild. This is very effective. We
have a doubled layered nursery to maximise our production, which is kept in
check by our mangrove enthusiast Chris. </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">We spend a lot
of time making the half-bottle-pots which we’ve collected from our beach clean
ups and local businesses such as Uprising who saves all there plastic’s for us.
Having the local businesses support on these matters in vital in the protection
of the mangroves in the area. The most time consuming and back breaking is the
weeding, the fresh, moist, perfectly sun lit soil which is perfect for growing
mangroves is unfortunately perfect for all the weeds and grasses. So we remove
these competitors as quickly as possible from their environment to give the
mangroves the greatest chance of survival.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span lang="EN-GB">Teaching
in the Schools</span></u><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Every few weeks
we go to some of the local schools to teach them about the importance of
mangroves and how they are crucial to the survival of huge amounts aquatic life
which the Fijians need for both as a source of food and tourism. This in my
opinion is the most important work we do. For this project to work we need the
support of the people who live here as they are they maintain the safety and
growth of mangroves. It’s hard for a child to comprehend the long term effects
of destroying the mangroves which we try and illiterate in an interesting way.
Cut down a mangrove tree -> No home for birds, fish, insects, sharks -> Predation
on the young species increases as there is less space to hide, populations of
the juvenile fish and sharks decreases -> therefore less fish make it into their
seas -> less food, fewer divers -> prices of fish go up due to less
supply and greater imports + fewer divers leads to less money for the towns,
villages and city’s which they come to visit -> then fewer jobs and on and
on… And that’s just a few reasons why mangroves are massively important. And
teaching the children who will grow up to be the divers, fisherman, politicians
of Fiji it’s nice to think they may think back and consider the impacts of
things they do on the environment.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span lang="EN-GB">“The mangrove forest
sustains the people who sustain the mangrove forest…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Pisit Charnsanoh, Yadfon
Association, Trang, Thailan<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12143691045716576502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8943142574825636642.post-60921931709225175272016-04-23T15:04:00.000-07:002016-04-23T15:04:24.649-07:00Mangrove Monday!!!<h1 style="margin-top: 24.0pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; page-break-after: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Some of you may have a pretty good
idea of what mangroves are, some of you may not. In this blog I will tell you
about my experiences with the mangroves and about the importance of these
forests, because they are pretty damn cool!</span></span></h1>
<h1 style="margin-top: 24.0pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; page-break-after: auto; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="h.377bg0kr3gyc"></a></h1>
<div class="normal" style="text-align: justify;">
At the shark conservation project we
work in the mangrove nursery every Monday. Mangroves are plants that you can
spot in shallow coastal areas in tropical environments. They grow mainly in
salty water along coastlines and in rivers. At the nursery we recycle plastic
bottles and use them as the base of our mangrove seeds called propagules. The
tasks we get vary in many ways: cutting the bottles in two, making small holes
in the halves, digging up dirt, filling up the bottle halves with dirt, plant
the propagules in the dirt, and water them from time to time. I have to admit:
cutting bottles for hours or digging up dirt when its 35°C are not my favourite
tasks, but they are necessary.</div>
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We give the propagules in our
nursery a few months to grow stronger and bigger before we plant them in the
river beds.</div>
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There they will become big trees,
forming a safe haven for lots of animals like fish, crustaceans, insects,
reptiles, birds, etc. We are particularly interested in sharks breeding near
the mangroves, like Bullsharks, Sicklefin Lemon sharks and the Scalloped
Hammerhead Shark.</div>
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When we are out of propagules we
have to go collect them in the river. If its high tide, we can just pick them
up out of the water our climb the trees. I had to collect them during low tide,
so the boat couldn’t reach the forest. We had to walk through the mud. Every
step we took, our legs sunk deeper and deeper in the bottom. This released
smelly gases, being stuck in the mud for who knows how long. Very pleasant …
But we were determined to overcome every obstacle. Because of the dense
vegetation, we had to move acrobatically along the branches. It was so much
fun! We came back with two full bags of propagules and they nicknamed us ‘the
mangrove warriors’.</div>
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But why are we doing this? The
mangrove forms a unique ecosystem that is of great importance for biodiversity.
It’s a habitat where animals come to feed, breed and hide. It also traps
sediment, provides a buffer against tsunamis, and filters pollution out of the
air we breathe. The more mangroves there are, the healthier the environment,
which is also an advantage for the economy.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="normal" style="text-align: justify;">
Unfortunately each year about 1% of
the mangroves disappear. In 30 years more than 30% of the mangrove forests got
destroyed because of human development. Lots of people prefer beaches, ocean
view, and high buildings to attract tourism. The consequences are more
pollution and less biodiversity. We’re trying to prevent this from happening.</div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="normal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i>“Laws
change, people die, the land remains” – Abraham Lincoln</i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12143691045716576502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8943142574825636642.post-18397485755734601432016-03-26T20:36:00.001-07:002016-04-07T20:46:13.167-07:00Mangrove Monday!!!!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">We’ve been really busy with the Mangroves
this last couple of weeks and our nursery has grown too. We started filling
more and more recycled plastic bottles with soil ready to plant new Mangrove
Propagules. The recycled plastic bottles have been collected and donated to the
project by members of the local communities and villages.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Once our new pots were filled and ready we
needed to head out and find new Propagules to the plant in them. The Propagules
are shaped in such a way that allows them to fall from the branches of the
Mangrove and travel straight down to the bed of the river where they embed
themselves in the sand and mud at the bottom. Here they grow as a new plant and
eventually their stem and leaves can be seen above the water level. If the
water is too deep, the Propagule can float and drift with the current for up to
one year. It will most likely be washed up onto a beach or shallower water and
can change its buoyancy to fall to the river bed once more.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmK6R7XQeVZRRyNctqnnWQVe9r77A3mN97bEULpuAlAWKcTTejOkiiND7W6P6R0qJ78vyqwAlBQTXpf8uwYfTHMPqf4Nq4fwWKnVQviyzFe_fLABfHaR8-SSf42wzYnhPf5op8zM7NsDvB/s1600/IMG-20160327-WA0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmK6R7XQeVZRRyNctqnnWQVe9r77A3mN97bEULpuAlAWKcTTejOkiiND7W6P6R0qJ78vyqwAlBQTXpf8uwYfTHMPqf4Nq4fwWKnVQviyzFe_fLABfHaR8-SSf42wzYnhPf5op8zM7NsDvB/s320/IMG-20160327-WA0001.jpg" width="320" /></a><span lang="EN-US">A few of us were split into two groups and
each group went out with a local on a boat to collects lots of propagules. One
of the locals dogs, Rusty, decided to join us on this journey and swam to the
middle of the river were we were to join us on the boat. Once we reached the
mangroves we were all ready to get to work and start collecting the propagules.
To be honest it was the most fun and rewarding day, simply because we as a team
had so much fun hanging off the boat and helping each other trying to reach the
ones far and high up in the branches and it was rewarding because we collected
three big bags of propagules. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The most humble experience was the day when
we went out to do community work in a village by a school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think it’s amazing when we learn something
new and interesting and go to share it with the kids in the village. So the day
before we prepared presentations in three groups, about mangroves, their current
status and uses; in construction, fishing and as firewood. Their threats; from
deforestation and water pollution as well as how we can help to protect them.
We encouraged the kids to collect plastic bottles and bring them to our
nurseries. So that they could be a part of the project too.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ8I_CKycTbTmCGU6h_7pIFvisrvnzjlSo79s36dA3ZsdrBEtJCCBv90N21jk5vqW_Vl2NpoiB3DMwhxf7eftgPH29nVnn14GM1s51ob16UyuBtIBpyN8OPI5irvKz0SRE2Vgzmn46LCiK/s1600/IMG_5590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ8I_CKycTbTmCGU6h_7pIFvisrvnzjlSo79s36dA3ZsdrBEtJCCBv90N21jk5vqW_Vl2NpoiB3DMwhxf7eftgPH29nVnn14GM1s51ob16UyuBtIBpyN8OPI5irvKz0SRE2Vgzmn46LCiK/s320/IMG_5590.JPG" width="320" /></a><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>We
made posters which included all of the information so when we were finished we
could pin them up on the classroom wall so the kids could look at them and
remember us from Projects Abroad and what we taught them. When we arrived at
the school it was the most amazing feeling ever. Every single one of them had a
huge smile on their face and they were just so happy to see us. We started to
introduce ourselves and told them what part of the world we came from after
that we started our presentation. It was incredible to see how passionate they
were about learning and how engaged they were in what we were saying. We as a
group made it even more fun by getting them involved, sending a propagule
around the class which they had to introduce themselves and had to tell us what
they wanted to become when they all grow up. Fiji should be proud that the
local village kids have so much ambition and big dreams to change the world
into a better and amazing place. Some examples were Teachers, Nurses, Soldiers,
a Pilot, a president and so much more. We got them involved by drawing
different kinds of species they thought were living in the mangroves. It was so
much fun helping them and especially seeing them helping each other. We were
impressed with the artistic skills. With pretty accurate drawings of crabs and
birds and reptiles and, in particular, sharks. Some of the class went even
further in the creativity and drew a whole Mangrove scene with all the animals
on the picture and the root structure and branches too.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVSGThAFtXnoe1kVUSyke-8NNV8hfq9SZoJTb7zU3ctfyXbwlYuJU00O5TxEO_Jp-INKmwVEzhjwYdzNrWBKCO0VfYqlrNsVymAkBGDl2ntCKh7vv-0Yt9Ge2iiZ7q1gDyNkA8vTTi3Nex/s1600/DSC01795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVSGThAFtXnoe1kVUSyke-8NNV8hfq9SZoJTb7zU3ctfyXbwlYuJU00O5TxEO_Jp-INKmwVEzhjwYdzNrWBKCO0VfYqlrNsVymAkBGDl2ntCKh7vv-0Yt9Ge2iiZ7q1gDyNkA8vTTi3Nex/s200/DSC01795.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Tomorrow, on the 21 March, its World
Planting Day. We at Projects Abroad are getting involved by planting mangroves
the whole day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re ready to put long
hours and hard work into this day and it’s an amazing feeling to know that were
making a change, starting with Pacific Harbour and in a few years the whole of
Fiji and hopefully all around the world. Our nursery here at the Projects
Abroad house is the largest Mangrove nursery on the whole of Fiji. We also have
another nursery at the Beqa Adventure Dive shop. Their company wanted to become
completely carbon neutral and the Mangrove nursery allows them to achieve this.
The local hotel (Uprising) also has plans to become carbon neutral and work to
build a new nursery will start their very soon. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrirbEJg8wcl7hZ9CYBdXkIUDMhjjanBLzChf1X6Jz581nhdPzJrlgozAJEkC_o0PwcWC8BvGe1V0-ee_kQorGqX9-q5msS05SJA4gBsgQW2KpWkD-o-ZiUPfrxzkVPA8fIDdNH_nsFl35/s1600/IMG_5590.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12143691045716576502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8943142574825636642.post-25858366263353399992016-02-02T16:07:00.000-08:002016-02-02T16:07:16.348-08:00Mangroves for Fiji Baby!!!!<span id="ext-gen1742" style="background-color: black; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Ubuntu, 'lucida grande', tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">It's Mangrove Monday and our task for today is to fill all the empty bottles with fresh soil and new mangrove propagules. <br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />We are nine volunteers and everyone is super motivated! <br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />The strong boys started to build a cage to place all the bottles and they did a great job! It's separated in two spaces for bottle bottoms and bottle tops. The purpose of the cage is to make the separation process easier, keep the nursery neat, tidy and organised, and to prevent bottles blowing all over the place when the wind picks up. <br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />The other part of the group filled up over 600 new bottles with soil and propagules. After a month or so when they have 2 - 4 leaves, but more importantly a established root system, we take all the little mangroves to plant them along the beach as we did three weeks ago. The purpose of growing them in a nursery is to allow the root system to develop so that when we plant them in the wild they have a greater chance of survival and are more stable in the fine sediments found in mangrove swamps.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />To be honest it can be really hard sometimes to work in the mangroves nursery the whole day. It's hot and sweaty and you just want to jump in the pool to freshen up but at the end of the day it's a great feeling to know that you are part of a team who helps to make a little change in the world, this is marine conservation at a grass roots level. <br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Mangroves are amazing and they are so important for the environment and our whole ecological system. We care about the ocean and we care about the animals who live in that ocean and that's why we don't care if we get dirty or sweaty. It's for Fiji Baby! </span><br />
<div id="ext-gen1746" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Ubuntu, 'lucida grande', tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: black; box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span></div>
<div id="ext-gen1746" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Ubuntu, 'lucida grande', tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">By </span>Isabella Zschaler, 18, Germany</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12143691045716576502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8943142574825636642.post-86805889394211426992015-08-12T02:32:00.002-07:002015-08-12T02:32:33.796-07:00Massive Progress at Ventura Nursery by Matt John<div class="MsoNormal">
Since our last update we have been very productive in the
mangrove nursery at Ventura apartments. We have flown through all 1200 plastic
bottles collected last week; cutting them in half and planting propagules. This
brings the amount of mangroves in our nursery to around 10,000; this is
incredibly promising and will greatly help reduce our carbon footprint. Work
continues on the propagule tables with 18 set up and being used in the nursery
allowing us to constantly increase capacity and make use of all available
space.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi47lJnOAIuwWbWZ6KW6EC7986IhluSpT7hkTFZDRqIK2FpRcEbdODfnFzMvTQeGwsXMo2pT6LiXurDviIGhV8C_uu9b3PXhNQutWY8AOjh2nVfHgz_VbQ1Va0lL6KBIpFrTi71RPq5Bhs3/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi47lJnOAIuwWbWZ6KW6EC7986IhluSpT7hkTFZDRqIK2FpRcEbdODfnFzMvTQeGwsXMo2pT6LiXurDviIGhV8C_uu9b3PXhNQutWY8AOjh2nVfHgz_VbQ1Va0lL6KBIpFrTi71RPq5Bhs3/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We have separated an estimated 1,500 mangroves at Ventura
and know of many more at our other nurseries which are ready to be planted in
the rivers and coastal areas. These will be collected by our partners in WWF
(World Wide Fund for Nature) who will plant them in Suva. In doing so we are
helping to create a vital safe haven for juvenile reef fish, sharks, birds and
many other animals to live. <o:p></o:p></div>
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New structural supports grounded in concrete have been
erected to replace the existing bamboo supports which are showing signs of wear
and have needed to be repaired in the past. Hopefully, these will provide a
stronger structure which will be more durable.
A useful box has been made to separate the bottle tops and bottoms
allowing a smoother and more efficient work flow. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0nOeSdNZB4btXfZxd2tW-bA4_DSB6Br0L7I5tT4zkeAMB6h_iM2iFpurWz7H93EV3c_y-EvHD6Yf182_1B-a6uz9bNy2PVww804qGsNugHgN9Z2vrYG_BSpgjKOpLbtmMTecLvTp66br/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0nOeSdNZB4btXfZxd2tW-bA4_DSB6Br0L7I5tT4zkeAMB6h_iM2iFpurWz7H93EV3c_y-EvHD6Yf182_1B-a6uz9bNy2PVww804qGsNugHgN9Z2vrYG_BSpgjKOpLbtmMTecLvTp66br/s320/3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Mangrove Monday is sometimes very hard, dirty work;
especially if it is pouring down with rain. However, this week moral was high as
the volunteers recognised the benefit of their hard work and enjoyed revelling
in the mud.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12143691045716576502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8943142574825636642.post-47411971586195797472015-07-06T21:48:00.002-07:002015-07-06T21:48:56.914-07:00Mangroves for Fiji Baby!!!!<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<u><br /></u></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<u>Nursery</u></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
The past week we've doubled the amount of propagule tables!
We've progressed from 6 tables to 12 tables, 9 already installed in our
resident mangrove nursery, 3 in the process of being built. This has allowed us
to further organize and create more space in our nursery. In doing so, we've
been able to develop paths running up and down our nursery, covered in sand to
help absorb any excess water. We've also started hacking away at the grass (using machetes, hoes, rakes, shovels; really anything that works) of the newly
extended area to be able to plant more propagules. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">This week, sadly due to a
shortage of plastic bottles, we started planting some propagules directly into
the ground to prevent them from drying up and dying. We will later transplant
them into plastic bottle pots, once we get enough of them- which came much
sooner and ampler than expected!</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Above; Propaglue tables in the nursery</span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Below; Planting propagules in the nursery</span></div>
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<u style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Plastics</u></div>
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</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Over the last week, due to the spread of the word that we would gladly collect any plastic bottles and pay 3 cents per bottle, we've now collected over 1200 plastic bottles. Our fellow neighbours, Uprising Resort, rose up to the occasion and donated 800 plastic bottles. The rest of our bottles came from Vunibau village, where we went on Thursday for our community day. After presenting presentations on plastics, we proceeded to go around the village collecting plastic bottles from homes and picking them up from the ground for around 2 hours. In that time, we amassed 391 bottles! This not only results in a cleaner environment and many propagule pots but also in 11.73 FJD towards the village youth fund.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjReAeikp3JQLgXO4TUR_gFPFUQKQjyCcN2AQYuFViSAjU720XPL00haDFp8nrBA2lxDN_zKEZdDiHdX8IYYYy9N22b4jsASR1CHVp3Xg73bajDZ6akghrajqTNzVA5u3-SeC6eDc8rBmv/s1600/P7020066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjReAeikp3JQLgXO4TUR_gFPFUQKQjyCcN2AQYuFViSAjU720XPL00haDFp8nrBA2lxDN_zKEZdDiHdX8IYYYy9N22b4jsASR1CHVp3Xg73bajDZ6akghrajqTNzVA5u3-SeC6eDc8rBmv/s320/P7020066.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Above; Plastics collected from Vunibau village </div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">All this collective work and plastics will keep us very busy and happy saving the environment one mangrove tree at a time! We love Mangroves for Fiji!!!</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Sabine Baily, 19, Washington
USA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12143691045716576502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8943142574825636642.post-10601791870262128992015-06-23T01:13:00.002-07:002015-06-23T01:13:52.331-07:00Another productive week<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Being both a long term and repeat volunteer
on the Shark Conservation project in Fiji has given me the opportunity to see
the evolution of the mangrove aspect of the project. This past Sunday I was
able to participate in extending our resident mangrove nursery for the second
time. We extended the nursery by 1/3 of its current size increasing the amount
of mangroves that we can plant from 10,000 to 15,000. Extending the nursery is
a slightly comical task because when you put five twenty-something year olds
together and tell them to build an extension to an existing structure, all of
them become structural engineers. </span></div>
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Besides extending the nursery we also started building and implementing propagule tables; 6 to be exact. The top half of the bottles are placed on the tables fitting neatly in the mesh squares whereas the bottom half of the bottles sit underneath the tables. This has allowed us to maximise space in the nursery area meaning potential capacity has doubled from 15,000 to 30,000 propagules once all tables have been constructed. The problem now is that there simply aren't enough plastic bottles but not to worry, we have started spreading the word to local villages that we want their waste plastics and are will to pay 3 cents for each bottle. This will not only supply a small income to local communities but more importantly recycles plastics that would otherwise end up being burned, sent to landfill or end up at sea. </div>
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By Robert Thomas, 21, USA</div>
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<o:p></o:p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12143691045716576502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8943142574825636642.post-86361862479201160132015-05-26T16:35:00.002-07:002015-05-26T16:49:44.036-07:00Mangrove Day – Monday, May 25, 2015<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">On May 25, Mangrove Day was a combination of a beach pick up for
propagules in the morning and planting and expanding our very own Mangrove
nursery at Ventura apartments. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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We were picking up live propagules at Uprising Resort beach for about 3 hours filling up bin bags. With a team of about 22 this was highly effective with rough estimates of this pickup of over 5,000 propagules, resulting as one of the best beach pickups we've ever had. In the afternoon we started filling up the empty plastic bottles and planted around 2,000. Thus expanding our nursery from around 5,500 to 7,500. The very exciting thing about this nursery is that there’s room for much, much more. All in all it was one of the most successful Mangrove pick up and planting days we've had in a while.<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Mangroves are incredibly</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> important part of
conservation of our oceans creatures. Mangroves provide a home and shelter for
a big part of ocean juvenile creatures, and if there is a constant decrease in
mangrove forests on a global scale, this is a problem for us all. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The main steps
the Mangrove for Fiji project encounter include; collecting propagules,
planting the propagules in a protected garden area, where they can be monitored
and nurtured to increase survival rate and the last step planting them in the
wild.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">By Theo Peeters, England <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12143691045716576502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8943142574825636642.post-11439126020904532462015-05-13T19:06:00.001-07:002015-05-13T19:17:03.774-07:00Mangroves for Fiji from a volunteers perspective<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The Mangrove for Fiji project, run by Projects Abroad in correlation with the shark
conservation project, is a very big and important part of conservation of our
oceans creatures. Mangroves create a home and shelter for a big part of the oceans
juvenile creatures, and the constant decrease in mangrove forests on a global
scale is a problem for us all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The Mangroves for Fiji project has three main steps; collecting propagules, planting
the propagules in a protected garden area, where they can be monitored and
nurtured to increase survival rate and the last step planting them in the
wild.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">A typical
mangrove day on the project will start at 9 am. As a group, we will attack
the garden. Each person will be given a specific job, which is decided by our
staff. There is a number of specific jobs; cutting plastic bottles, filling
plastic bottles with nutritious dirt, digging and providing nutritious dirt,
placing bottles in/on the ground in squares of one hundred, planting the
mangroves in the bottle and watering the plants.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">On days
where we are in need of propagules, we will as a group go to either a village
or a specific beach; here we spent up to 3 hours collecting propagules, and if
the collecting is in a village, we will help the local nursery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Every 2-3
months we will plant the now grown mangroves in the wild. This process is
simple; we will go to all our nurseries, where mangroves that show enough
maturity will be collected, and brought to a specific location and then planted
with one meter distance from each other. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Although mangrove work is not the most popular amongst the volunteers because it is hard work and takes time, many volunteers have described it with the following sentence;
“it’s like taking a very long run, it’s tough and it takes time, but the
result in the end is visible and a fantastic feeling, especially planting them
in the wild”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I
personally have enjoyed seeing the mangrove project expand, especially in the
last 2 months. Seeing thousands of plants standing in blocks of hundreds, and
knowing that you actually did something to make that happen, is an awesome
feeling. Is hard work and some mornings you really don’t want to be in the
garden, but the result is something very special.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">This week
the volunteer team achieved a lot. We not only collected ~3500 propagules from
Navua river, but also replaced all the dead propagules in Vunibau village nursery
with new live ones and planted an additional 1100, planted 900 propagules in
the Ventura nursery, and finally repaired and cleaned up the nursery in Pacific
Harbour’s Multi Cultural School and planted an additional 500 propagules there;
a successful day all round!!! We now have approximately 10,000 mangrove propagules growing in our nursery areas and this could cover 1 hectare in the wild. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Until next
week when we will make even more progress,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Anders
Kallestrup Morgen, 21, Denmark </span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9L3lFtGFjBNj0FvnpWir6GRP7eriMa1BGq5J1hYkfgNEqMoB-2njNJqG73njcx0e70K2EHZTKftpyF7CG5m6q5mZGOxk3mcFyGIrK_AQvv_5_Hd2LcH-5MMCp3xxvatwrIx-wk9eTsRb/s1600/P5111007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9L3lFtGFjBNj0FvnpWir6GRP7eriMa1BGq5J1hYkfgNEqMoB-2njNJqG73njcx0e70K2EHZTKftpyF7CG5m6q5mZGOxk3mcFyGIrK_AQvv_5_Hd2LcH-5MMCp3xxvatwrIx-wk9eTsRb/s320/P5111007.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Above; Vunibau Village Nursery</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_kpgJQ05fEd_H2PVseTTjCZPo-ZP7M7YyNbD9tSFUc3hP1_rqPDdAr2jQPC4nJo8J96wY9BJEaP3spFj0aj4XHHkg7Uo3LrCSBPwYL-LUkRQXgi0Y4OFvTh25p6z9E1o9-CHudgXrHap/s1600/P5111010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_kpgJQ05fEd_H2PVseTTjCZPo-ZP7M7YyNbD9tSFUc3hP1_rqPDdAr2jQPC4nJo8J96wY9BJEaP3spFj0aj4XHHkg7Uo3LrCSBPwYL-LUkRQXgi0Y4OFvTh25p6z9E1o9-CHudgXrHap/s320/P5111010.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Above; Pacific Harbour Multi Cultural School Nursery before. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Below; </span>Pacific Harbour Multi Cultural School Nursery after.</div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj967zle0-oZeZL89zu08hPk0zMHtE02BRVWjat8WFkWxZQ2sJC71AoZSaI-nNI3I7vpR8SHRn9unsMnp6Ipr4G-yqRDP3c1YM4IxpWdNLujUBDTp4LEaVeeQbFVJURLGy2mRH4Sco4oNIF/s1600/P5111014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj967zle0-oZeZL89zu08hPk0zMHtE02BRVWjat8WFkWxZQ2sJC71AoZSaI-nNI3I7vpR8SHRn9unsMnp6Ipr4G-yqRDP3c1YM4IxpWdNLujUBDTp4LEaVeeQbFVJURLGy2mRH4Sco4oNIF/s320/P5111014.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp1aZyZ490Ku_tacFkHarU35ah3Pf_filAy63_unuEbrNJO1TicYmZpYnGRhvEGu79x1QkiwgR1A1ruTm-0hGajJS1PPvU3pEnD__HtMHC3fM_TrarzhUSohNQ3pODXhDAd0sY-gqWfhy-/s1600/P5111018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp1aZyZ490Ku_tacFkHarU35ah3Pf_filAy63_unuEbrNJO1TicYmZpYnGRhvEGu79x1QkiwgR1A1ruTm-0hGajJS1PPvU3pEnD__HtMHC3fM_TrarzhUSohNQ3pODXhDAd0sY-gqWfhy-/s320/P5111018.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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Above; Ventura Apartment Nursery</div>
<span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12143691045716576502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8943142574825636642.post-10529193158428835512015-04-21T17:45:00.002-07:002015-04-21T17:45:40.712-07:00Ventura Apartment Nursery<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">On the 13<sup>th</sup> of April we were
tasked with expanding our mangrove nursery in the garden. The capacity of our
previous nursery was around 3500 mangrove propagules. We’d been given a bunch
of bamboo logs for the roof, but there was no specific goal in mind except to
expand the nursery. So while the girls began preparing the propagules and the
pots for them, the boys started building another roof. In order to do that, we
first had to remove all the grass in the area. With help from the locals, we
managed to remove pretty much all of it. Then the soil had to be flattened; so
a few of us started flattening the soil, while the others brought more dirt to
fill the holes. After that, the roof could be built. We quickly measured up the
bamboo logs and decided which logs were fit for being pillars, and which were
fit for being crossbars. Afterwards, we put the canopy over the bamboo
structure, and it was done! While the boys were doing that, the girls had been
preparing the propagules and the pots. The pots are basically bottles that have
been cut in half and then filled with topsoil; recycling at its best! So after
the roof was done, it was time to plant some new propagules! We managed to
plant 700 propagules in the time that we had left that afternoon, so we ended
up on a total of 4200 propagules, with room for many many more!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12143691045716576502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8943142574825636642.post-82853758727613666022015-04-21T17:32:00.003-07:002015-04-21T17:46:21.354-07:00Vunibau Village Nursery<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">On the 31<sup>st</sup> of March a group of
around 16 volunteers from Projects Abroad went to Vunibau village near Pacific
Harbour with the aim of repairing the existing mangrove nursery, then
collecting and planting as many mangrove propagules as possible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">We arrived at 9:15am and immediately split
into 3 groups. The first group was in charge of fixing the mangrove nursery
which involved constructing a canopy made of bamboo and green nets. The second
group went to collect propagules and soil from the nearby river to prepare for
planting. And the other group went through the large pile of plastic bottles sorting
out the tops from the bottoms so that we could plant them separately.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">After the nursery had been constructed and
enough propagules had been collected, we all began to plant the propagules. It
was well organized as some people filling the bottles with soil and planting
the propagules in them, then others were putting the mangroves in 10x10 squares
of 100 and the rest were collecting more soil/propagules when we were running
low. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">We continued to work until almost midday
before we had to head back to the apartments. Our initial goal for the day was
to rebuild the nursery and plant 600 propagules. However, we shattered our
target by planting 1500 propagules and collecting over 2000 more to take back
with us and be planted at a later date. We then watered them thoroughly, said
goodbye to the locals and left the village.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">A week later, on the 7<sup>th</sup> of
April, we returned to the same village to continue planting propagules.
Although it had only been a week, a few of the propagules had already started
to sprout leaves and many had grown since we planted them. We picked up where
we left off and proceeded to plant 1044 propagules before we ran out of plastic
bottles to use. Therefore overall, a group of 16 volunteers planted 2544
mangroves in Vunibau village over a 2 week period.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12143691045716576502noreply@blogger.com0