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YEAR 2006 - CRP Project #1002C (Caribbean)
Project #1002C
Mangrove and Reef Restoration
at Isla Ratones, Puerto Rico
Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
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Staff and volunteers in the
field |
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Project name: |
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Mona Island Marine Reserve Australian Pine Management |
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Project number: |
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1002C |
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Project status: |
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Complete |
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Grant Administrator: |
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Gulf of Mexico Foundation (for NOAA) |
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Grantee: |
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Inter American University of Puerto Rico |
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Project location: |
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Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico |
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Grant period: |
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Jan 1, 2006 - May 31, 2007 |
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Grant amount: |
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$19,596 |
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Land Ownership: |
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Public - administrated by DNER |
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Lat/Long: |
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18.1171, -67.1877 |
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Types of Habitat: |
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Coral reef, seagrass bed, sand |
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Project leader: |
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Ilse M Sanders, Ph.D. (Professor)
PO Box 5100
Dept. of Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Science
Inter American University
San German, Puerto Rico 00683
www.sg.inter.ed |
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Species Benefiting From Restoration:
• Red Mangrove (Rhizophora mangle)
• Corals: (Porites astreoides, Montastraea annularis,
Siderastrea radians, Colpophillia natans)
• French Grunt (Haemulon flavolineatum)
• Bluestriped Grunt (H. sciurus)
• White grunt (H. aurolineatum)
• Schoolmaster (Lutjanus apodus)
• Yellowtail Snapper (Ocyurus chrysurus)
• Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda)
Acres of Habitat To be Restored:
1,000 sq m (0.25 acres)
Project Summary:
Isla Ratones is a nearshore natural reserve islet in the west
coast of Puerto Rico, roughly 122m. (400 ft) EW by 82 m. (270
ft) NS. It has extensive sea grass beds and a fringing reef
along its north coast, and is used mainly for recreation. The
island was formerly completely surrounded by a coral reef and
had a mangrove forest. Due to coral bleaching, disease, and
destruction of reefs by wave force and currents, and to
mangroves cut down, the island has lost approximately 45
percent of its area over the past 60 years. Comité
Caborrojeños pro Salud y Ambiente, Inc. (CCPSA), an NGO,
undertook a restoration project on the island's north shore
to try to stop erosion and sedimentation that is threatening
the reef. During February-May 2005, CCPSA planted 600
mangrove seedlings following the Riley Encased Methodology©
and placed 48 semi-artificial reefs. The mangrove survival
rate has been 88 percent.
We propose to do a second stage to enlarge the area covered
by mangroves and to add more artificial reefs. These
artificial reefs will be used to establish an interpretive
trail and thus educate people about the reefs' importance as
substrate for hard corals and habitat structure for fish and
invertebrates. The project consists of planting 400 mangrove
seedlings and establishing 12 semi-artificial reefs,
monitoring the growth and survival of mangroves and hard
coral and of fish surveys around the artificial reefs. This
project includes students and faculty of Inter American
University, CCPSA and community and school volunteers over
the period of one year.
Project Objectives:
- Restore the north shoreline of Isla Ratones, Cabo Rojo,
Puerto Rico by reestablishing mangroves and establishing
semi-artificial reefs
- Evaluate the success of the present and a previous phase
of the restoration (February-May 2005) by monitoring the
survival, growth, and settling of new prop roots of mangrove
seedlings, and the use by fish and colonization of hard coral
on artificial reefs.
Community Involvement:
The community will help in the placing of the PVC tubes,
planting, setting of reefs, monitoring the development of the
mangroves, and by disseminating the projects’ outcomes in the
schools and community.
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