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Talakhaya Revegetation
ProjectUS Coral Reef Task Force Meeting
September 2016
Outline Background/History
Talakhaya CAP
Past and Current Work
Barriers and needs
Future Work
Monitoring Summary
Background/History
Rota - Talakhaya Watershed & Conservation Area
Outline Background/History
Talakhaya CAP
Past and Current Work
Barriers and needs
Future Work
Monitoring Summary
Talakhaya Conservation Action Plan Est. 2010
“Protehi i rikesan i tano yan i tasi” Protect the wealth of our land and sea
Targets for management and protection:
Wildlife including birds and fish
Coral reef ecosystem
Endangered and medicinal plants
Forest
Freshwater
Soil
Major threats:
Fire
Invasive plants and animals
Deforestation
Overharvest
Soil erosion and runoff
Natural disturbances
Poaching
Talakhaya Conservation Action PlanEst. 2010
“Protehi i rikesan i tano yan i tasi” Protect the wealth of our land and sea
Targets for management and protection:
Wildlife including birds and fish
Coral reef ecosystem
Endangered and medicinal plants
Forest
Freshwater
Soil
Major threats:
Fire
Invasive plants and animals
Deforestation
Overharvest
Soil erosion and runoff
Natural disturbances
Poaching
Outline Background/History
Talakhaya CAP
Past and Current Work
Barriers and needs
Future Work
Monitoring Summary
Talakhaya Revegetation Project
First planting season: 2007
Goal: To control erosion and reduce sedimentation, while building community support and educational outreach efforts as well as preventing fire through field surveillance.
Total grasses and trees planted to-date: 290,000+
Total acres covered: 84+
Project Phases
Lupok As OnanAlesnaPhase I = As Onan*
Phase II = Alesna*
Phase III = Lupok
*most critical
Wonder grass introduced in 2009
Vetiver Grass - Vetiveria zizanioides
Methodologies Establish critical areas first
Species focus:
Grasses = Vetiver grass (wonder grass) and Bahia grass
Trees = Acacia confusa (non-native)
Plant grasses on contour/elevation lines - top to bottom to avoid damage
Plant vetiver in single rows with 1 ft spacing
Between rows plant:
Bahia grass at 1-2 ft spacing
Acacia 2-3 ft. above row of vetiver at 6-12 ft spacing
Plots assigned GPS points
Community Support
No Burning Campaign Inform public of the
impact grass fires have on the entire ecosystem.
Effective, no fires since 2013
Barriers and Needs Barriers
Steep and often dangerous terrain making site access difficult
Limited equipment available to carry up seedlings and other supplies
Needs
6-9 more years of funding to fully complete required work
Proper transportation
Improved road conditions
Future Work Identify funding opportunities to continue the work in
Talakhaya
Transition to planting native tree species
Continue monitoring freshwater streams and coastal areas including coral reefs
Continue involving community in project work
Planting volunteers
Community outreach events
Outline Background/History
Talakhaya CAP
Past and Current Work
Barriers and needs
Future Work
Monitoring Summary
Quantifying Our Efforts: Monitoring
Location Monitoring Periods Indicators
Coral Reef Ecosystems
2000 to present, CNMI DEQ Food fish size and abundance, algal diversity, benthic cover, coral community characteristics and macroinvertebrateabundances
Coastal Marine Water Quality
2016 to present, CNMI BECQ Total suspended solids and turbidity, pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, salinity
Stream Water Quality
2013 to 2014, University of Guam
2016 to present, CNMI BECQ
Total suspended solids and turbidity, pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, salinity
Marine Monitoring Data
Survey Sites
2000-2016; 13 surveys
2008-2016; 5 surveys
Marine Monitoring Data Biological Indicators
cover (2000)
abundance and diversity (2000)
recruitment, size-class distribution, & diversity (2004)
abundance, biomass, size-class distribution, & diversity (2012)
species richness (2012)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
10020
00
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
Ben
thic
Cov
er (
perc
ent)
Survey Year
Corals & Coralline Algae
Macroalgae & Turf
Benthic Cover
Rota average Site average
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Num
ber
recr
uits
/m2
Year
Coral Recruitment
Rota average Site average
Coral Size-Class Distribution
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
0-2 cm 2-4 cm 4-8 cm 8-16 cm 16-32 cm 32-64 cm >64 cm
Num
ber/
m2
Size Class
2004
2005
2007
2008
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Macroinvertebrate Abundance
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
16020
00
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
Num
ber
per
100
m2
Year
Giant clamsEdible shells (other)Sea stars (corallivores)Sea stars (other)Sea cucumbersCrinoidsUrchins (grazers)Urchins (other)Total
Fish
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
2012 2013 2014 2015
Bio
mas
s (k
g)/S
PC
Year
Biomass
Apex predator Tertiary cons. Planktivore
Secondary cons. Herbivore Total
0
5
10
15
20
25
2012 2013 2014 2015
Num
ber/
SPC
Year
Abundance
Biodiversity
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Num
ber
of s
peci
es
Coral
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
Num
ber
of g
ener
a
Macroinvertebrate
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
2012 2013 2014 2015
Num
ber
of s
peci
es
Fish
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
2012 2013 2014 2015
Num
ber
of s
peci
es
Macroalgae
Marine Monitoring Summary Long-term monitoring of biological indicators is necessary
to assess the effectiveness of upstream management actions and inform management decisions.
Positive trends in key biological indicators at Talakhaya sites, consistent with island-wide patterns, indicate that watershed management has been effective
Cover of reef accreting substrates
Coral recruitment, size-class distribution, & diversity
Macroinvertebrate abundances
Improved water quality sampling will help link changes in vegetative cover to downstream biological parameters
Lyza Johnston, Ph.D.Lead Biologist - Marine Monitoring ProgramCNMI Bureau of Environmental and Coastal [email protected]
Autumn PoissonCoral Reef Management FellowCNMI Bureau of Environmental and Coastal [email protected]
