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Dear students,
One of the most amazing experiences of my life was when I got to participate as a volunteer with Project Seahorse's Marine
Protected Area survey team in the central Philippines. It took me almost two days (and lots of gross plane food!) to travel
from Canada to the Philippines, but was it ever worth it! There were three volunteers in my team - two of us from Canada
and one from England.
Marine Protected Areas are special areas of water, including the associated plants, animals, and benthic habitat, that have
been set aside by people in the nearby communities as a means to protect the enclosed environment from the effects of
fishing. In essence they provide a refuge for plants and animals. It is also hoped that the animals in these areas will
reproduce, and that the young will leave the MPA and help maintain the fish populations in the surrounding waters. Project
Seahorse has been monitoring these MPAs for some time to see whether they do in fact offer protection to the plants and
animals that live in the area.
As a volunteer I got to dive in many of the MPAs along the Dajanon Bank, a double barrier reef, and survey both the fish and
benthic habitats. This meant that I had to learn the family names of all the fish, and group names of the benthos, in the
area. It took some training, but even that part was fun! Once we were ready, we traveled all around the islands to conduct
the surveys. Each area was very different. In some places the water was so clear you could see the bottom from the boat,
while in others the tides made the water cloudy. I saw all kinds of fish - from the small and territorial clown fish, to
magnificent schools of baracuda. There were lots of animals besides fish too - octopus, squid, and seacucumbers to name
a few.
At night we searched for seahorses. Seahorses are most active at night in the Philippines. We went out with a seahorse
fisher from the village who uses a lantern tied to his small boat to light up the bottom and find them. Due to their
amazing camouflage, seahorses are hard to find in the day let alone in the dark! Luckily the fisher was amazing at
finding them, and when he did find one I would measure it as it held onto my finger with its tail. I loved going into
the water at night. There were lots of bioluminescent plankton, tiny animals that light up when they are disturbed.
If you waved your arms around it appeared as though sparks were flying from your fingers! Unfortunately jellyfish are
attached to our lights and so we had to be careful not to get stung.
In most cases it was clear that the MPAs were protecting the fish. In one area while, we saw hundreds of fish inside the MPA,
once we went outside there were almost none. We also saw the effects of fishing on the habitat - we went to one place where
the fishers use dynamite. Here the coral was all broken. I even heard some dynamite blasts when I was underwater - talk
about scary! As sound travels around 5X faster in water than in air, the blast sounded like it was right behind me even
though it was far away.
As a volunteer I not only immersed myself in the marine world, but in the culture of the islanders around me. It is amazing
how different the Philippines is from my home - for one thing it is definitely hotter! Just rolling over in bed would cause
me to break a sweat. They only have two seasons - wet and dry. I was there during the wet season which meant it rained a
lot. The rain was most often at night and was accompanied by amazing lightening shows.
There are lots of animals outside of the water. The sounds of roosters and dogs filled the air at all times of the day, and
at night you could hear lizards scurrying over the thatched roof. Goats and cows were tied to the side of the roads to
forage on the vegetation. The circle of life is constantly in motion there, and so there were always puppies and other
baby animals around to play with. The children, although shy at start, were quick to befriend me and teach me their games
and songs. In return I helped out at the daycare teaching them "If you're happy and you know it" and "head,
shoulders, knees and toes".
We traveled to many different places and stayed in the homes of villagers along the way. I ate lots of rice and fish, and
slept on bamboo mats shielded from mosquitoes and spiders by only a thin net. Showers were by bucket, and in most places
one had to be careful to preserve the water as many of the islands did not have a source of fresh water, relying either on
collecting the rain or buying it from the mainland. When we weren't working there was a lot of fun to be had - whether
playing volleyball in the local schoolyard or attending village dances. Nothing like dancing under the stars to put one in a
festive mood!
All in all it was an amazing experience. I got to volunteer my time towards marine conservation, learn about another country
and its people, and gain all kinds of new skills. Volunteers are so important in this world. They provide invaluable help
to organizations that can not afford to hire people to do the work. However, volunteering is not entirely selfless! It is
an amazing way to gain practical experience and new skills in all kinds of areas - the same experience that will one day help
you get a job in the career of your choice. In addition, many college scholarship programs look for volunteer experience in
their applicants. Look at me - the volunteer work I did in high school and university helped get me a full scholarship to
graduate school, and after volunteering in the Philippines I ended up with a full time job at Project Seahorse as a research
biologist.
While you may be a bit young right now to have a volunteer experience over seas, there are many other conservation volunteer
options for you to choose from. You could volunteer in your local aquarium or organize a beach clean up crew. You could help
out at the recycling depot or teach younger children about the environment and how they can help to protect it. Even if
environmental conservation is not your thing there are many other places to get involved. Volunteers impact virtually every
aspect of society, including health, education, social services, youth, culture, sports and recreation, the arts, and the
environment. You just have to think of an area that interests you and get involved. A small time commitment on your part
will mean a wonderful service to your community as well as your future.
So get out there! The world needs you!
Sarah Foster,
Project Seahorse |
