Summer 2014 | 6 weeks
In 2014, I was part of the Texas A&M study abroad program in Fiji and Australia. I spent 10 days in Fiji and 4 weeks in Australia learning about sustainable tourism and natural resource conservation. The program focused on human–environment interactions, natural resource management, threats to marine and terrestrial ecosystems, marine ecology, and the relationship between natural resources and Fijian or Australian economy and society.
The marine ecology work we conducted during this trip peaked my interest in marine ecology and global threats to ecosystems, and ultimately led me to pursue my Ph.D. in marine ecology!
The marine ecology work we conducted during this trip peaked my interest in marine ecology and global threats to ecosystems, and ultimately led me to pursue my Ph.D. in marine ecology!
Fiji
In Fiji, we conducted reef surveys off of Barefoot Island to evaluate the success of ecological restoration efforts on the East side of the island. We found that where there were active ecological restoration and protection efforts – such as coral planting, clam farming, and limited tourist access – the reef was much healthier and more biodiverse. This is of importance to the Fijians in terms of resource management, as most of their food supply comes from reef-dependent fish species. The degradation of coral reefs also negatively impacts tourism in Fiji, which is an extremely important source of revenue for the country.
Australia
We conducted a similar project in Australia, at the Great Barrier Reef. We surveyed coral reefs in two different park zones: one where only snorkeling and diving are allowed, and one from which certain species may be extracted. We found a higher abundance and diversity of species in the “no-take” zone. This implies that even non-extensive human activities such as recreational fishing can have significant impacts on the reef. This type of project peaked my interest in work around defining zone delimitations for marine protected areas.
We also had the opportunity to monitor re-vegetation efforts in a segment of the Daintree Rainforest. Like the Great Barrier Reef, the Daintree Rainforest is an incredibly complex, diverse, and valuable ecosystem. It is also at risk from changing climate conditions and heterogeneous forest clearing, which results in landscape fragmentation and decreased ecosystem resilience. A re-vegetation project was therefore implemented to create vegetation corridors and restore landscape connectivity. I contributed to the existing database of tree properties by measuring tree height and assessing overall health by examining the foliage.
We also had the opportunity to monitor re-vegetation efforts in a segment of the Daintree Rainforest. Like the Great Barrier Reef, the Daintree Rainforest is an incredibly complex, diverse, and valuable ecosystem. It is also at risk from changing climate conditions and heterogeneous forest clearing, which results in landscape fragmentation and decreased ecosystem resilience. A re-vegetation project was therefore implemented to create vegetation corridors and restore landscape connectivity. I contributed to the existing database of tree properties by measuring tree height and assessing overall health by examining the foliage.