April marked the start of a very hectic month for Mamanuca Environment Society (MES). It marked the start of Reef check and Site inspection which involves the 11 member resorts under MES. These are two of the ongoing projects that MES facilitates with its member resorts.
Site Inspection is an inspection that is carried out twice every year for every resort member. It is a key element in trying to keep a workplace up to standard with making a place safe for working and also taking into account the natural surroundings. It inspects the activity in a resort to see if it is operating in compliance with environmental laws and regulations.
The different workplace departments in the resorts are inspected keeping focus on the main areas such as the kitchen, laundry, resort workshop, engine room, desalination plant, fuel storage, dumping site, staff quarters and septic tank and most of all the condition of the resorts.
Then at the end a report is compiled on the findings where recommendations are also put through to be seen by the managers of the individual resorts.
The reef check on the other hand inspects the reef system around the resorts. The reef check is survey is carried out to determine the health status of the reef by surveying the substrate types existing on that reef combined with the presence of bio-indicator species. This indicator species represent a certain factor that affects the marine ecosystem.
Such species include butterfly fish, Grouper, Hump head Wrasse, Parrot fish, sea cucumber, giant clams and certain coral colonies. Reef check is done twice a year where the data collected is analyzed and compared to the last reef check findings to see if the change is good or bad and to also make recommendations for reef areas that need restoration initiatives. The report is then presented to the management at each resort.
Reef check and site inspection kicked off with Castaway Island Resort. Reef check was also carried out at Vomo Island Resort awaiting site inspection to follow. Tokoriki island resort was the second resort where site inspection was carried out. The site inspection and Reef check will be completed once all member resorts have been inspected and their surrounding reef surveyed.
