Our Projects
Here at Mulala Marine Sanctuary, there are always a ton of different projects going on. Check out some of our latest endeavors below to get an idea of what we are working on right now!
01
The Sanctuary
We are constantly monitoring the 1 km coast of the sanctuary, looking out for fishermen who ignore the MPA's boundaries. We work directly with the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Community Councils of Fisheries (CCP), and the Maritime Police.
02
Growing the Corals
Our marine center is working on initiatives to reintroduce coral populations in the MPA. Our coral populations have been slowly declining over the years due to fishing and environmental reasons, and we are working hard to get them back to their full capacity!
03
Restoring Sea Cucumbers
Sea cucumbers are an incredibly important part of marine eco-systems. However, in recent years the sea cucumber populations in our MPA have become endangered due to fishing. Now, we are trying to reintroduce sea cucumbers, so that our ecosystem can continue to thrive.
04
Local Projects
One unfortunate drawback of our MPA is that local people may get less protein in their diet as a result of the restricted fishing areas. In order to balance the scales, we are starting a program to breed rabbits, and place them in local villages. Rabbits can survive eating only foliage, so they are a great solution for people who cannot afford to pay for livestock feed, but still need protein supplements in their diet.
05
Prawn Protection
We introduce around 800,000-1,200,000 prawns into our MPA each year. The prawns are able to mature in the MPA's mangrove, and during the rainy season, wash out into the ocean to breed. Once they leave the MPA's boundaries they are then able to be fished by local fishermen.
06
Mangrove Conservation
We have two mangrove species within the Sanctuary: red and black mangroves. We are in the process of establishing a mangrove nursery to grow mangrove seed pods and encourage the growth of the two species within the mangrove ecosystems in the estuary within the Sanctuary.
