A driver has damaged a small section of a new border of mangrove propagules planted at Barcadere Marina as part of a pilot project to test the feasibility of using recycled glass to protect local wetlands.
The damage to the site happened just days after the more than 600 red mangrove propagules were planted. The driver had apparently reversed onto some of the mangroves that were in burlap sacks along the coastline.
Glassroots KY project lead Lodovica Speri, commenting on the situation, said signage and protection of the site is being looked into.
“Someone backed into our site and destroyed the mangroves we had planted there. Quite something considering the road ends abruptly into the water; you would think you’d want to park well away from it. We are discussing with the [Department of Environment] about putting up a chain or some cones with a sign to make people aware this is a protected research site,” she said.
Protecting the coastline
The planting exercise was aimed at creating a new border of mangroves along Cayman’s coastline and marked the beginning of phase two of the organisation’s ongoing pilot project to restore the islands’ mangrove cover.
Speri, speaking to the project, said there was excitement over the progress that has been made as they test the feasibility of using recycled glass as a base to restore local wetlands as has been done in Louisiana in the US.
“We are officially in full swing, having completed the mangrove restoration setup, now we have to watch nature do its part,” she told the Cayman Compass via email Tuesday.
She said the team had two big volunteering weekends on 18 and 25 Nov. with a really good turnout.
Before the teams could set out to plant the mangroves in their burlap sacks, she said, they had to clear the area at their Barcadere Marina site.
She said it “was severely littered, but in just 90 (minutes) it was turned into a place to be proud of”.
The team collected 34 large bins (55 gallons) full of mixed trash, 165 gallons of recyclable plastic, 30 gallons of aluminium and 100 gallons of glass.
“There will be a no littering sign going up on the site and a board with an overview of what Glassroots KY is attempting to do here. Hopefully, people will respect this area more when it looks clean and realize what it could turn into if protected,” she said.
The six-month project, which kicked off on 1 Oct., is being funded through a Darwin Initiative grant.
Glass sand becomes base
She explained that once the site was cleared, the teams, which included a number of volunteers, filled the burlap sacs with glass sand to create the island’s storm barrier.
“It took about 2.5 tonnes of sand to create something strong enough to break the waves enough and create a calm area behind to grow in. We experimented with several different strategies. One was planting the mangrove propagules directly into the bags making up the barrier. We also created a second line and planted some there,” she said.
One tonne of sand, she said, was poured directly on top of the seagrass mulch to create a glass beach, and the mangroves were planted in there.
“Lastly, we mixed seagrass and sand and placed the bags at the edge of the water against the eroding road to see if could help stop it from eroding further. Overall, we planted more than 600 red mangrove propagules,” she said.
Now that the site is set up, she said, the team is moving on to its other projects.
The DoE is looking for a site for a seagrass restoration experiment, she said, “One that is easy to access and monitor over time. The idea is to fill it up using the burlap bag strategy and watch the seagrass recolonize it.”
Speri said the Glassroots KY team has also partnered with Beacon Farms in North Side to use the recycled glass for their agriculture projects, and they recently received their first tonne of sand for their farming experiments.
The team there, she said, will be starting out in the greenhouse with different mixes of glass sand, soil and compost created from food waste they receive from hotels and supermarkets “in an attempt to create the best fertile soil mix for growing food crops”.
Planting should take place next week, she added.
Speri said during the weekend plantings at Barcadere Marina, the Glassroots KY team was joined by representatives from Junk, Department of Environment, the Mangrove Rangers, National Trust, Protect our Future and Ambassadors of the Environment, as well as interested individuals with their children.
Related Videos
