Melissa McVee, Coral Cay Conservation, UK
with Jan-Willem van Bochove and Lorrae Guilfoyle
The organisation:
Coral Cay Conservation (www.coralcay.org) is a non for profit organisation based in the UK that works with volunteers in developing countries to research and monitor their coral reefs for conservation purposes. They have survey sites in Tobago, the Philippines and Cambodia. As well as providing scientific research and training, they believe in incorporating and involving local communities to ensure sustainable, workable outcomes with them and their local marine environment.
The conservation issue:
Coral bleaching is usually caused by prelonged periods of unnaturally high water temperature, increasing ocean acidicy, sedimentation or pollution – all increasing pressures due to climate change. These enviornmental stressors cause small algae called zooxanthellae, which usually live safely within the tissue of the coral, to be expelled. Zooxanthellae are a co-host , and in exchange for shelter, can provide up to 90% of the food needed for the corals survival. If the expelled zooxanthellae do not return to the coral, it will slowly die and turn white.
The design:
My entry was designed to engage potentially intertested individuals to the kind of work that is needing to be done at one of Coral Cays' survey areas of Tobago (in this case, assisting in monitoring the effects of coral bleaching) by producing a document that uses emotional based language, illustrations and mapping that worked within a scientic framework. Engaging the viewer was essential as Coral Cay Conservation is reliant on a volunteer workforce to continue its scientific research.
The map is simple and clear in its intention (showing the devastation effects of bleaching over an area) with a highly stylised approach to ensure that the reader is engaged, but not overwhelmed with the scientific information available. The information portrayed needed to be clear and concise, resulting in a simplistic map of Tobago with a larger emphasis on the impact of coral bleaching found around its coastline. Colours, rather than topography details, were essential here. The whites and reds of high bleaching amounts were used to invoke a feeling of devestation, contrasting strongly with the lush greens of land.
As the underlining theme in this document is "Don’t let coral reefs become a thing of the past", the theme was produced with a historic feel, akin to Victorian picture books. This is to envoke a feeling of nostalgia, giving the feeling that to lose the coral reefs would result in the children of tomorrow having no idea of what they contained than that found in dusty books in the library. Colours were therefore selected with this theme in mind. The text, also selected for its historic feel, was presented in an undulating fashion so as to mimic the movement and fluidity of water.
The author:
Although I have been working as a Spatial Analyst for an Environmental Consultancy (Gaia Resources, www.gaiaresources.com.au) in Perth, Western Australia, for the last 6 months I have been assisting Coral Cay Conservation with all their GIS work on a volunteer basis.
The Non for Profit organisation:
Coral Cay Conservation
www.coralcay.org
1st floor Block 1, Elizabeth House, 39 York Rd, London, SE1 7NQ
Email:
Telephone: 020 76201411