Coral cover percentage for sustainable marine protected area management in Tidung Island

Abstract

Coral reef health is an important indicator for the assessment of sustainable protected coral reef management and conservation. Indicator will include some community properties namely coral cover and life forms. Coral cover information is basic data in sustainable marine protected area management. This study aims to determine coral cover in the marine protected area of Tidung Island, Seribu Islands. Data retrieval was carried out in the highly protected area with 3 repetitions at a depth of 5 to 10 meters using the Line Intercept Transect (LIT) method. The results showed that the lifeform was dominated by Coral Foliose (62.56%), other than that it was identified as Coral Encrusting, Acropora Branching, Coral Branching, Coral Massive, Coral Mushroom, and Coral Submassive. Observations identified 9 family and 15 genera with excellent hard coral cover percentage (82%). Coral cover percentage others consisting of abiotic (4.11%), algae (0.85%), dead coral with algae (4.41%), soft coral (3.31%), sponge (2.27%), others (3.05%). Marine protected areas are prohibited areas for tourism and fisheries, nevertheless, with a high percentage of coral cover, Tidung Island MPA can be a spawning ground, feeding ground, nursery ground, thus will creating new fishing grounds which indirectly has an impact on improving the community economy from fish catches.