The health status of coral reef ecosystem in Taka Bonerate, Kepulauan Selayar Biosphere Reserve, Indonesia

Abstract. Wulandari P, Sainal, Cholifatullah F, Janwar Z, Nasruddin, Setia TM, Soedharma D, Praptiwi RA, Sugardjito J. 2021. The health status of coral reef ecosystem in Taka Bonerate, Kepulauan Selayar Biosphere Reserve, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 23: 721-732. This study assessed the coral reef conditions in a tropical marine biodiversity hotspot, Tambolongan and Polassi islands, located within the transition zone of UNESCO's Taka Bonerate Kepulauan Selayar Biosphere Reserve in Indonesia. The islands' coral reefs receive a multitude of pressures from anthropogenic activities, risking the livelihood of local communities which rely on resources, such as fish stocks, from this ecosystem. This study measured the coral and reef fish characteristics and current biodiversity status in the coastal waters surrounding the two islands. The evaluation of the coral reefs condition used the Coral Health Index (CHI), which was determined from the two main components of benthic coverage (using underwater photo transect) and reef fish assemblages. The results showed that, overall, coral reef health status in both islands could be classified as very poor (with scores ranging from 1 to 3, out of 10 for CHI), with medium to nearly low diversity for coral (H' index of 1.5 to 2.24), and medium to high diversity for reef fish (H' index of 2.90 to 3.37). This study observed the ecological responses of both habitat and fish within each environment towards the existing damages, which indicated a degree of habitat resiliency. The results obtained contribute to further understanding the extent of pressures towards the quality of marine habitats in the area. They can also be used as baseline data to devise management measures, such as rehabilitation, restoration, or monitoring programs, to ensure that sustainable development can be pursued without neglecting the necessity for conservation.