Status Assessment of Coral Reefs in the Banda Sea Marine Conservation Area | ||||
| Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries | ||||
| Article 240, Volume 29, Issue 4, July and August 2025, Page 3373-3391 PDF (668.27 K) | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejabf.2025.450220 | ||||
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| Author | ||||
| Arafat et al. | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| Coral reefs are vital marine ecosystems that support biodiversity and provide ecological services, yet they face increasing threats from environmental and anthropogenic pressures. This study aimed to map the distribution and spatial extent of live coral, dead coral, and sandy substrates, determine the percentage of coral cover, assess coral reef conditions, and analyze water quality parameters in the Banda Marine Conservation Area, Central Maluku Province, Indonesia. Data on coral reef distribution were collected using manual on-screen digitization based on high-resolution satellite imagery, based on the Lyzenga model combined with field verification using the Underwater Photo Transect (UPT) method. Coral reef mapping covered four islands: Gunung Api, Neira, Banda Besar, and Pisang. Results showed live coral coverage of 1.41 hectares, dead coral of 0.12 hectares, and sand of 0.01 hectares. The benthic composition of BMCA reefs is dominated by live hard corals (53.67%–70.47%), with moderate abiotic substrates (19.8%–31.01%), low biotic non-coral cover (2.13%–20.13%), and minimal dead coral presence (<1%). Live coral cover percentages were 58.47, 53.67, 70.47, and 61.93% for stations 1 through 4, respectively, with an average live coral cover of 61.13%, categorized as ‘good’ condition. Water quality parameters measured at four stations indicated a mean temperature of 28°C, salinity between 30 and 31ppt, pH values ranging from 6 to 8, and varying current velocity and water clarity consistent with typical reef environments. These findings highlight the relatively healthy status of coral reefs at all stations in the Banda Marine Conservation Area and provide baseline data essential for conservation and sustainable management efforts. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| BMCA; Coral cover assessment; Coral reef distribution; Reef health status; Water quality analysis | ||||
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