Condition of Coral Reef Cover in the Regional Marine Conservation Area Plan, Bone Bay, South Sulawesi, Indonesia

¹ Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries, Hasanuddin University, Indonesia
² Study Program Marine Science, Muhammadiyah University of Palopo, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: hendrahasim@unhas.ac.id

Abstract

The coral reef ecosystem is part of the marine ecosystem that plays a crucial role in the survival of biota and humans, yet it is very vulnerable to damage caused by human activities and natural factors. Regrettably, the recovery of damaged coral reefs takes a long time. The waters of Bone Bay an area that has enormous potential marine biological resources but is under high pressure in the form of excessive fishing and nickel mining production. This has encouraged the government to make Bone Bay a Regional Marine Conservation Area. This study aims to determine the condition of coral reefs and their relationship to oceanographic factors on the West Coast of Bone Bay. The method used in collecting data on coral reef conditions is Line Intercept Transect (LIT) method. The relationship between coral reef conditions and oceanographic parameters was tested using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The results showed that the percentage cover of live coral, dead coral, algae, and other biotas ranged from 14.64-43.38%, 4.16-19.72%, 0.54-29.83% and 21.20-75.59%, respectively. Oceanographic factors (current speed, temperature and salinity) related to coral reef conditions especially dead coral.