CORAL REEF CONDITION AND FISH POPULATION ON COMMUNITY–BASED MARINE PROTECTED AREA IN INDONESIA
Abstract
The study was carried out in 39 Marine Protected Areas within the Province of Southeast Sulawesi, Eastern Indonesia. In particular, the research would look at community participation in creating marine protected area (MPA) to preserve healthy fisheries around coral reef locations. To clarify coral reef condition in the marine protected areas, survey and monitoring of coral reef were conducted in all stations of this region. From 2007, local people in this region have started to create marine protected areas using community participation in their village marine areas. At the village level, MPAs were creating through community participation. In 2007, our research on MPA in eastern Indonesia shows 30.16 % of live coral, 40 % of dead coral, 17.23% of other fauna, 10.46 % of abiotic (sands and stones), and 2.15 % of macro algae covered the entire coral reef in the region observed. In 2008, the covered of live coral reef have increased to 33.3 %, dead coral have become 36 %, other fauna have reached 6.6 %, abiotic (sands and stones) have turned into 19.5 % and algae have grown to be 4.9 %. These figures describe that within 1 year, community involvement through this program has successfully increased 3.14% of live coral, 4% decreasing of dead coral, 10.6 % decreasing of other fauna, 9 % increasing of abiotik (sands and stones) and 2.8% increasing of algae. Moreover, most of coral fishes, particularly those of target fish group (economic fish) have increased during 2007-2009.