IPB Researchers: Lombok Coral Reefs Are Concerning
Besides the beautiful beaches and small islands, coral reefs are also an economically important ecosystem in Lombok, Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB). It has been known that coral reefs fishery is one of the contributors to Lombok’s fisheries. Researchers from Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) and Mataram University (Unram) collaborated with University of Rhodes Island (URI), USA to conduct a research about fisheries in coral reefs. The study was done in several marine conservation areas in Lombok, which are Local Marine Conservation Area (KKPD) Gili Sulat Lawang, KKPD Gita Nada and National Marine Conservation Area (KKPN) Gili Matara.
The study which was conducted for 10 days on July 2018 was a part of USAID’s Sustainable Higher Education Research Alliances (USAID SHERA) CCR Anbiocore program. This study found that generally the coral reefs are in concerning situation.
Dr. Hawis Madduppa from IPB said that the coral reefs are in bad condition. “The areas outside the core zone are generally in bad condition, while those inside the core zone are still in good condition. We found that every location but Gili Matra has this condition,” he added.
Dr. Imam Bachtiar, a researcher from Unram said that on the 1990s the coral reefs condition in Gili Matra was so much different than now. The coral reefs were in a good condition. One of the factors contributing to it is the change in regulation about boats shoring. The impacts from the boats or trampling by tourists are the reason why the coral reefs are damaged.
In this study a marine biodiversity observation was also done using E-DNA method. “With this method we hope to know the biodiversity in Lombok waters, including its microorganisms, planktons, low-level animals, until sea mammals,” said Dr. Hawis Madduppa.
According to Dr. Austin Humphries from URI USA, the team did not stop at biodiversity, they also studied matters related to fish resources utilization in conservation areas in Lombok. This study involved six Doctorate students from IPB and URI. (Ard)
