Typology of Olive Ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea, Linn 1958) nesting habitat in Kuta Beach, Serangan Beach and Saba Beach, Bali Province

Abstract

In Indonesia, the population sizes of Olive Ridley turtles in Kuta Beach, Serangan Beach and Saba Beach, Bali, tend to decrease due to habitat degradation. This study aims to describe the typology of Olive Ridley turtle nesting habitat in Kuta Beach, Serangan Beach and Saba Beach, Bali Province. Observation and in-situ measurements were conducted in November 2016 and February 2017 at nine stations using systematic sampling methods. The parameters measured were the number of nests, shore elevation, sand fractions, coastal vegetation, and shore width and length, which were analyzed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) in order to see the correlation between the amount of nesting and nesting habitat typology. Our results show that the nesting habitat is characterized by low elevation of shore (0.89°-3.71°), shore width between 39.9-95.4 m, finest sand fraction (28%), and coastal vegetation dominated by Hibiscus tiliaceus (68.98%). PCA results indicated that fine sand fraction (grain size of 0.1-0.25 mm) and shore width are the main factors which characterizing the Olive Ridley turtle nesting habitat.