Ecological conditions and coral recovery in Jaboi waters, Weh Island Sabang Indonesia.

Abstract

Coral reefs are vulnerable ecosystems that can change over time due to natural factors. Bleaching is one of the natural phenomena that has an impact on coral ecosystems in Jaboi area of Weh Island, Sabang City, Indonesia. Therefore, the aim of the study is to measure the coral ecological conditions and recovery which includes coral cover, coral diversity, and recruitment in the waters of Jaboi, Weh Island. Benthic data collection used the Point Intercept Transect method, while coral recruitment data collection used the Belt Transect method. The level of diversity was measured based on an index from Shannon Wiener, then the coral recovery was calculated based on the percentage of coral cover and the number of juvenile corals. The result showed that the coral cover and diversity in Jaboi waters were in a moderate condition, with a cover score of 40% and the diversity of H = 1.4294. The coral recovery in Jaboi waters for the last nine years has decreased, so the potential to restore natural ecosystems is very low. This also showed by the juvenile corals which have a very low density (0.04 colonies/m2).