Explore Indonesia : Alor

          This is a next story from my activities when i were joined as a marine fish collector in Alor Expedition with WWF-Indonesia on March 2014. This survey is aimed to record the marine biodiversity of corals and fishes and also assess the overall health of the reefs to help identify areas of importance for conservation, surely from this survey we will establish for Marine Protected Area (MPA) as you know MPA will improve of coral reefs from destructive fishing and protect of coastal area include the marine biota that lives in the inside of that area. We start the journey from Kalabahi on 13 March 2014 and end the journey on 1 April in Kalabahi too, so in this journey we surrounded Alor and East Flores.

a dinggih small boat from Minami Vessel

Coral reef monitoring survey

Beautiful Sunset in Alor

   In this survey we collect the data for benthic substrate with Point Intercept Transect (PIT) and visual sensus survey for abundance and biomass of reef fish.  This is amazing experience, because we take activity with 3 dives/day, sometimes 4 dives/day with the number 72 site, so we must to keep the body to stay health. along the journey sometimes we saw a group of cetacean (lumba-lumba) swim around the boat and look pursue each other.

Sunset on Minami Boat

     From a several observation we found a damage of coral reef  mostly the damage of coral reef is caused from the destructive fishing likes the location at Lato village, East Flores, mostly this event is caused by human who use some tools (likes bombing or potasium) to get catch fish more, but this way is very damage because the bomb are thrown by human will burst in underwater and it will destroy of ecosystem of coral reef, and finally the fish would be hard to was captured anymore.  The other condition that must be attention is strong current as you know Alor having of their geographical location that is surrounded by the strait, sometimes after we finishing to collect the data, there are some condition with strong current so we must to exit from the water and then  exit on the beach to keep safely. Sometimes  on the location with strong current likes that one (Tanjung Batu Payung) we saw many gorgonian sea fans, soft corals and also SHARK this is amazing when i saw 5 shark mostly (white thip shark) on The Tanjung Batu Payung, this location is very unique with many groupers, pelagic fish,  on the 15 m depth and also the visibility is very good and clear with a condition of substrat slope approached wall.

I successfully landed on the mainland

   The data that we gather now can be considered as baseline data, as it is obtained before the KKPD comes into full force, and by comparing our data with future data to be collected in the coming years, we can measure periodic changes taking place in each sampling site.

* This service on the Menami boat is very amazing particulary about the meal, honestly i would never have expected to be able to eat such vegetable, milk and everything is prepared by our chief, and the fact my body weight is increased.!!

Sumbawa is a part Lesser Sunda Seascape

       Indonesia Waters especially in region Sumbawa Besar and West Sumbawa district are one of region that was included in a part of lesser sunda seascape. This region was loccated in coral reef triangle that have high biodiversity area and habitat for 76 % species of coral reef. In the region there are some activities of fisheries utilization in coastal area and some threat like a destructive fishing using a fish bombing gear that was made by a fisherman especially in region small island in Sumbawa Besar and West Sumbawa district. The problems have not been finished directly by local government, so we need news information about condition of coastal area especially about the condition of coral reef. In June 2014 Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) do a cooperation with local government of Marine and Fisheries agency from Sumbawa Besar and West Sumbawa district with number 30 sampling area location to assesment condition of coral reef in Sumbawa Besar and West Sumbawa. This activitiy is one of comitment WCS to support program Ministry of Marine and Fissheries to increase the management effectiveness Marine Protect Area and management of sustainable fisheries .
In Sumbawa Besar area especially in Saleh Bay like Liang island, Ngali island and Moyo island. The result of survey has found damaged from coral reef, the damage was found from destructive fishing like bombing fishing gear (Figure 1). We find a break out from coral reef and many of coral reef shows died with colour dark in several location. The damage of coral reef are found in 4-5 meter depth, some predation also was found by Crown of Throne (COT) (Figure 2) with characterized by loss of tissue of coral and the colour of coral is white and some COT also was found on area of observation, meanwhile in Moyo island mostly the condition of coral reef is covered by algae and rubble. Generally the condition of coral reef in Liang, Moyo and Ngalih island is damaged although we still found a location with good condition from coral cover like in north of Ngali Island (Figure 3). Some of the growth of coral recruit quite a lot of found on area observation shows the efforts on an ecosystem the recovery of coral reefs. In addition we also find species of coral reef endemic in lesser sunda seascape namely Acropora suharsonoi (figure 4), this species is one kind of coral reef that has been found in Bali and Lombok island.

Figure 1. Activities desctructive fishing found on observation

Figure 2. Some predation COT still found on observation

Figure 3. The good of coral cover was found at North Ngali

Figure 4. Species endemic of coral Acropora suharsonoi was found on area observation

                 For community of reef fish generally has been found species dominant from omnivore fishes family Pomacentridae. Several kind of family chaetodon, Acanthuridae, Scarinae-famiily of Labridae and some kind from carnivore fish like Serranidae, and Haemulidae have been found very abit. The kind of that reef fish are one of parameter condition of marine ecosystem is good, so we need to keep the species because the total from three family is very abit. Generally the water condition of Liang, Moyo and Ngali Islands have a type slope and the water condition are protected from wave and wind and very quiet condition. This condition make a community who lives in coastal area develop Seaweed cultivation. The result from ecological infomation is needed by local government to establish Marine Protected Area to central government. The support from community and local government is very important to increase the management effectiveness marine protect area to ensure sustainable fisheries.