THE POTENTIAL USE OF CORAL REEF HABITAT MAPPING IN SUPPORTING ECOTOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN LOMBOK, INDONESIA

Many studies related to marine ecotourism and coral reefs have been carried out in several locations in Indonesia. In TWP Gitanada, West Lombok, NTB coral reef habitat inventory and mapping was conducted in June 2021 by using Sentinel 2A satellite imagery and field observation. Geomorphologically, the TWP Gitanada area consisted of fringing reefs made of reef flat, fore reef/reef crest, reef slope, reef wall,and patch reef. The coral reef area is 450 ha and consists of > 200 types of coral reef benthic habitat, dominated by scleractinian corals (Acropora, Montipora, Porites and their associations with less dominant genera). All coral reef habitat data is presented here in a format which is suitable to attract the attention of visitors or tourists in understanding and supporting ecotourism development, which uses TWP Gitanada as a general case study which is relevant for all marine conservation and potential marine conservation throughout Indonesia. The information is helpful to identify which areas could be prioritized for conservation under the criteria of habitat richness or for further development by relevant stakeholders.