Coral reef health index on Tunda Island, Banten, Indonesia

Tunda Island in Serang Regency, Banten Province, has rich marine ecosystems, including mangroves, seagrass beds, and coral reefs. However, increasing environmental pressures threaten coral reef health, necessitating an assessment of their current condition. This study aimed to evaluate the status of coral reefs in Tunda Island using a coral reef health index based on benthic and fish components. Data were collected at six sites using the Underwater Photo Transect (UPT) method for coral assessment and the Underwater Visual Census (UVC) method for reef fish. Coral cover, fleshy seaweed, and coral rubble were analyzed using the CPCe software, while fish biomass and abundance were calculated with standard fishery assessment methods. Results showed significant variations in coral cover, ranging from 2.74% to 50.12%. Fleshy seaweed cover was between 6.89% and 43.94%, whereas the coral rubble ranged from 1.44% to 37.22%. Reef fish biomass varied from 2.50 kg/ha to 85.31 kg/ha, with fish abundance between 80 and 840 individuals per hectare. The coral reef health index ranged from 1 to 4, indicating a low recovery potential due to highly fleshy seaweed and coral rubble. These findings highlight the urgent need for conservation measures to enhance coral reef resilience and recovery in Tunda Island.