Identification of Hard Coral Disease (Scleractina) in Seribu Islands

Graphical Abstract Highlight Research Coral colonies affected by coral disease are identified and counted. White syndrome is a type of coral disease that is dominattly found. Coral cover in the Kepulauan Seribu is in moderate condition. A weak correlation between the prevalence of coral disease and live cover in the Kepulauan Seribu Abstract Kepulauan Seribu is designated as a marine conservation area in Kepulauan Seribu National Park and is one of high tourism development areas on the north side of Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia. Anthropogenic sources from these nearby areas has reduced the health condition of coral reefs and increased the prevalence of coral diseases in the study area. This study aimed to determine the genus of coral infected by disease, the type of disease, and the relationship between the prevalence of disease and live cover in Kepulauan Seribu. Data was collected using the survey method. Coral cover is assessed using Underwater Photo Transect (UPT) (Giyanto et al. 2014) and disease is assessed using Belt Transect methods, respectively (Raymundo et al. 2008). The result showed that 14 genera of coral species were infected and dominated by Porites, Montipora, and Acropora. Furthermore, there were 5 types of diseases, dominated by White Syndrome (WS), Atramentous Necrosis (AtN) and Ulcerative White Spots (S). The correlation analysis results showed a very low relationship between disease prevalence and live coral cover (r = 0.10). This research can be used as input or reference for more sustainable coral reef management, by improving an integrated coastal education system for the younger generation and developing more sustainable tourism activities in the future in Kepulauan Seribu.