The CTC Field Team alongside partners from Balai Pengelolaan Sumberdaya Pesisir Laut (BPSPL), Unit Pengelola Teknis Daerah (UPTD), Kelompok Masyarakat Pengawas (Pokmaswas) conducted reef health monitoring (RHM) in the Nusa Penida MPA from November 13-18 and on November 30, 2023 at a total of thirteen sites. Nusa Penida is a popular destination for marine tourism, and as such, the health of its ecosystems are socially, ecologically, and economically essential. RHM provides important information for informed MPA management because it is one of the biophysical indicators measuring the effectiveness of current conservation area management strategies. The monitoring provides feedback necessary to evaluate the necessary management adjustments in light of potential changes such as increased tourism, climate change, or fishing pressure. 

The waters around Nusa Penida hold 1,419 hectares of coral reefs, 230.07 hectares of mangroves, and 108 hectares of seagrass beds and are also home to unique marine biota, including manta rays, mola-mola, dolphins, sharks, and more. In addition, Nusa Penida’s waters hold nearly 300 species of hard coral and over 500 species of reef fish. The Nusa Penida MPA, covering an area of 20,057.19 hectares, was established in 2018 to protect, conserve, and ensure sustainable use of these marine resources. Since 2010, RHM has been regularly conducted by the Marine and Fisheries Service of the Province of Bali, CTC, and the Nusa Penida MPA Management Unit with the support of various working partners. 

The objective of 2023 RHM was to assess the current condition of the coral reef ecosystem through data collection regarding distribution of coral reefs, fish, and other marine biota, percentage of live coral cover, abundance of fish and fish biomass and to test the Underwater Photo Transect (UPT) method as option toward achieving future monitoring objectives. These data can be analyzed and compared with previous RHM data to assess changes in these ecosystems during the adaptive management process of MPA establishment and subsequent management of the Nusa Penida MPA. Preliminary findings of the eleven person RHM team showed encouraging signs, including an average fish biomass approximately 48.09 kg/ha higher than 2022 monitoring data. Additionally, average live hard coral cover (LHCC) was 6.2 percent higher than 2022 monitoring data and initial resilience assessments recorded high recovery values in seven of thirteen sites.

Writer: Giselle Schmitz
Photos: Purwanto/CTC, Kasman/CTC