TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) revealed an astonishing fact about Indonesia`s coral reef following an extensive study at around 1,067 locations across Indonesia.

The study states that in 2018, a mere 6.56 percent of coral reefs in Indonesia are in excellent condition across 70 sites.

“We annually report the condition of Indonesia’s coral reefs since it’s part of our responsibility,” said Giyanto, Head of LIPI Oceanography Research Center in South Jakarta on Wednesday, November 28.

In 2017, LIPI reported that coral reefs categorized as being in an excellent condition were 245 (22.96 percent) while the ones in a poor condition were in 386 sites (36.18 percent).

The data they produced is a joint effort from the LIPI Oceanography Research Center and other institutions for the past 25 years.

“Based on the mapping in 2018 compared to 2017, several new mapped locations such as Nias shows a decline in health after the tsunami, causing the waters to turn cloudy. Meanwhile, the location in Raja Ampat that is closer to Sorong is in a less than good condition, but there are places where the reef coverage is good in Wakatobi,” said Giyanto.

MOH KHORY ALFARIZI



