Coral reef and seagrass ecosystem health assessment in Tiaro (LMMA), West Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands
Keywords:
community-based management, coral reef health, herbivorous fish, seagrass distribution, Tiaro LMMA
Abstract
Coral reefs, seagrass meadows and associated fish communities are essential coastal ecosystems that provide significant ecological and economic benefits. However, these habitats are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic activities and climate change. This study assessed coral cover, reef fish composition and abundance and seagrass distribution in the Tiaro Locally Managed Marine Area (LMMA), Solomon Islands, to evaluate ecosystem health and conservation effectiveness. Ecological surveys at eleven sites revealed variable coral cover, ranging from 26% to 52%, with bleaching and disease most prevalent at Kotatave (11%) and Kokomu (10%). Herbivorous fish, particularly Pomacentridae and Acanthuridae, dominated the fish assemblages, while predatory species were scarce, suggesting trophic imbalance. Seagrass coverage varied across sites, with Cymodocea rotundata being the most dominant species, especially at Leleona (72% coverage). The findings highlight the interdependence of coral, seagrass and fish communities and emphasize the need for integrated, community-based conservation strategies to enhance ecosystem resilience.
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References
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Alvarez-Filip L, Gill JA and Dulvy NK. 2011. Complex reef architecture supports more small-bodied fishes and longer food chains on Caribbean reefs. Ecosphere 2(10):1–17.
Arkema K, Fisher D and Wyatt K. 2017. Economic valuation of the Bahamian marine protected areas. Prepared for BREEF by The Natural Capital Project, Stanford University.
Baker AC, Glynn PW and Riegl B. 2008. Climate change and coral reef bleaching: An ecological assessment of long-term impacts, recovery trends and future outlook. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 80(4):435–471.
Bell JD, Cisneros-Montemayor A, Hanich Q, Johnson JE, Lehodey P, Moore BR, Pratchett MS, Reygondeau G, Senina I, Virdin J, Colette CC and Wabnitz CCC. 2018. Adaptations to maintain the contributions of small-scale fisheries to food security in the Pacific Islands. Marine Policy 88:303–314.
Bellwood DR, Hughes TP, Folke C and Nyström M. 2004. Confronting the coral reef crisis. Nature 429(6994):827–833.
Bindoff NL, Cheung WWL, Kairo JG, Arístegui J, Guinder VA, Hallberg R, Hilmi N, Jiao N, Karim MS, Levin L, O'Donoghue S, Purca Cuicapusa SR, Rinkevich B, Suga, T, Tagliabue A and Williamson P. 2019. Changing Ocean, Marine Ecosystems and Dependent Communities. In: Pörtner HO, Roberts DC, Masson-Delmotte V, Zhai P, Tignor M, Poloczanska E, Mintenbeck K, Alegría A, Nicolai M, Okem A, Petzold J, Rama B and Weyer NM (Eds.), IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (pp. 447–587). Cambridge University Press.
Brodie G and N’Yeurt ADR. 2018. Effects of climate change on seagrasses and seagrass habitats relevant to the Pacific Islands. Pacific Marine Climate Change Report Card, Science Review 112-131.
Burke L, Reytar K, Spalding M and Perry A. 2002. Reefs at risk in Southeast Asia. World Resources Institute.
Carilli JE, Norris RD, Black BA, Walsh SM and McField M. 2009. Local stressors reduce coral resilience to bleaching. PLoS ONE 4(7):e6324.
Cavada-Blanco F, Cróquer A, Yerena E and Rodriguez JP. 2021. Flow of economic benefits from coral reefs in a multi-use Caribbean marine protected area using network theory. Frontiers in Marine Science 8:671024.
Coker DJ, Wilson SK and Pratchett MS. 2014. Importance of live coral habitat for reef fishes. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 24:89–126.
De’ath G, Fabricius KE, Sweatman H and Puotinen M. 2012. The 27–year decline of coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef and its causes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 109(44):17995-17999.
Denley D, Metaxas A and Scheibling R. 2020. Subregional variation in cover and diversity of hard coral (Scleractinia) in the Western Province, Solomon Islands following an unprecedented global bleaching event. PLoS ONE 15(11):e0242153.
Duarte CM, Marbà N, Gacia E, Fourqurean JW, Beggins J, Barrón C and Apostolaki ET. 2010. Seagrass community metabolism: assessing the carbon sink capacity of seagrass meadows. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 24(4):2010GB003793.
East HK, Johnson JA, Perry CT, Finlay G, Musthag A, Zahir H and Floyd M. 2023. Seagrass meadows are important sources of reef island-building sediment. Communication Earth & Environment 4:33.
English SA, Wilkinson C and Baker V. 1997. Survey manual for tropical marine resources. 2nd ed. Australian Institute of Marine Science. Townsville.
Esri. (2020). ArcMap 10.8: Spatial analyst tool. Environmental Systems Research Institute.
Fabricius KE. 2005. Effects of terrestrial runoff on the ecology of corals and coral reefs: review and synthesis. Marine Pollution Bulletin 50(2):125-146.
Fortes MD. 1990. Seagrasses: A resource unknown in the ASEAN region. International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM) Education Series No. 5. Manila, Philippines: ICLARM. 46 p.
Goetze JS, Langlois TJ, McCarter J, Simpfendorfer CA, Hughes A, Leve JT and Jupiter SD. 2018. Drivers of reef shark abundance and biomass in the Solomon Islands. PLoS ONE 13(7):e0200960.
Gomez E and Yap H. 1988. Monitoring reef condition. In Kenchington R A and Hudson B E T (eds.). Coral Reef ManagementHand Book. UNESCO. Regional Office forScience and Technology for South East Asia.Jakarta.
Govan H. 2009. Status and potential of locally-managed marine areas in the South Pacific: Meeting nature conservation and sustainable livelihood targets through wide-spread implementation of LMMAs. Coral Reef Initiatives for the Pacific (CRISP).
Govan H, Aalbersberg W, Tawake A and Parks JE. 2008. Locally-managed marine areas: A guide to supporting community-based adaptive management. Locally-Managed Marine Area Network.
Graham NAJ and Nash KL. 2013. The importance of structural complexity in coral reef ecosystems. Coral Reefs 32:315–326.
Graham NAJ, Nash KL and Kool JT. 2011. Coral reef recovery dynamics in a changing world. Coral Reefs 30:283–294.
Graham NAJ, Jennings S, MacNeil MA, Mouillot D and Wilson SK. 2015. Predicting climate-driven regime shifts versus rebound potential in coral reefs. Nature 518 (7537):94–97.
Green A, Lokani P, Atu W, Ramohia P, Thomas P and Almany J. 2006. Solomon Islands Marine Assessment: Technical report of survey conducted May 13 to June 17, 2004. TNC Pacific Island Countries Report No. 1/06. The Nature Conservancy. South Brisbane.
Harvell D, Jordán-Dahlgren E, Merkel S, Rosenberg E, Raymundo L, Smith G, Weil E and Willis B. 2007. Coral bleaching and disease: Contributors to coral decline. Oceanography 20(1):172–178.
Hill J and Wilkinson C. 2004. Methods for ecological monitoring of coral reefs. Version 1. Australian Institute of Marine Science. Townsville.
Hoegh-Guldberg O, Mumby PJ, Hooten AJ, Steneck RS, Greenfield P, Gomez E, Harvell CD, Sale PF, Edwards AJ, Caldeira K, Knowlton N, Eakin CM, Iglesias-Prieto R, Muthiga N, Bradbury RH, Dubi A and Hatziolos ME. 2007. Coral reefs under rapid climate change and ocean acidification. Science 318(5857):1737–1742.
Hoegh-Guldberg O, Hoegh-Guldberg H, Veron JEN, Green A, Gomez ED, Ambariyanto A and Hansen L. 2009. The Coral Triangle and climate change: ecosystems, people and societies at risk. World Wide Fund for Nature.
Hughes TP, Baird AH, Bellwood DR, Card M, Connoly SR, Folke C, Grosberg R, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Jackson JBC, Kleypas J, Lough JM, Marshall P, Nyström M, Palumbi SR Pandolfi JM, Rosen B and Roughgarden J. 2003. Climate change, human impacts and the resilience of coral reefs. Science 301(5635):929–933.
Hughes TP, Graham NAJ, Jackson JBC, Mumby PJ and Steneck RS. 2010. Rising to the challenge of sustaining coral reef resilience. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 25(11):633–642.
Hughes TP, Kerry JT, Álvarez-Noriega M, Álvarez-Romero JG anderson KD, Baird AH, Babcock RC, Beger M, Bellwood DR, Berkelmans R, Bridge TC, Butler I R, Byrne M, Cantin NE, Comeau S, Connolly SR, Cumming GS, Dalton SJ, Diaz-Pulido G, Eakin CM, Figueira WF, Gilmour JP, Harrison HB, Heron SF, Hoey AS, Hobbs JPA, Hoogenboom MO, Kennedy EV, Kuo CY, Lough JM, Lowe RJ, Liu G, McCulloch MT, Malcolm HA, McWilliam MJ, Pandolfi JM, Pears RJ, Pratchett MS, Schoepf V, Simpson T, Skirving WJ, Sommer B, Torda G, Wachenfeld DR, Willis BL and Wilson SK. 2017. Global warming and recurrent mass bleaching of corals. Nature 543(7645):373–377.
Jones GP, McCormick MI, Srinivasan M and Eagle JV. 2004. Contrasting effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on coral-associated reef fishes. Conservation Biology 18(5):1382–1395.
Jupiter SD, Cohen PJ, Weeks R, Tawake A and Govan H. 2014. Locally-managed marine areas: multiple objectives and diverse strategies. Pacific Conservation Biolology 20(2):165–179.
Kohler KE and Gill SM. 2006. Coral Point Count with Excel extensions (CPCe): a visual basic program for the determination of coral and substrate coverage using random point count methodology. Computers & Geosciences 32(9): 259–1269.
Lima MAC, Bergamo TF, Ward RD and Joyce CB. 2023. A review of seagrass ecosystem services: providing nature-based solutions for a changing world. Hydrobiologia 850:2655-2670.
McKenzie LJ. 2003. Guidelines for the rapid assessment and mapping of tropical seagrass habitats. Queensland Fisheries Service, Northern Fisheries Centre, Cairns. 46p.
McKenzie LJ and Yoshida RL. 2009. Seagrass-Watch: Proceedings of a Workshop for Monitoring Seagrass Habitats in Indonesia. Sanur, Bali: The Nature Conservancy, Coral Triangle Center. 56p.
Mumby PJ and Steneck RS. 2008. Coral reef management and conservation in light of rapidly evolving ecological paradigms. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 23(10):555–563.
Myers RA, Baum K, Shepherd TD, Powers SP and Peterson CH. 2007. Cascading effects of the loss of apex predatory sharks from a coastal ocean. Science 315(5820):1846–1850.
Najeeb S, Khan RAA, Deng X and Wu C. 2025. Drivers and consequences of degradation in tropical reef island ecosystems: strategies for restoration and conservation. Frontiers in Marine Science 12:1518701.
Norse EA, Brooke S, Cheung WWL, Clark MR, Ekeland I, Froese R, Gjerde KM, Haedrich RL, Heppell SS, Morato T, Morgan LE, Pauly D, Sumaila UR and Watson R. 2012. Sustainability of deep-sea fisheries. Marine Policy 36(2):307–320.
Oliver TA, Kleiber D and Hospital J. 2020. Coral reef resilience and social vulnerability to climate change: main Hawaiian Islands. PIFSC Special Publication SP-20-002a. Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center.
Pelletier D. 2020. Assessing the effectiveness of coastal marine protected area management: Four learned lessons for science uptake and upscaling. Frontier in Marine Science 7:545930.
Pendleton L, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Albright R, Kaup A, Marshall P, Marshall N, Fletcher S, Haraldsson G and Hansson L. 2019. The Great Barrier Reef: vulnerabilities and solutions in the face of ocean acidification. Regional Studies in Marine Science 31:100729.
Powell A, Smith DJ, Hepburn LJ, Jones T, Berman J, Jompa J and Bell JJ. 2014. Reduced diversity and high sponge abundance on a sedimented Indo-Pacific Reef system: implications for future changes in environmental quality. PLoS ONE 9(1):e85253.
Pratchett MS, Hoey AS, Wilson SK, Messmer V and Graham NAJ. 2011a. Changes in biodiversity and functioning of reef fish assemblages following coral bleaching and coral Loss. Diversity 3(3):424–452.
Pratchett MS, Wilson SK and Baird AH. 2011b. Declines in the abundance of Chaetodon butterflyfishes following extensive coral depletion. Journal of Fish Biology 69(5):1269–1280.
Rahman FA, Qayim I and Wardiatno Y. 2023. Carbon stored on seagrass beds in Gili Maringkik, Lombok, Indonesia. Biotropia 30(1):63–73.
Robinson JPW, Darling ES, Maire E, Hamilton M, Hicks CC, Jupiter SD, MacNeil MA, Mangubhai S, McClanahan T, Nand Y and Graham NAJ. 2023. Trophic distribution of nutrient production in coral reef fisheries. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 290:20231601.
Rogers CS. 1990. Responses of coral reefs and reef organisms to sedimentation. Marine Ecology Progress Series 62:185–202.
Safuan M, Boo WH, Siang HY, Chark LH and Bachok Z. 2015. Optimization of coral video transect technique for coral reef survey: comparison with intercept transect technique. Open Journal of Marine Science 5(4):379–397.
Serrano O, Gómez-López DI, Sánchez-Valencia L, Acosta-Chaparro A, Navas-Camacho R, González-Corredor J, Salinas C, Masque P, Bernal CA and Marbà N. 2021. Seagrass blue carbon stocks and sequestration rates in the Colombian Caribbean. Scientific Reports 11:11067.
Syukur A, Wardiatno Y, Muchsin I and Kamal MM. 2017. Threats to seagrass ecology and indicators of the importance of seagrass ecological services in the coastal waters of East Lombok, Indonesia. American Journal of Environmental Sciences 13(3):251–265.
Tuttle LJ and Donahue MJ. 2022. Effects of sediment exposure on corals: a systematic review of experimental studies. Environmental Evidence 11: 4.
Unsworth RKF, Collier CJ, Henderson GM and McKenzie LJ. 2012. Tropical seagrass meadows modify seawater carbon chemistry: Implications for coral reefs impacted by ocean acidification. Environmental Research Letters 7(2):024026.
Unsworth RKF, Collier CJ, Waycott M, Mckenzie LJ and Cullen-Unsworth LC. 2015. A framework for the resilience of seagrass ecosystems. Marine Pollution Bulletin 100(1):34–46.
Unsworth RKF, Nordlund LM and Cullen-Unsworth LC. 2018. Seagrass meadows support global fisheries production. Conservation Letters 12(1):e12566.
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Wahyudin Y, Kusumastanto T, Adrianto L and Wardiatno Y. 2018. A social ecological system of recreational fishing in the seagrass meadow conservation area on the east coast of Bintan Island, Indonesia. Ecological Economics 148:22–35.
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Published
2025-04-29
How to Cite
Belade, J., Kodiran, T., & Wardiatno, Y. (2025). Coral reef and seagrass ecosystem health assessment in Tiaro (LMMA), West Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. Jurnal Pengelolaan Lingkungan Berkelanjutan (Journal of Environmental Sustainability Management), 9(1), 79-100. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.36813/jplb.9.1.79-100
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