IPB University’s Efforts of Coral Reef Restoration in Indonesian Islands through Transplantation and Education
IPB University’s Department of Marine Science and Technology and Center for Coastal and Marine Resources Studies have made various efforts to rehabilitate coral reefs in Indonesian islands through transplantation methods and education. This program has shown great results with a survival rate of 80% for transplanted corals and successful implementation of the IPB University School of Coral Restoration.
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To save the health of Indonesian coral reefs, IPB University’s Department of Marine Science and Technology (ITK) and Center for Coastal and Marine Resources Studies (CCMRS), have made various efforts including education and raising awareness, as well as transplantation of corals in Mandangin Island, Madura. Coral transplantation is done by taking a part of live corals which are then planted in damaged areas to save the coral population in that location.
Three months post-transplantation, the coral reef transplanted in Candin Island and Mandangin Island in Sampang Madura Regency, have reached a survival rate of 80%. Based on observation and measurement, it has been found that even with the relatively cloudy water transparency, the transplanted reef was not covered by algae which could have inhibited the growth of these reefs. Budi Prabowo, CCMRS Diver, explained that the reef is in relatively good condition, and undisturbed by fishing gears. The reef has also attracted several iconic aquatic creatures including ornamental fishes and nudibranch.
These findings shine hope on the future of coral reef rehabilitation in Mandangin Island. Together with the Youth Observers of Coral Reef in Mandangin Island, other modules are being developed to further enrich the coral reef population and variety in Mandangin waters.
To increase the students’ knowledge of coral reefs and scientific studies on the topic, IPB University’s Department of Marine Science and Technology has invited two experienced speakers in the School of Coral Restoration (SCORES) 2021 educational program. Nurhalis Wahidin from Khairun University (UNKHAIR), Ternate, and Firli Rahman, coral reef researcher from Oceanara, a research institution for the conservation of marine biota.
Wahidin presented about the restoration efforts of the UNKHAIR Center of Marine Studies in collaboration with PT. Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park – IWIP, initiated in 2019 for the coral reefs in Halmahera Coast. The restoration began with Focus Group Discussion and monitoring, continued with skill upgrading for the restoration process itself. The process continued with monitoring, guidance from the institution, and evaluation.
The biggest challenge in the implementation of this effort is in recruiting volunteers from the surrounding villages, shown by the participation of only 1 local youth out of the 6 recruited volunteers. Rahman faced a different problem in the Thousand Islands where he is part of a research team which studies restoration efforts of coral reefs in the islands. The type of coral used in transplantation efforts is Arcopora Branching, transplanted using the shelfing method, con block method, and hexagonal structure. Based on Rahman’s observation, there are alternative methods with high suitability to the needs of the restoration concept which is unfortunately not permanently concepted.
The goal of coral reef restoration is in the end about sustainability for its communities, as with SDG #14: Life Under Water. Which is why youth researchers at Oceanara is working towards establishing scientific tourism. Budi Prabowo of CCMRS also conveyed a similar message of how coral reef rehabilitation could support the villages if properly developed into marine ecotourism. Dr Hawis Madduppa, Head of IPB’s ITK Department and expert on coral reef, emphasized the importance of all those involved to be educated on coral restoration so that it is deeply integrated into the community, ensuring marine sustainability for future generations to come.
IPB University Forms New International Research Consortium for Sustainable Vegetable Oils
IPB University has collaborated with the Wageningen University and Research, the Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences (the Netherlands), and Jambi University (Indonesia) to create an international research consortium for sustainable vegetable oils. One of the focuses of this consortium is to conduct a research project called the “Sustainability of Vegetable Oils to Achieving UN SDG 2030”.
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IPB University is beginning the year by forming a new research consortium with the Wageningen University and Research (the Netherlands), the Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences (the Netherlands), and Jambi University (Indonesia) through the Kick-Off Meeting held on January 25th. This consortium will conduct a research project called the “Sustainability of Vegetable Oils to Achieving UN SDG 2030”, supported by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of both Indonesia and the Netherlands. This Kick-Off Meeting was officially opened by IPB University’s Vice Rector for International Affairs, Collaboration and Alumni Relations, Prof Dodik R Nurrochmat.
Ina Hagniningtyas Krisnamurthi, the Special Staff for Economic Diplomacy of Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, conveyed that the issue surrounding vegetable oil sustainability is still being debated upon in the global community. She continued to explain that this collaborative research is therefore highly strategic to study the issue of vegetable oil sustainability with the Sustainable Development Goals as achievement indicator. Krisnamurthi who is also the Indonesian Ambassador for India and Bhutan was present at the meeting as representative to the Indonesian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mahendra Siregar.
This event was also attended by the Dutch Ambassador for Indonesia, HE Lambert Grijns. According to Grinjs, it is important for the Netherlands and Indonesia to work together in conducting a study on vegetable oils in order to achieve SDGs 2030. Grinjns also added that the Netherlands role in this collaboration is highly relevant due to the country’s status of largest palm oil importer in the European Union. While Indonesia is one of the largest palm oil producers in the world. The Netherlands is the 12th largest market for vegetable oil products from Indonesia. In 2018, Indonesian vegetable oil export to the Netherlands made up to 20.8% the country’s imports.
Governments of both countries are deeply aware of the issues surrounding oil palm, especially in relation to the environment. Through this study, various approaches will be done to evaluate the sustainability of vegetable oil production in producer countries to hopefully reveal the root of its issues. The Indonesian research team, represented by Prof Suria Darma Tarigan and the Dutch Research team, represented by Dr Maja Slingerland, presented these approaches as well as the criteria and indicators used to study the sustainability of vegetable oils as a commodity and its contribution in achieving the SDG indicators.
Prof Hefni Effendi Achieves Best Presenter Award at the International Conference for Fisheries and Marine Sustainability 2022
Professor of IPB University’s Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Prof Hefni Effendi, has achieved the Best Presenter Award at the International Conference for Fisheries and Marine Sustainability 2022 for his presentation on “Rapid Assessment of Marine Plankton Community Structure During Oil Spill”. The research is a collaboration between IPB University’s Center for Environmental Sciences (PPLH) and Pertamina Hulu Energy Offshore West Java.
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Prof Hefni Effendi has been awarded with the prestigious Best Presenter Award at the International Conference for Fisheries and Marine Sustainability 2022 held by Padjadjaran University, Bandung. At this conference, Prof Hefni, Professor of IPB University’s Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, presented his research titled “Rapid Assessment of Marine Plankton Community Structure During Oil Spill”. The research is the result of a collaboration between IPB University’s Center for Environmental Sciences (PPLH) and Pertamina Hulu Energy Offshore West Java (PHE ONWJ). Prof Hefni explained that the collaboration between PPLH and PHE ONWJ stays within the umbrella of multidisciplinary collaboration which studies the effects of the oil spill incident North of Karawang.
The observed planktons included phytoplankton and zooplankton. The community structure is revealed in the form of abundance and number of taxa at each observation station. The stability of the community is seen in the Shannon-Wiener diversity index, the equitability index, and dominance index. On the other hand, to analyze the similarities of findings between observation stations, Prof Hefni applied the method of dendrogram clustering to obtain results of the highest similarity based on community structure.
This study was done by PPLH in response to an ongoing oil spill incident at sea to evaluate the extent and effects of oil exposure on the plankton community structure. Based on the current results obtained through quick evaluation, there appears to have not been any significant impact of this incidence to the plankton community. This relates to the characteristic of oil itself which stays above ocean surface due to its lower density compared to sea water. Spilled oil was also brought to the beach by waves, currents, and tide. While planktons are found floating in the ocean’s water columns.
Prof Hefni explained that at the time of sample collection, the floating oil spill was not prevalent as it has been handled by officers who localized the spilled oil. Analysis results show that there is no indication of a certain kind of phytoplankton of zooplankton which is dominant or blooming. Diversity also shows good stability. There was also no mass death of plankton found due to this incident. From the dendrogram evaluation between stations, similarities are relatively high. Observation of the plankton community structure will be reconducted after a certain period of time.
Prof Hefni also added that the researched aspects in this research does not only include planktons, but also environmental aspects such as ecosystems (mangrove, coral reefs, seagrass fields), catch fishing especially one day fishing, aquaculture (intensive and traditional shrimp farming, milkfish farming), groups involved in processing and distribution of fishery products, beach tourism, sand condition, water quality, sediment quality, air quality, public health, and environmental health.