The study area of this project is located near Fordata, a small island to the
Northeast of the Tanimbar archipelago (South-East Moluccas, Eastern Indonesia)
(Figure 1). The Tanimbar archipelago is part of one of the top ten coral reef
hotspots identified by UNEP’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre as
exceptionally rich in endemic marine species but facing extreme threat (Roberts
[7]).
The native population is heavily dependent on the coral reefs for consumption
and trade of reef fishes. Due to their unique diversity the reefs could potentially
support the development of sustainable tourism in the future. The biodiversity of
the reefs, however, is seriously threatened by poison fishing, dynamite fishing,
irresponsible coral mining, and over-fishing carried out by non- local and foreign
fishermen. These destructive methods and uses are spurred by short term
economic profits. The main concern of the inhabitants, recognizing these
problems, is their wish to maintain a sustainable economy in interdependency
with the natural resources on land and the surrounding seas.
To monitor the coral reef health, the necessary first step is to map the reefs
with respect to type, health and depth. As this is not feasible by conventional in
situ methods alone, considering the remoteness of the reefs and the expense of
expeditionary travel, a remote sensing based approach is set up.