| Summary: | Most coral coastals in the south of Java Island are tourism coastal. Visitors activity
such as trampling on intertidal area and harvesting of marine life could disrupt
macrobenthos and destroy habitat. This research studied the distribution and abundance of
intertidal macrobenthos communities of dead coral coastal that were Drini and Krakal
tourist coastals in Gunung Kidul and Pasir Panjang conservation coastal in Sempu Island
Nature Reserve. This research was conducted at the maximum low tide in the dry season
of 2011, the rainy season of 2012, and the rainy season of 2013 in Drini Coastal and
Krakal Coastal, as well as in the rainy season 2013 in the Pasir Panjang Coastal. The
method used is least squares plot sized 2 m x 1 m, with transects that were cut the intertidal
zone 2-3. Sampling of macrobenthos is done by Stratified Random Sampling and
interviews with the coastal visitors.
The results of the study revealed that aquatic macrophytes composed of 29 species, 32
species of coral, 33 species of herbivores, 48 species of predators, and 26 species of filter
feeder. Species richness varies in all three coastal. The highest relative coverage of coral
was in Pasir Panjang Coastal at the number of 41%. Drini and Krakal coastal had lower
relative coverage compared to the other coastals because there was stepping or trampling
of people which causes the death of the coral. Aquatic macrophyte relative coverage in
Drini and Krakal Coastal was high due to high nutrients and the low number of relative
coverage of coral in that coastals thus raised the abundance aquatic macrophyte despite
there was macroalgae harvesting. Relative density of herbivores (37%) and predators
(49%) in Pasir Panjang Coastal was the highest due to no harvesting activity in this
coastal. Relative density of filter feeders in Drini Coastal (58%) and Krakal Coastal (36%)
was higher than the Pasir Panjang coastal due to little number of living coral, the low
abundance of herbivores and predators, and the high quantity of nutrient in both two
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