VEGETATION AND GREEN TURTLE NESTS CHARACTERISTICS ANALYSIS IN PANGUMBAHAN COASTAL AREA, SOUTHERN SUKABUMI, WEST JAVA

• Main Author: Daffa Ibrahim, Firaas
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/66014
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Pangumbahan Coastal Area is one of the green turtle conservation centers in West Java. In the last 10 years, green turtle nesting activities at Pangumbahan Coastal Area have decreased. One of the factors that caused the reduction was the vegetation characteristics for green turtles to nest wasn’t ideal. This study aims to determine the characteristics of the nesting zone vegetation, the abundance of nests at the nesting station, the favorite type of vegetation for sea turtles, and the distance of the nesting nest to the coastline and vegetation in the Pangumbahan Coastal Area. Observations were made at six green turtle nesting stations to collect data on vegetation characteristics described through vegetation analysis by the squared plot method, the nest's favorite shade vegetation type was recorded by direct observation, and the distance of nests and vegetation to the coastline was measured by roll meters. The abundance of nesting nests during the January- December 2021 period was obtained from data from the inventory of the Pangumbahan Coastal Area Green Turtle Conservation Center, and a descriptive statistical analysis was carried out. The green turtle nesting zone in Pangumbahan Coastal Area includes a sand dune zone with a distance of 44-70 meters dominated by the types of Ipomoea pes-caprae, Spinifex littoreus, and Crinum asiaticum, as well as a coastal ridge zone with a distance of 90-108 meters which is dominated by Pandanus tectorius and Calophyllum inophyllum species. Spawning activity is higher at Stations 1-3 with favorite vegetation in the form of Pandanus tectorius, while activity at Stations 4-6 is lower with favorite vegetation in the form of Ipomoea pes-caprae and Spinifex littoreus. The distance of nesting nests from the coastline ranges from 65.4-94.1 meters, with nest distances to herbaceous shade vegetation of 0.22-0.45 meters, shrubs of 0.42-0.51 meters, and trees of 0.85-1.06 meters. Differences in vegetation characteristics at each station, namely the dominance of vines and pandanus, affect the selection of sites and the abundance of nests for nesting green turtles.