**3. Seagrass distribution in Indonesia**

Seagrass ecosystems are dynamic, where conditions are not always the same at all times. Changes in environmental conditions can affect the growth of seagrass, having increased or decreased numbers, so that the area of seagrass in a location can change at any time. Information on the area of seagrass can provide an indication of overall seagrass status. If there is a highly damaged physical ocean condition, this shows the pressure or threat to the ecosystem. Conversely, if the area is stable or rising, this shows the high chance of seagrass to be sustainable. Calculation of seagrass area is done in two ways. First, step by conducted remote sensing analysis using Landsat ETM + satellite images, Landsat 8 OLI, SPOT-5 that have

**Figure 1.** *Seagrass distribution in Indonesia.*


#### **Table 1.**

*Seagrass species in Indonesia.*

been verified on the ground (ground truth) of 22 seagrass monitoring locations in Indonesia. Secondly, collecting seagrass area data generated from mapping activities is carried out by various agencies such as the Indonesian Geospatial Information Agency (BIG), Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), and also The Nature Conservancy [3]. The analysis shows that the area of Indonesian seagrass is 150,693.16 ha. In Western Indonesia, the area of seagrass calculated is 4409.48 ha, while in the eastern part of Indonesia, it is 146,283.68 ha (See **Figure 1**) [3].

In general, *Enhalus acoroides* and *Thalassia hemprichii* are types of seagrass that are often found in Indonesian waters. From the information gathered from 423 locations, it was found that *Thalassia hemprichii* had a wider distribution, *T. hemprichii* was found in 371 locations, while *Enhalus acoroides* was found in 357 locations (See **Table 1**) [3].
