At Celebes Divers, a small research laboratory is actively working on Indonesian reef biodiversity. The biodiversity project cooperates with the Universities of Manado, Genoa and Ancona. The biodiversity lab is located on Siladen Island.
Activities so far include:
Study of biology and ecology of some animal groups: sponges, hydrozoans, vermetids, nudibranches, ovulids, mantis shrimps, barnacles.
Main objects of the research are the ecological role, feeding relationships and associations.
So far 3 new species have been described: 2 hydroids (Zanclea tipis and Zanclea exposita), and a mantis shrimp (Lysiosquilloides mapia).

Lysiosquilloides mapia, new species.
Experiments about captive hatching and propagation of aquarium marine species have been implemented, like clownfish, hard and soft corals.
The main goal of theses studies is to find low tech methods to allow local populations to exploit their resources in a sustainable way, reducing the need for collection from the wild.
Reef Monitoring using indicator species. Eight species of butterflyfishes, common in Bunaken sea, are obligate corallivorous (can only feed on coral), and are therefore very sensitive to the coral reef's health status.
Their variations over time indicate changes of the reefs' ecosystem. So far in Bunaken the method highlights a fair health status of all its coral reefs.
Education: within the framework of a cooperation programme among three Universities, a Masters course on the study and management of biodiversity in the coastal marine ecosystems has been implemented at Manado University. It is open to Indonesian and Italian students.
Biodiversity project produces the website www.edge-of-reef.com

 

 

 

 

 

  


LIPI
Indonesian Institute for sciences

Dr. Alberto Romeo
Biodiversity project thanks its sponsors: