Several types of sea cucumbers are in the category of threatened populations, such as Holothuria scabra, Holothuria lessoni, and Thelenota ananas. These three types of sea cucumbers are used for trade, especially for export purposes to several countries in Asia, such as China, Hong Kong, and Singapore. This means that sea cucumber hunting is carried out continuously, causing its population to become endangered in nature. It was reported that total exports for 2017-2020 were 86,376 kg for H. scabra, 93,050 kg for H. lessons, and 156,606 kilograms of T. Ananas (Wirawati et al., 2021). These three species are classified as endangered on the IUCN red list and require data updating. The extent of use of this species is still unknown. Previous investigations have provided only limited information regarding the conditions of the sea cucumber trade in Indonesia. For example, trade data is still collected regionally and is not species-specific (Choo, 2008; Wiadnyana, 2009).

Objectives : 

1. Conduct sea cucumber surveys, including the target species Holothuria scabra and Holothuria lessoni in several small islands in the Makassar Strait.

2. Analyzing ecological indices at each research site.

3. Conducting conservation efforts  and socialization of threatened species to the community.

The data from this study has been submitted to the journal TAPROBANICA and is waiting to be reviewed by the journal.