A cause for hope: largely intact coral-reef communities with high reef-fish biomass in a remote Indonesian island group.

Context: The health of coral reefs is declining rapidly across the world because of anthropogenic impacts. In the mega-diverse Coral Triangle, the consequences of chronic overfishing and human use are worst near coastal population centres. Aims: The remote islands and reefs in the centre of the Banda Sea (Indonesia) remain largely unstudied, but their distance from populated areas could provide protection from fishing. Methods: We conducted the first visual census surveys of coral-reef communities at the uninhabited Lucipara group in the Banda Sea. Key results: Sites showed medium to high coral cover and fish assemblages with high biomass, including abundant large predatory species. All sites exceeded the fish biomass conservation target of 1150 kg ha⁻¹ proposed by McClanahan et al. (2015) , by a factor of ~2–10. Benthic cover explained >50% of variance in fish abundance and diversity, with submassive corals, Dendrophyllia spp., and bare rock as key predictors. Conclusions: Our results suggested that Lucipara's reefs are among the healthiest in Indonesia, likely owing to their remoteness. However, this remoteness might also hamper policing against destructive fishing practices, highlighting a conservation gap. Implications: Lucipara's reef communities should be protected in a time of global coral-reef declines. The health of coral reefs is declining rapidly because of human impacts, especially of those close to population centres. We surveyed the coral reefs at a remote, uninhabited island group in Indonesia, which were expected to be less damaged. We found reasonably healthy coral reefs and importantly, very healthy fish stocks with many large predatory species. Our study suggested that Lucipara's reefs are among the healthiest in Indonesia and should be protected in a time of declining coral-reef health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]