| The coastal waters of East Kalimantan are part of the western boundary of the Indo-West Pacific centre of maximum marine biodiversity. During the pilot phase of the East Kalimantan Program (EKP) this has been tested by various specialists who used model taxa to test this hypothesis. Emphasis has been put on the species-rich coral reefs and islands that show reef communities in association with mangroves, seagrass, and algae. A range of habitats has been surveyed, varying in distance offshore (with decreasing salinity, turbidity, sedimentation and nutrient load): fringing reefs along the mainland shore, offshore patch reefs, delta-front barrier reefs, and uplifted atolls. The atolls consist of limestone rock and contain shallow enclosed marine lakes with a... |
