Evaluation of community structure, diversity and carbon stock of mangrove vegetation on the South Coast of East Java, Indonesia

The degradation of several mangrove ecosystems in East Java is caused by human activity and changes in land use nearby. This will have an impact on decreasing ecological services. The current study was intended to evaluate the profile of the community structure, diversity and carbon stock of mangrove vegetation in several mangrove ecosystems on the South Coast of East Java. Seven mangrove ecosystems, including those in Trenggalek (Cengkrong), Tulungagung (Sine), Malang (Clungup Mangrove Conservation/CMC, Kondang Merak, and Sempu Island), Jember (Getem), and Banyuwangi (Alas Purwo National Park), were investigated for their mangrove vegetation, including seedlings, saplings, and poles. Vegetation analyses were done by making 3-11 plots for each ecosystem, depending on the size of the ecosystem. The results showed variances in the diversity of mangrove vegetation and the community structure profile. The Cengkrong mangrove ecosystem had a quality that was almost the same as the Alas Purwo reference site area based on high taxa richness seedlings, saplings and poles and a high mangrove tree’s diversity index. This result was in contrast to the quality of the mangrove ecosystem in Getem, Kondang Merak and Sine. Based on the value of carbon stock, mangrove ecosystem quality was categorized as low, except in Alas Purwo and Kondang Merak categorized as moderate and worst quality, respectively. Based on the study findings, it is required to implement proper management to enhance the quality of the mangrove ecosystem on the south coast of East Java.