Jamaluddin, Husain Syam, Amirah Mustarin, Andi A. Rivai
The success of seaweed cultivation activities is determined by various factors. One of the determining factors is the location of seaweed cultivation. Seaweed cultivation in Takalar District is an important source of income for coastal communities. The purpose of this study was to analyze the suitable areas for conducting cultivation of seaweed Eucheuma cottonii in Takalar Regency. This study used quantitative description methods and survey techniques through field observations and laboratory tests. The collected data were physical and environmental parameters of waters which were distributed in several stations in Takalar Regency. These data included sea surface temperature, water clarity, dissolved oxygen (DO), water salinity, pH, nitrate (NO3), phosphate (PO4), and chlorophyll a (Chl a), total suspended solid (TSS) and current velocity. The data collected were then analyzed with a spatial multi-criteria approach in GIS to determine the best area for seaweed cultivation. This study covered approximately 13 222 ha of waters in Takalar Regency. The results of this study indicated that there were suitable and less suitable areas for the cultivation of seaweed E. cottonii in Takalar Regency. This study showed that the spatial multi-criteria approach in GIS could be effectively used for determining the suitable areas for seaweed cultivation activities, especially in complex waters such as Takalar Regency waters. © 2019, BIOFLUX SRL. All rights reserved.
Department of Education of Agricultural Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Makassar State University, Mallengkeri Street, Parang Tambung, Tamalate, Makassar, 90224, South Sulawesi, Indonesia
