Identifying Priority Locations for Sea Cucumber Conservation in Indonesia Using Multimetric Biodiversity

Sea cucumber fisheries have a boom‐and‐bust history, with most being overexploited and some depleted; thus, biodiversity conservation requires an objective framework to identify high‐priority areas. Sea cucumbers are an important trade commodity in Indonesia and are facing population declines in specific locations for certain species. This study aims to identify priority locations for conserving sea cucumbers in Indonesia based on multimetric biodiversity and to determine environmental predictors of sea cucumber diversity patterns. Surveys were conducted at 23 locations across Indonesia, resulting in the observation of 4109 sea cucumbers (39 species). Nine species are categorized as threatened (endangered or vulnerable by the IUCN Red List), four are listed in the CITES Appendix II, and 10 have high economic value. Nine multimetric biodiversity metrics (i.e., species richness, total abundance, beta diversity, rarity index, number of threatened species, abundance of threatened species, abundance of CITES species, number of high economic value species and abundance of high economic value species) are used to identify priority locations for sea cucumber conservation. The results suggest the top three locations that stand out as Indonesia's foremost sites for sea cucumber conservation: Sekotong, Biak and Kaimana. These locations collectively excel in species richness, beta diversity, threatened species, CITES species and high‐value species, ensuring comprehensive protection of sea cucumber biodiversity, which is essential for ecosystem resilience and sustainable fisheries. Other locations could also be considered areas for sea cucumber conservation, but perhaps only to achieve specific goals. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that a traditional fishing closure (‘sasi’) and marine protected areas (MPAs) benefit conservation. Our findings will address one of the issues related to the government's plans to designate ~30% of Indonesian waters as MPAs by 2045 and will serve as a scientific basis for establishing a national action plan for the conservation and sustainable use of sea cucumbers.