Currently the development of information technology is very 
advanced. The technology will be an alternative solution in 
integrating and distributing the information. The paper discusses 
the importance of information technology in coral reef 
management. 
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FOR CORAL REEF 
MANAGEMENT IN INDONESIA 
Information technology (IT) is one dealing with hardware, 
software, intelligence, and methodologies which are needed to 
process information, including data gathering, data processing 
and mani-pulating into useful information, and the engineering 
of the information. Nowadays, IT plays key role in controlling 
daily life of human being. For example, TV and Internet as a 
media for distributing information all over the world, are very 
popular for everyone. 
The scope of Information Technology is very wide, thus this 
paper will focus on the Internet topic which is part of the 
advance product of IT. Nowadays, Internet is very advance and 
become global. Internet infrastructures -such as telephone line, 
modem, and computer pheripherals- are already available and 
become common device for the community. For the economical 
reason, there will be low cost for building Internet 
infrastructures. 
IT supported by the latest telecom-munication infrastructure has 
made a big influence in distributing information of all 
disciplines. Coral reef management is one of the important 
disciplines that seem to need IT for improvement. 
The present conditions of information for coral reef 
management in Indonesia are still fragmented in different 
organizations, i.e. government agencies at national, provincial 
and community level. This will lead to information stored at 
different locations, and collected in different scales and 
parameters. Finally it creates difficulties (i.e. partially, 
disintegrated, and uncompleted) in accessing the coral reef 
information. Besides, institutional capacity for effective 
implementation of integrated coral reef management has not yet 
been developed in provincial and local communities. It is due to 
lack of education and training and awareness of coral reefs 
information. All these conditions above make great impact on 
coral reef, since they will generate uncoordinated policies and 
also a different purpose of the coral reef ecosystem. That will 
cause the degradation of coral reef ecosystem. 
Information technology is an alternative solution to fulfill 
accurate, fast, up to date information for coral reef management. 
Supported by IT, it should also been followed by sustainable 
education and training to improve the institutional capacity. The 
support, especially in coral reef education and training, 
involves: 
Easier training module and material course development, 
which could be better prepared, updated, and access-ed; 
Simpler and faster distribution and delivery of information 
via wide spread multimedia; and 
Easier course material exchange among different locations 
without ever having to meet each other; and 
Distance learning about the coral reef itself, which could 
be conducted without the presence of both instructor and 
course participants at the same place. 
Using the Internet technology it is possible to do all the things 
mentioned above. For example, every information could be 
easily shown and accessed world-widely from homepage. Then, 
it gives an impact to the scope of information that become 
abroad and accessible for the people around the world. Further, 
comments and supports from people around the world 
concerning coral reef give valuable solution to coral reefs 
problem solving in Indonesia through information shown on the 
homepage. 
IT can support the awareness in coral reef management, 
especially through Internet communication and other media 
such as television and CD-ROM, through: 
Facilitating the interactive information which could be 
easily introduced and reached by all level of communities: 
Establishing an interactive distributed and integrated coral 
reef database system which could be at any place; and 
Popularizing and familiarizing the Internet especially for 
key roles, thus they could share and explain the coral reef 
information to broader communities faster and easier. 
Therefore it is absolutely needed to look into the following 
matters: 
1. Infrastructure aspect 
There will be needed additional equipment to support 
the Internet communication such as modem, computer 
pheripherals, and telephone line. 
2. Economical aspect 
Additional cost is needed to provide some additional 
equipment and also to pay for pulses that have been 
used. 
3. Human resources aspect 
It should be prepared for human resources that 
involved in de-veloping the website of infor-mation, 
which related to coral reefs. 
4. Data security aspect 
Specific mechanism should be implemented to protect 
data against unauthorized updating access. That is due 
to the widely opened availability data on the Internet. 
5. Information sustainability aspect 
Standard procedures should be implemented in order 
to keep the information not to be obsolete. It is closely 
related to ones involved in updating process. 
6. Sustainability of involved people 
Regeneration and technology transfer should be 
made so that greater number of people will be 
involved 
The technology has to be introduced to the 
people especially who involved in coral reef 
management to make them familiar to the 
technology. 
CONCLUSION 
Up to this time those aspects above are still become major 
restrictions condition in Indonesia. As it is known that 
Indonesia is still very underdeveloped country, especially in the 
field of information technology. Indeed, IT is one of the 
solution for improving the coral reef management, but there are 
still some restrictions which prohibit the successful of it. 
The successful information distribution for coral reef 
management can be achieved through the implementation of 
information technology in coral reef management, therefore 
reducing coral reef damage significantly. 
Information Technology plays key roles in improving 
information distribution for any kind of subject, in this case, the 
coral reef management. Since IT could support at least in coral 
reef education and training, and also for increasing the 
awareness of coral reef information to the wide community 
faster and easier.