<![CDATA[Isis hippuris Linnaeus, 1758, commonly known as sea bamboo, is a gorgonian octocoral of the family Isididae that plays a vital structural and ecological role in coral reef ecosystems. It is also recognised for producing unique bioactive secondary metabolites, particularly hippuristanol, which exhibits potent antiviral and cytotoxic properties. Despite its conservation and pharmacological importance, baseline demographic data for I. hippuris across North Sulawesi marine protected areas remain scarce. This study assessed the distribution, abundance, and population density of I. hippuris within Bunaken National Park, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Underwater visual census was carried out using belt transects (50 m × 10 m; 500 m² per station) across three sampling stations at depths of 10–30 m. A total of 116 colonies were recorded. Station 2 supported the highest count (48 colonies; 43% relative density) and Station 3 recorded 43 colonies (38%), both categorised as low abundance, whereas Station 1 (25 colonies; 19%) was categorised as rare. Overall population abundance of I. hippuris in Bunaken National Park is categorised as low (mean density 0.077 colonies/m²). The depressed abundance is attributed to historical commercial exploitation for gorgonin skeletons prior to the 2014 harvesting moratorium, combined with localised anthropogenic stressors and reef degradation. These findings establish baseline data for marine spatial planning, targeted conservation zoning, and periodic demographic monitoring of sea bamboo.]]>
