Abstract
The coconut crab (Birgus latro) is an ecologically and economically valuable coastal resource whose exploitation still relies on wild stocks. This community service program aimed to strengthen the capacity of a coconut crab captive-rearing group and implement the Birgus Terra Box (BTB) as an appropriate technology for domestication in Gemia Village, Central Halmahera, Indonesia. A participatory approach included outreach, management training, hands-on BTB construction, husbandry, monitoring, record keeping, and evaluation. Outreach was conducted on 15 May 2026, training on 21 July 2026, BTB construction on 22–25 July 2026, and rearing began on 26 July 2026. Twenty-five BTB units were prepared, including 20 for juveniles and 5 for grow-out and broodstock care, in a 6 × 4 m rearing room. Initial husbandry used a 70:30 sand-clay substrate, fresh coconut meat as starter feed, and a 1:1 seawater-freshwater mixture. Group members participated directly in construction, operation, maintenance, monitoring, and logbook use. Because the 5–6-month rearing cycle remained ongoing, biological and economic outcomes were not treated as final. Early achievements comprised technology transfer, BTB infrastructure establishment, and initiation of standardized husbandry and traceable monitoring.