Macrozoobenthos are useful indicators of local habitat and environmental conditions because of their close association with benthic substrates and limited mobility. This study assessed target macrozoobenthos assemblages in the core zone of the Tanjung Palas Timur Marine Protected Area, North Kalimantan, Indonesia, using coral assemblage composition and water-quality conditions as supporting ecological context. Surveys were conducted at six observation stations from 30 July to 3 August 2025. Target macrozoobenthos were recorded using underwater visual census along one 50-m belt transect per station, covering 250 m² at each station. Coral assemblages were documented using the underwater photo transect method, while water-quality parameters were measured at station level. A total of 62 individuals from five target macrozoobenthos groups were recorded. Giant clams were the most abundant group and occurred at all stations, while sea cucumbers, sea urchins, crown-of-thorns starfish, and triton shells showed more restricted distributions. Target macrozoobenthos diversity was generally low, although Stations III and V showed comparatively higher abundance, diversity, or more balanced assemblage structure than the other stations. The related coral dataset documented 40 coral species and was used as supporting habitat context rather than as the primary focus of the study. Reef-slope stations generally showed higher live coral cover and tended to support higher target macrozoobenthos abundance or lower dominance than rubble- and sand-dominated stations. Exploratory PCA separated stations mainly along gradients of target macrozoobenthos abundance, diversity, dominance, and coral species richness. Exploratory Spearman analysis did not show statistically significant relationships and was interpreted only as station-level tendencies. Overall, this study provides an initial baseline for target macrozoobenthos monitoring in KKPTPT and highlights the need for replicate transects, seasonal surveys, direct habitat-complexity measurements, sediment assessment, and size-structure monitoring of key taxa such as giant clams.
