The Sumatran freshwater swamp forests

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...

(WWF ID: IM0157) covers disconnected patches of

freshwater swamp forest Freshwater swamp forests, or flooded forests, are forests which are inundated with freshwater, either permanently or seasonally. They normally occur along the lower reaches of rivers and around freshwater lakes. Freshwater swamp forests are found ...

on the alluvial plains of the island of

Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. The different locations vary greatly in their vegetation and wildlife habitat depending on the local soil types. The land has been greatly disturbed by human conversion to agriculture and

illegal logging Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a pro ...

in recent years. Several of the sectors support significant populations of Asian elephants ''(

Elephas maximus ''Elephas'' is one of two surviving genera in the family of elephants, Elephantidae, with one surviving species, the Asian elephant, ''Elephas maximus''. Several extinct species have been identified as belonging to the genus, extending back to ...

)'.

Location and description

The sectors of the ecoregion tend to be bounded on the south by

Sumatran lowland rain forests The Sumatran lowland rain forests ecoregion (WWF ID: IM0158) covers the lowland forests running the length of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. The region is one of exceptionally high biodiversity, similar to Borneo and New Guinea islands. Ma ...

, and on the northern side by Sumatran peat swamp forests. The freshwater swamps differ from the

Peat swamp forest Peat swamp forests are tropical moist forests where waterlogged soil prevents dead leaves and wood from fully decomposing. Over time, this creates a thick layer of acidic peat. Large areas of these forests are being logged at high rates. Peat ...

in having less waterlogged soil, more fertile soils, and more water derived from rivers and rainwater. The freshwater swamps are all on low plains, with the maximum elevation in the ecoregion only 63 meters.

Climate

The climate of the ecoregion is ''

Tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southea ...

'' (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

(Af)). This climate is characterized as hot, humid, and having at least 60 mm of precipitation every month.

Flora

Trees in swamps must be able to endure prolonged periods of inundation, and many species have developed buttresses, stilt roots, and

pneumatophores Aerial roots are roots above the ground. They are almost always adventitious. They are found in diverse plant species, including epiphytes such as orchids (''Orchidaceae''), tropical coastal swamp trees such as mangroves, banyan figs (''Fic ...

(ariel roots with specialized respiratory structures). Common species of trees include ''

Adina ADINA is a commercial engineering simulation software program that is developed and distributed worldwide by ADINA R & D, Inc. The company was founded in 1986 by Dr. Klaus-Jürgen Bathe, and is headquartered in Watertown, Massachusetts, United St ...

'' (a shrub/tree of the coffee family), ''

Alstonia ''Alstonia'' is a widespread genus of evergreen trees and shrubs, of the family Apocynaceae. It was named by Robert Brown in 1811, after Charles Alston (1685–1760), professor of botany at Edinburgh from 1716 to 1760. The type species ''Alsto ...

'' (large trees producing commercially valuable timber), ''

Campnosperma ''Campnosperma'' is a genus of rainforest trees in the Cashew Family (Anacardiaceae). They are found in the East Indies, south Asia and the Seychelles. Species , the ''Plants of the World Online'' accepts 14 species: * '' Campnosperma auriculatu ...

'' (of the cashew family), '' Mallotus'', the evergreen ''

Dillenia ''Dillenia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Dilleniaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of southern Asia, Australasia, and the Indian Ocean islands. The genus is named after the German botanist Johann Jacob Dillenius, ...

'', '' Dyera'' (which can grow to 80 meters in height), Coral tree ''( Erythrina)'', and the evergreen ''

Eugenia ''Eugenia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It has a worldwide, although highly uneven, distribution in tropical and subtropical regions. The bulk of the approximately 1,100 species occur in the New World tropics, ...

''.

Fauna

Mammals of conservation interest, aside from the Asian Elephants, include the endangered Malayan tapir ''(

Tapirus indicus The Malayan tapir (''Tapirus indicus''), also called Asian tapir, Asiatic tapir and Indian tapir, is the only tapir species native to Southeast Asia from the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra. It has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List sinc ...

)'' (very few left as of 1997), and the endangered Sumatran tiger ''(

Panthera tigris The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on u ...

)''. The grasslands in the swamps provide important habitat for waterbirds.

Protected areas

Less than 4% of this ecoregion is officially protected. Notable protected areas include: *

Way Kambas National Park Way Kambas National Park ( id, Taman Nasional Way Kambas, abbreviated TNWK) is a national park covering 1,300 square kilometres in Lampung province, southern Sumatra, Indonesia. It consists of swamp forest and lowland rain forest, mostly of second ...

References

{{reflist Indomalayan ecoregions Ecoregions of Indonesia