The Sumatran peat 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: IM0160) covers the low-lying

peat swamp forests 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 ...

along the northeast coast 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 ...

. As is typical for peat swamp forests, this ecoregion lies between a thin strip of saltwater-affected mangroves on the coast, and freshwater swamps and lowland rainforest forest on better drained soils further inland. Because the peat soil has relatively low nutrient levels, this ecoregion has been less used for agriculture, but burning and clearance has degraded half of the forest.

Location and description

The ecoregion stretches for about 1,000 km down the south-eastern side of Sumatra, averaging 75 km wide, and separated from the sea by only a few kilometers of mangroves. It also covers the islands of

Rupat Rupat is an island in the Strait of Malacca, and forms part of Bengkalis Regency within Riau Province of Indonesia. It lies just off the eastern coast of Sumatra, across from Dumai city, from which it is separated by the Rupat Strait ( id, Sela ...

Bengkalis Bengkalis (''Kota Bengkalis'') was the seat (capital) of Bengkalis Regency in the Riau province of Indonesia until 8 July 2013, when it became an independent city. It is located on Bengkalis Island. The city had a population of 66,211. Bengkalis ha ...

, Tebing Tinggi,

Rangsang Rangsang is an island of the Meranti Islands Regency of Riau Province in the Strait of Malacca, Sumatra, Indonesia. The island had a population of 51,452 at the 2010 Census. It is just north of Tebing Tinggi Island, about south-west of Great Ka ...

, and Mendol off the northeast coast of Sumatra. The peat swamps are ombrogenous (rain fed), and form where sediments have piled up behind the tangled brush of the mangroves.

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 and fauna

The soil in the ecoregion is typically over 65%, with the peat at least 50 cm thick. Biodiversity and endemism of plants is relatively low, due to the specialized conditions of the soil. Habitat type depends on the local levels of nutrients and acidity, with the edges of the swamps generally more nutrient rich than the interior. Characteristic trees of the region include ''( Tristania obovata)'', ''( Ploiarium alternifolium)'', ''( Polyalthia glauca)'', and ''(

Stemonurus secundiflorus ''Stemonurus'' is a genus of plants in the family Stemonuraceae. Species include: *''Stemonurus ammui'' (Kaneh.) Sleumer *'' Stemonurus apicalis'' (Thwaites) Miers *''Stemonurus celebicus'' Valeton *''Stemonurus corrugatus'' Utteridge & Schori * ...

)''. Peat swamps tend to support fewer species of wildlife than richer habitat; there are no endemic mammals in this ecoregion, and relatively few species of birds. Land clearance for development, particularly in the south, is putting more pressure on the peat swamp forests.

Protected areas

Over 7% of the ecoregion is officially protected. These protected areas include: * Berbak National Park * Kerumutan Wildlife Reserve

References

{{reflist Indomalayan ecoregions Ecoregions of Indonesia Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Ecoregions of Malesia