Sundaland Rivers and Swamps - A Global Ecoregion
Perhaps the richest freshwater faunas in Asia
Snapshot: Ecoregion 174
Size:
1,000,000 sq. km (400,000 sq. miles)
Habitat type:
Small Rivers
1,000,000 sq. km (400,000 sq. miles)
Habitat type:
Small Rivers
Geographic Location:
Southeast Asia: Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia (including Sumatra and Borneo), and Singapore
Conservation Status:
Vulnerable
Quiz Time!
What does 'Sundaland' mean?
Answer:
A vast dry area known as Sundaland connected the continents of Asia and Australia, and served as a footpath for humans migrating south. When the Earth's temperature later rose and the glaciers melted, large parts of the region were submerged under the ocean.
About the Area
This ecoregion contains a diversity of freshwater habitats including hill streams, lowland floodplains, and peat swamps. Rivers such as the Kapuas, Pawan, and Pesaguan start in the hills of central Borneo and run southwest, creating swamps and deltas along the sea.
The fish and decapod crustaceans of this ecoregion are remarkably rich and differentiated, with endemic species found in many individual river basins. Known freshwater fish species total 272 in Sumatra (30 endemic) and 394 in Borneo (149 endemic).Local Species
Endemic freshwater fish include several shark catfish of the Pangasius genus, several Bettas (Betta spp.), four species of hillstream Loaches (Protomyzon spp.), and Tapah (Wallago maculatus). Also present is the endangered Asian arowana (Scleropages formosus).
Threats
Deforestation, conversion to agriculture, overfishing, exotics, the aquaculture industry, and mining pollution threaten these habitats and their native species. Proposed hydropower dams on high-gradient streams would jeopardize the natural flow regime and species movements.
Resources
• NationalGeographic.com
