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Peat swamp forest and the false gharial Tomistoma schlegelii (Crocodilia, Reptilia) in the Merang River, eastern Sumatra, Indonesia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 April 2009

Mark R. Bezuijen ,
Grahame J. W. Webb ,
Pandu Hartoyo  and
Samedi
Mark R. Bezuijen*
Affiliation:
Wildlife Management International Pty Limited, PO Box 530, Karama, NT Australia 0812;
Grahame J. W. Webb
Affiliation:
Directorate-General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation, Manggala Wanabakti Blok VII Lt. 7, Jakarta Pusat, Java, Indonesia
Pandu Hartoyo
Affiliation:
Directorate-General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation, Manggala Wanabakti Blok VII Lt. 7, Jakarta Pusat, Java, Indonesia
*
*Wildlife Management International Pty Limited, PO Box 530, Karama, NT Australia 0812;
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Abstract

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Tomistoma schlegelii is a threatened crocodilian whose current range is restricted to Sumatra, Borneo (Kalimantan and Sarawak) and Peninsular Malaysia. During surveys undertaken in eastern Sumatra in 1995–1996, 15 T. schlegelii nests were located in peat swamp forest along a single tributary, the Merang River. No other areas with equivalent nest densities have yet been described. Although much peat swamp forest has been lost to logging and fire, it remains the dominant habitat in most of the current range of T. schlegelii. In the Merang River the peat swamp and T. schlegelii are threatened by a series of ongoing activities and both may be lost unless some form of innovative management programme is introduced. Peat swamp forest supports a range of other rare and threatened species, and would appear to have high conservation value. This paper reviews current information on the role of peat swamp forest in the ecology of T. schlegelii and describes the conservation threats to T. schlegelii in the Merang River.

Keywords

Crocodilianfalse gharialIndonesiapeat swamp forest.
Type
Research Article
Information
Oryx , Volume 35 , Issue 4 , October 2001 , pp. 301 - 307
Copyright
Copyright © Fauna and Flora International 2001

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