Trans-Fly savanna and grasslands | |
---|---|
Ecology | |
Realm | Australasian |
Biome | tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands |
Borders | |
Geography | |
Area | 26,539 km2 (10,247 sq mi) |
Countries | |
Coordinates | 8°54′S141°00′E / 8.9°S 141°E |
Conservation | |
Conservation status | Relatively stable/intact |
Protected | 10419 km2 (39%) [1] |
The Trans Fly savanna and grasslands are a lowland ecoregion on the south coast of the island of New Guinea in both the Indonesian and Papua New Guinean sides of the island. With their monsoon and dry season climate these grasslands are quite different from the tropical rainforest that covers most of the island and resemble the landscape of northern Australia which lies to the south. [2] [3] [4]
The name refers to the Fly River.
From possibly as early as the 16th century, merchants from Makassar, Seram and other parts of Indonesia conducted trade with the natives of the region's coast. Although trading contacts between the Southeast Asian merchants and the natives became more infrequent as time passed, there was a continued presence of traders in the region as late as the 1870's. Many of the native tribes obtained iron tools through this trade some time before the first European missionaries arrived in the area in the late 19th century. [5]
The area is mostly grassland that resembles nearby northern Australia and contains areas of eucalyptus, albizzia, and melaleuca woodland. The grasslands are renewed by regular fires at the end of the dry season.[ citation needed ]
The majority of the terrain consists of grasslands and savannas, although there are patches of dry evergreen forest. The diverse habitats in the region are influenced by factors such as seasonal rainfall, local topography, water drainage, and the burning practices of the local population. In areas that experience flooding during the wet season, Melaleuca forest predominates. The bamboo species Schizistachyum can be found between the adjacent forests and the savanna vegetation in the monsoonal area. [6]
While the grasslands are not as rich in wildlife as the rainforests of New Guinea, they are home to a number of endemic species. Mammals of the area include the New Guinean planigale (Planigale novaeguineae), bronze quoll (Dasyurus spartacus), spectacled hare-wallaby (Lagorchestes conspicillatus) and dusky pademelon (Thylogale brunii). Birds of the area include the Fly River grassbird (Megalurus albolimbatus) and the spangled kookaburra, a famous relative of the kingfisher which feeds on rodents and reptiles rather than fish. The area has an important number of reptiles and amphibians including the unique pig-nosed turtle (Carettochelys insculpta).[ citation needed ]
This is a remote area with a large but very localised tribal population. Most habitats are intact although wildlife is vulnerable to collection, hunting and damage by logging and woodland clearance, especially as people migrate into the area on the Indonesian side. The grasslands are also modified by grazing of the introduced Javan rusa deer (Cervus timorensis). A third of the region is protected, particularly in Indonesia's large Wasur National Park on the coast and the adjoining Tonda Wildlife Management Area across the border in Papua New Guinea. [7]
The Global 200 is the list of ecoregions identified by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the global conservation organization, as priorities for conservation. According to WWF, an ecoregion is defined as a "relatively large unit of land or water containing a characteristic set of natural communities that share a large majority of their species dynamics, and environmental conditions". For example, based on their levels of endemism, Madagascar gets multiple listings, ancient Lake Baikal gets one, and the North American Great Lakes get none.
The Afrotropical realm is one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Sub-Saharan Africa, the southern Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, and the islands of the western Indian Ocean. It was formerly known as the Ethiopian Zone or Ethiopian Region.
Western Province is a coastal province in southwestern Papua New Guinea, bordering the Indonesian provinces of Highland Papua and South Papua. The provincial capital is Daru. The largest town in the province is Tabubil. Other major settlements are Kiunga, Ningerum, Olsobip and Balimo.
The Northern Congolian forest–savanna mosaic is a forest and savanna ecoregion of central Africa. It extends east and west across central Africa, covering parts of Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, and Uganda. It is part of the belt of transitional forest-savanna mosaic that lie between Africa's moist equatorial Guineo-Congolian forests and the tropical dry forests, savannas, and grasslands to the north and south.
The Ord Victoria Plain, an interim Australian bioregion, is located in the Northern Territory and Western Australia, comprising 12,540,703 hectares.
The Northern New Guinea lowland rain and freshwater swamp forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of northern New Guinea.
The New Guinea mangroves is a mangrove ecoregion that covers extensive areas of the coastline New Guinea, the large island in the western Pacific Ocean north of Australia.
The Wasur National Park forms part of the largest wetland in Merauke Regency, South Papua, Indonesia and has been one of the least disturbed by human activity. The high value of its biodiversity has led to the park being dubbed the "Serengeti of Papua". The vast open wetland, in particular Rawa Biru Lake, attracts a very rich fauna.
The Angolan Scarp savanna and woodlands is an ecoregion located on the coast of Angola, an area with a variety of habitats and rich in wildlife including many endemic birds and animals.
The Arnhem Land tropical savanna is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion in Australia's Northern Territory.
The Carpentaria tropical savanna is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion in northern Australia.
The Kimberley tropical savanna is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion in northwestern Australia, covering portions of Western Australia and the Northern Territory south of the Timor Sea.
The Einasleigh Uplands is an interim Australian bioregion, with vegetation consisting of savanna and woodland located on a large plateau in inland Queensland, Australia. It corresponds to the Einasleigh Uplands savanna ecoregion, as identified by the World Wildlife Fund.
The Victoria Plains tropical savanna is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion in northwestern Australia.
The Southeast Australia temperate savanna ecoregion is a large area of grassland dotted with eucalyptus trees running north–south across central New South Wales, Australia.
The Tonda Wildlife Management Area is a wetland of international importance and the largest protected area in Papua New Guinea. It is located in the south-western corner of the Western Province and is contiguous with Wasur National Park of Indonesia. It forms part of the Trans Fly savanna and grasslands ecoregion.
The southern Congolian forest–savanna mosaic is an ecoregion that covers a large area of the southern Democratic Republic of the Congo and northeastern Angola. Its rich blend of habitats provides key insights into the biogeography of central Africa with the extensive climatic variation that it has been experiencing for the last 10 million years. The human population is not high.
The Western Congolian forest–savanna mosaic is an ecoregion of Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, and Gabon.
The Mitchell Grass Downs is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion in northeastern Australia. It is a mostly treeless grassland, characterised by Mitchell grasses .
The Southern New Guinea freshwater swamp forests is a tropical moist forest ecoregion in southern New Guinea. The ecoregion includes the extensive swamp forests of southern and western New Guinea.