Pleihari Tanah Laut
Location:
4°00'-4°12'S, 114°35'-114°50'E; 80 km south of Banjarmasin, Kabupaten Tanab Laut, South Kalimantan.
Area:
35,000 ha.
Altitude:
Sea level to 102m.
Biogeographical Province:
4.25.12.
Wetland type:
07 & 21.
Description of site:
A low-lying coastal area with 40% grassland and shrub land and 50% swamp. The remaining 10% are hilly with Gunung Tunggal as the highest peak (102m). The swamps consist of mangrove forest (4,000 ha) and freshwater swamp (20,000 ha) including swampy grasslands and swamp forest. Sandy beaches along the coast provide nesting sites for sea-turtles.
Climatic conditions:
Humid tropical climate with an average annual rainfall of about 2,259mm.
Principal vegetation:
Mangrove forest dominated by Sonneratia sp; grasslands and swamp forest with Melaleuca sp, Shorea balangeran, Gluta renghas, Dyera sp, Campnosperma wacrophylla and Oncosperma tiggilarium. In adjacent areas, heath forest with Vitex sp end Callophyllum sp.
Land tenure:
State owned (PHPA).
Conservation measures taken:
The area has been protected in a Wildlife Reserve since 1974.
Conservation measures proposed:
There is a proposal to upgrade the reserve to the status of Nature Reserve (Cagar Alam).
Land use:
Nature conservation. The wetland serves as a natural reservoir for drinking water.
Disturbances and threats:
Cutting of wood, hunting of deer, shifting cultivation, and grazing by domestic livestock.
Economic and social values:
The mangrove swamps provide nursery areas for marine fishes and crustaceans important in the local fishery. The wetland is also an important water supply for local communities.
Fauna:
Waterfowl known to occur at the site include Bubulcus ibis, Egretta spp and a variety of migratory shorebirds. The area is rich in mammals including Neofelis nebulosa, Prionodon linsang, Nasalis larvatus, Macaca sp, Hylobates sp, Sus vittatus, Cervus unicolor and Muntiacus muntjak.
The Green Sea Turtle Chelonia mydas and Hawksbill Turtle Eretmochelys imbricata nest on the sendy beaches. Other reptiles include the Estuarine Crocodile Crocodylus porosus and monitor lizard Varanus salvator.
Special floral values:
No information.
Research and facilities:
Basic faunal and floral surveys have been carried out.
References:
IPB (1976a); IUCN (in prep); Karpowicz (1985); MacKinnon & Artha (1981a); Saim & Halim (1984).
Criteria for Inclusion:
1b, 2a, 2c.
Source:
Marcel J. Silvius and Edi Djuharsa.