Satellite view of peat swamp forest (center) on Sumatra across from Bangka Island Photograph by USGS   Southeastern Asia: The island of Sumatra in Indonesia Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests   33,800 square miles (87,500 square kilometers) -- about the size of West Virginia and Maryland combined Critical/Endangered

· Swampy in Sumatra
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Swampy in Sumatra

Pull on your boots and make your way through the Sumatra Peat Swamp Forest to see an unusual forest habitat. You'll have to slog through wet soils. And you may not encounter a huge diversity of species. But you may very well find yourself in the company of some of Sumatra's biggest, rarest beasts, including Sumatran tigers, Sumatran rhinos, and Asian elephants!

Special Features

Peat swamp forests form where rivers drain into the ocean. As the rivers pass through coastal mangroves on their way to the sea, the sediments they carry become trapped in the tangle of mangrove roots. Over time, these sediment deposits build up and form domed areas behind the mangroves that are rarely flooded. Tree seeds take root in the domed sediments, and soon a peat swamp forest emerges. These forests are acidic and low in nutrients.

	Sumatran rhinos, like all other species of rhinos, help plants spread their seeds. Seeds pass through a rhino's digestive system intact over a period of three or more days. In that time, the rhino has inevitably wandered well away from the original plant, so the seeds end up landing in soil far from where they started.

Wild Side

The Sumatran tiger, Indonesia's largest terrestrial predator, frequents peat swamp forests throughout all of Sumatra. Critically endangered, the Sumatran tiger numbers only about 500 nationwide. Sumatran rhinos and Asian elephants, also endangered, browse on vegetation within these swampy lands. Although bird diversity tends to be low in peat swamp forests compared to surrounding lowland rain forests, you will find a number of interesting residents. One species--the hooked-bill bulbul--is found only here and a few other places.

Cause for Concern

More than half of the Sumatra Peat Swamp Forests have been cleared, mostly in the southern portion of the region. Large areas have been drained, primarily for settlements and large-scale development projects. Fires and illegal logging also threaten parts of the region. Although the soils are nutrient-poor and not terribly good for growing crops, large-scale plantations of coconuts and pineapple have replaced native forests in some parts of the region.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.