Trans-Fly savanna and grasslands on:
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The Trans Fly savanna and grasslands are a lowland
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
ecoregion
An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of ...
on the south coast of the island of New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Mainlan ...
in both the Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
n and Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
n sides of the island. With their monsoon and dry season climate these grasslands are quite different from the tropical rainforest
Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...
that covers most of the island and resemble the landscape of northern Australia which lies to the south.
The name refers to the Fly River
The Fly River is the third longest river in the island of New Guinea, after the Sepik River and Mamberamo River, with a total length of and the largest by volume of discharge in Oceania, the largest in the world without a single dam in its cat ...
.
History
From possibly as early as the 16th century, merchants fromMakassar
Makassar (, mak, ᨆᨀᨔᨑ, Mangkasara’, ) is the capital of the Indonesian province of South Sulawesi. It is the largest city in the region of Eastern Indonesia and the country's fifth-largest urban center after Jakarta, Surabaya, Med ...
, Seram
Seram (formerly spelled Ceram; also Seran or Serang) is the largest and main island of Maluku province of Indonesia, despite Ambon Island's historical importance. It is located just north of the smaller Ambon Island and a few other adjacent i ...
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.
Flora
The area is mostly grassland that resembles nearby northern Australia and contains areas ofeucalyptus
''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including ''Corymbia'', they are commonly known as euca ...
, albizzia, and melaleuca
''Melaleuca'' () is a genus of nearly 300 species of plants in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, commonly known as paperbarks, honey-myrtles or tea-trees (although the last name is also applied to species of ''Leptospermum''). They range in size f ...
woodland. The grasslands are renewed by regular fires at the end of the dry season.
Fauna
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 theNew Guinean planigale
The New Guinean planigale (''Planigale novaeguineae''), also known as the Papuan planigale, is a species of small marsupial carnivore native to the Trans-Fly savanna and grasslands of New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; i ...
''(Planigale novaeguineae)'', bronze quoll
The bronze quoll (''Dasyurus spartacus'') is a species of quoll found only in the Trans-Fly savanna and grasslands of New Guinea and West Papua.
History
It was discovered in the early 1970s when five specimens were collected, but only described ...
''(Dasyurus spartacus)'', spectacled hare-wallaby
The spectacled hare-wallaby (''Lagorchestes conspicillatus'') is a species of macropod found in Australia and New Guinea. In Australia, a small sub-population is found on Barrow Island, while the mainland type is widespread, though in decline ...
''(Lagorchestes conspicillatus)'' and dusky pademelon
The dusky pademelon or dusky wallaby (''Thylogale brunii'') is a species of marsupial in the family Macropodidae. It is found in the Aru and Kai islands and the Trans-Fly savanna and grasslands ecoregion of New Guinea. Its natural habitats are ...
''(Thylogale brunii)''. Birds of the area include the Fly River grassbird
The Fly River grassbird (''Poodytes albolimbatus'') is a species of Old World warbler in the family Locustellidae.
It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
Its natural habitats are freshwater marshes and lakes.
It is threatened by habita ...
''(Megalurus albolimbatus)'' and the spangled kookaburra
The spangled kookaburra (''Dacelo tyro'') also called Aru giant kingfisher, is a little-known species of kookaburra found in the Aru Islands, Trans-Fly savanna and grasslands of southern New Guinea. Practically nothing is known of its family li ...
, 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
The pig-nosed turtle (''Carettochelys insculpta''), also known as the pitted-shelled turtle or Fly River turtle, is a species of turtle native to northern Australia and southern New Guinea. It is the only living member of the family Carettoche ...
''(Carettochelys insculpta)''.
Threats and preservation
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
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.
on the coast and the adjoining Tonda Wildlife Management Area
The Tonda Wildlife Management Area is a wetland of international importance and the largest protected area in Papua New Guinea.
across the border in Papua New Guinea.
See also
*Western Province (Papua New Guinea)
Western Province is a coastal province in southwestern Papua New Guinea, bordering the Indonesian province of Papua. The provincial capital is Daru. The largest town in the province is Tabubil. Other major settlements are Kiunga, Ningerum, ...
*Bensbach River
The Bensbach River is a river in southwestern Papua New Guinea. It is located just to the east of the Maro River in Merauke Regency, Indonesia, and just to the west of the Morehead River in Papua New Guinea.
The mouth of the river, Torasi Estu ...
*Morehead River
The Morehead River is a river in southwestern Papua New Guinea. It is located just to the east of the Bensbach River, and to the west of the Fly River. The river flows through the Trans-Fly savanna and grasslands.
The mouth of the river is loc ...
References
{{coord missing, Papua New Guinea Australasian ecoregions Ecoregions of Indonesia Ecoregions of New Guinea Ecoregions of Papua New Guinea *T Geography of South Papua Geography of Western New Guinea Natural history of Western New Guinea Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands