Vogelkop-Aru lowland rain forests


The Vogelkop-Aru lowland rain forests is a tropical moist forest ecoregion in Indonesia. The ecoregion covers the peninsular lowlands of western New Guinea, along with the Aru Islands and other nearby islands.

Geography

The ecoregion includes the lowland and hill forests of the Bird's Head Peninsula, Bomberai Peninsula, and the Bird's Neck Isthmus, as well as the Aru Islands to the south and Raja Ampat Islands to the west.
The Aru and Raja Ampat islands sit on the Australia-New Guinea continental shelf. When sea levels were lower during the ice ages, these islands were joined to the Australia-New Guinea continent, which allowed terrestrial plants and animals to move between them.
The peninsular mountains above 1000 meters elevation, including the Arfak Mountains and Tamrau Mountains, constitute the separate and distinct Vogelkop montane rain forests ecoregion.

Climate

The ecoregion has a tropical rain forest climate.

Flora

The vegetation of the ecoregion is tropical wet evergreen forest, including lowland alluvial forests, hill forests, and limestone forests.

Fauna

The ecoregion has 47 species of mammals, including marsupials, murid rodents, and bats. There are no strictly endemic mammal species, but several species are threatened or have a limited range.
The ecoregion has 366 species of birds, of which nine are endemic. It encompasses the West Papuan lowlands and Aru Islands endemic bird areas. The largest bird in the ecoregion is the flightless southern cassowary.

Protected areas

A 2017 assessment found that 7,557 km², or 10%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. About 70% of the unprotected area is still forested.