BIODIVERSITY ASSESSMENT AND REINTRODUCTION – BASED CONSERVATION OF FRESHWATWER FISHES IN THE ANCIENT RIVER, BELITUNG ISLAND, INDONESIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33019/q301ca02Keywords:
: Endemic species; Species reintroduction; Belitung Island; Genetic diversity; Conservation strategyAbstract
Freshwater fish biodiversity in Belitung Island has undergone a significant decline due to extensive tin mining activities and the rapid expansion of oil palm plantations. In response to these ecological pressures, a biodiversity assessment was conducted in 2024 in the Lenggang River system—an ancient freshwater ecosystem located in East Belitung, Indonesia. The primary aim was to document native and endemic fish species and to establish a reintroduction-based conservation strategy tailored to the river's ecological context. Field surveys recorded high ichthyofaunal diversity, from which 32 native species were selected for reintroduction based on ecological value, conservation status, endemism, and their capacity to adapt to rehabilitated habitats. Among the prioritized taxa was Gymnochanda verae, a rare and endemic species found exclusively in the Bangka–Belitung region. Other selected species include Gymnochanda verae, Desmopuntius gemellus, Osteochilus spilurus, Osteochilus flavicauda, Eirmotus insignis, Brevibora cheeyai and Aplocheilus armatus. The reintroduction initiative was designed not only to restore declining populations but also to enrich the genetic diversity of native fish communities. Importantly, all reintroduced species were confirmed to be historically present and indigenous to the Lenggang River system. The conservation strategy was further supported by habitat restoration, local community involvement, and long-term population monitoring. Preliminary results indicate positive acclimatization in restored zones, underscoring the potential of species reintroduction as an effective tool for freshwater biodiversity conservation in ancient tropical river systems. This study provides essential baseline data and offers a replicable model for integrated conservation of freshwater ecosystems in Southeast Asia.
Downloads
References
Akbar, M. A., Reza., Khasana, U., & Kurniawan., A. 2025. Konfirmasi Taksonomi Pristolepis Grooti (Bleeker, 1852) Di Sungai Bumang, Pulau Bangka Berdasarkan Karakter Morfometrik Dan Meristik. Amreta Meena, 2(3): 72-77.
Bidayani, E., Valeriani, D., & Valen, F. S. (2023). Ethnozoology of Lanun community towards biodiversity conservation at Tebat Rasau ancient lake geosite in Simpang Renggiang District, East Belitung Regency. AACL Bioflux, 16: 2931-2938.
Blanton, R. E., Brumley, J. F., Thomas, M. R., Simmons, J. W., Brandt, S. L., & Floyd, M. A. (2025). Impacts of habitat loss by reservoir inundation on occurrence, abundance, and genetic diversity of an imperiled, river-adapted, benthic-specialist fish, Etheostoma lemniscatum (Tuxedo Darter). Conservation Genetics, 26(1): 1-18.
Buckley, S. J., Brauer, C., Lamin, C., Rose, P., Vornicu, D. E., & Beheregaray, L. B. (2024). A community‐driven captive‐breeding and reintroduction program maintains genetic diversity in a threatened freshwater fish. Conservation Science and Practice, 6(1), e13054.
do Nascimento Filho, S. L., & do Nascimento Moura, A. (2021). Strong top-down effects of omnivorous fish and macroinvertebrates on periphytic algae and macrophytes in a tropical reservoir. Aquatic Ecology, 55(2), 667-680.
Erwin, J. A. A. (2024). Changing genes for a changing climate: genetic intervention as a tool for biodiversity conservation in the era of climate change. In Research Handbook on Climate Change and Biodiversity Law (pp. 315-336). Edward Elgar Publishing.
Febryanti, E., Gustomi, A., & Kurniawan, K. (2021). Analisis Kebiasaan Makanan Ikan Bantak (Osteochilus wandersii) Di Hulu Sungai Lenggang, Kabupaten Belitung Timur: Analysis of Food Habits of Bantak Fish (Osteochilus wandersii) in the Upstream Lenggang River, East Belitung Regency. Aquatic Science, 3(2), 1-8.
Geist, J., & Hawkins, S. J. (2016). Habitat recovery and restoration in aquatic ecosystems: current progress and future challenges. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 26(5), 942-962.
Graziano, M. P., Deguire, A. K., & Surasinghe, T. D. (2022). Riparian buffers as a critical landscape feature: insights for riverscape conservation and policy renovations. Diversity, 14(3), 172.
Harding, G., Griffiths, R.A. & Black, S.A. Factors influencing species reintroduction success. Biodivers Conserv 34, 4745–4764 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-025-03176-w
Hasan, V., & South, J. (2023). First record of the Vulnerable Malayan Flat-shelled Turtle, Notochelys platynota (Gray 1834) (Reptilia, Testudines, Geoemydidae), in Belitung, Indonesia. Check List, 19(3), 301-304. https://doi.org/10.15560/19.3.301
Hasan, V., Vieira, L. O., South, J., & Ottoni, F. P. (2023). First record of Mastacembelus notophthalmus (Actinopterygii: Synbranchiformes: Mastacembelidae) for Belitung Island, Indonesia. Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria, 53, 123-127. https://doi.org/10.3897/aiep.53.105318
He, F., Svenning, J. C., Chen, X., Tockner, K., Kuemmerle, T., Le Roux, E., ... & Jähnig, S. C. (2024). Freshwater megafauna shape ecosystems and facilitate restoration. Biological reviews, 99(4), 1141-1163.
Hubert, N., Kadarusman, P. D., Wibowo, A., Busson, F., Caruso, D., Sulandari, S., ... & Hadiaty, R. (2015). DNA Barcoding Indonesian freshwater fishes: challenges and prospects. Dna Barcodes, 3(1), 144-169.
Ilmia, M., Amelia., Purnama, F., Valen, F.S., Amru, TJ., Ramadani, A.F., Susanto, M., Oktaviandi, D., Prayoga, A., Hidayat, R., Syarif, A.F., Kurniawan, A., Nurjirana., South, J, hasan, V. 2025. Ikan-Ikan Air Tawar Bangka. UBB Press. Bangka. 219pp.
Jachowski, D. S., Millspaugh, J. J., Angermeier, P. L., & Slotow, R. (2016). Reintroduction of fish and wildlife populations. Univ of California Press.
Jacinto, E., Fangue, N. A., Cocherell, D. E., Kiernan, J. D., Moyle, P. B., & Rypel, A. L. (2023). Increasing stability of a native freshwater fish assemblage following flow rehabilitation. Ecological Applications, 33(5), e2868.
Jacques, A., Leroy, G., Rognon, X., Verrier, E., Tixier-Boichard, M., & Restoux, G. (2023). Reintroducing genetic diversity in populations from cryopreserved material: the case of Abondance, a French local dairy cattle breed. Genetics Selection Evolution, 55(1), 28.
Keller, L. F., Biebach, I., Ewing, S. R., & Hoeck, P. E. (2012). The genetics of reintroductions: inbreeding and genetic drift. Reintroduction biology: integrating science and management, 360-394.
Khanati, O., Lista, D., Lindiatika, L., Lestari, E., Hafidz, A. M., Hidayat, R., ... & Kurniawan, A. (2023). Iktiofauna Eksotik Di Tebat Rasau, Belitung Timur. Journal of Aquatropica Asia, 8(1), 45-54.
Kitanishi, S., Nishio, M., Uehara, K., Ogawa, R., Yokoyama, T., & Edo, K. (2013). Patterns of genetic diversity of mitochondrial DNA within captive populations of the endangered itasenpara bitterling: implications for a reintroduction program. Environmental biology of fishes, 96(4), 567-572.
Kottelat, M., & Yeo, D. C. (2005). Southeast Asian freshwater fish diversity. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, Supplement, 13, 1-208.
Kurniawan, A., Fakhrurrozi, Y., & Kurniawan, A. (2019). Kekerabatan genetik ikan cempedik (osteochilus spilurus) dan ikan lain yang tertangkap dalam sero di Sungai Lenggang, Belitung Timur menggunakan RAPD. Jurnal Sains Dasar, 8(2), 50-55.
Kurniawan, A., Hariati, A. M., Kurniawan, A., & Wiadnya, D. G. R. (2021). First genetic record and the phylogenetic relationship of osteochilus spilurus (Cyprinidae: Labeoninae) originating from Bangka and Belitung islands, Indonesia. Biodiversitas, 22(2), 794-802. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d220233
Lim, S. H., & Do, Y. (2023). Macroinvertebrate conservation in river ecosystems: Challenges, restoration strategies, and integrated management approaches. Entomological Research, 53(8), 271-290.
Lutz, M. L., Tonkin, Z., Yen, J. D., Johnson, G., Ingram, B. A., Sharley, J., ... & Pavlova, A. (2021). Using multiple sources during reintroduction of a locally extinct population benefits survival and reproduction of an endangered freshwater fish. Evolutionary Applications, 14(4), 950-964.
Marshall, I. R., Brauer, C. J., Wedderburn, S. D., Whiterod, N. S., Hammer, M. P., Barnes, T. C., ... & Beheregaray, L. B. (2022). Longitudinal monitoring of neutral and adaptive genomic diversity in a reintroduction. Conservation Biology, 36(4), e13889.
Nath, A., Ahmad, A., & Das, A. (2025). Conservation strategies for Northern River Terrapin Batagur baska: Habitat assessment and reintroduction prospects. Global Ecology and Conservation, e03763.
Pauls, S. U., Nowak, C., Bálint, M., & Pfenninger, M. (2013). The impact of global climate change on genetic diversity within populations and species. Molecular ecology, 22(4), 925-946.
Pavlova, A., Schneller, N. M., Lintermans, M., Beitzel, M., Robledo‐Ruiz, D. A., & Sunnucks, P. (2024). Planning and implementing genetic rescue of an endangered freshwater fish population in a regulated river, where low flow reduces breeding opportunities and may trigger inbreeding depression. Evolutionary Applications, 17(4), e13679.
Pavlova, A., Tonkin, Z., Pearce, L., Robledo‐Ruiz, D. A., Lintermans, M., Ingram, B. A., ... & Sunnucks, P. (2025). A shift to metapopulation genetic management for persistence of a species threatened by fragmentation: The case of an endangered Australian freshwater fish. Molecular Ecology, e70005.
Robin, Valen F.S., Ramadhanu D., Nomleni A., Turnip G., Insani L. 2023. A new distributional record of flying barb, Esomus metallicus (Actinopterygii: Cyprinidae), from Kapalo Banda River, West Sumatra, Indonesia. International Journal of Aquatic Biology, 11 (1), pp. 59 – 68
Sadler, D. E., Watts, P. C., & Uusi-Heikkilä, S. (2023). The riddle of how fisheries influence genetic diversity. Fishes, 8(10), 510.
Salmenkova, E. A. (2008). Population genetic processes in introduction of fish. Russian Journal of Genetics, 44(7), 758-766.
Smith, R. J., Kazyak, D. C., Kulp, M. A., Lubinski, B. A., & Fitzpatrick, B. M. (2024). Genetic structure of restored Brook Trout populations in the Southern Appalachian Mountains indicates successful reintroductions. Conservation Genetics, 25(4), 1007-1020.
South, J., Cadley, E., Liptrot, P., Valen, F. S., Syarif, A. F., Budi, D. S., Tan, H. H., & Hasan, V. (Accepted/In press). Early stakeholder cohesion in wild-capture freshwater ornamental fisheries can support conservation outcomes. Journal of Fish Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.70154
Stoffers, T., Buijse, A. D., Geerling, G. W., Jans, L. H., Schoor, M. M., Poos, J. J., ... & Nagelkerke, L. A. (2022). Freshwater fish biodiversity restoration in floodplain rivers requires connectivity and habitat heterogeneity at multiple spatial scales. Science of the Total Environment, 838, 156509.
Storfer, A. (1999). Gene flow and endangered species translocations: a topic revisited. Biological conservation, 87(2), 173-180.
Strayer, D. L. (2024). Better population monitoring and understanding of dynamic lags could aid freshwater mussel conservation. American Malacological Bulletin, 41(1), 1-13.
Syarif A.F., Valen F.S., Herjayanto M. 2023. First DNA barcoding and phylogenetics of wild Betta edithae (Anabantiformes: Osphronemidae) from Belitung Island, Indonesia. AACL Bioflux, 16 (5), pp. 2626 – 2636
Terui, A., Urabe, H., Senzaki, M., & Nishizawa, B. (2023). Intentional release of native species undermines ecological stability. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(7), e2218044120.
Tracy, L. N., Wallis, G. P., Efford, M. G., & Jamieson, I. G. (2011). Preserving genetic diversity in threatened species reintroductions: how many individuals should be released?. Animal Conservation, 14(4), 439-446.
Trzcińska, M., Samiec, M., & Duda, M. (2023). Creating ex situ protected bioreservoirs as a powerful strategy for the reproductive biotechnology-mediated rescue of threatened polish livestock breeds. Agriculture, 13(7), 1426.
Valen, F.S., Salmi., Syarif, A.F. 2025. DNA Barcoding Reveals the Genetic Identity of Licorice Gourami Parosphromenus deissneri, an Endangered Species Threatened by Tin Mining in Bangka. Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology & Fisheries. 29 (4): 573-589
Zhan, A. (2025). Multi‐Omics‐Driven Adaptive Management of Biological Invasions: Toward a Proactive, Predictive, and Integrative Framework. Biological Diversity.
