Wandamen

A(iii)Site contains one or more highly restricted endemic species that are potentially threatened

There are 9 plant species endemic to this TIPA, and although none have been Red Listed in threatened categories, their restricted ranges mean that they might become threatened in the future. The lowland forests in this area have numerous species recorded for local uses for food, medicines, timber and building materials. These lowland forests are under the most pressure of all forest types in the region due to their restricted area due to the steep terrain and some transmigration settlements in the north-east of the peninsula. This TIPA includes a diverse range of forest types due to the c.2000 metre range in elevation.

The Wandamen peninsula is a mountainous peninsula on the northern side of New Guinea mainland in Cenderawasih Bay. The peninsula is dominated by steep mountain ridge, the Wondiboy mountains, which runs from north to south and reaches a peak elevation of 2250 metres. There is a narrow coastal strip which contains most of the region's settlements. This TIPA follows the border between Kabupaten Wondama and Kabupaten Wondama in the east, the western channel of the Wosimi river in the west, and then follows the coast of the peninsula. The TIPA includes the Pegunungan Wondiboy Nature Reserve.

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Ungirwalu et al. (2016) documented 25 useful plant species in the region, including the Near Threatened Intsia bijuga. There are 9 site endemic plant species: Calamus wanggaii (LC), Hydriastele wosimiensis (DD), Gaultheria kosteri (LC), Astronia chartacea (DD), Dendrobium lancilabium (LC), Agalmyla roseoflava, Agalmyla wondiwoiana, Ceratostylis curvimentum and Ceratostylis mayrii. As the forests of the Wandammen area are mainly intact, those endemic species which have been assessed according to Red List criteria are not in threatened categories, however they have small range sizes and could become threatened in the future.

The large elevational range of the peninsula means that this TIPA covers a large range of habitats from lowland rainforest, through lower montane forests with Fagaceae and Lauraceae, to dense mossy montane forest with Nothofagus. The composition of the primary and secondary forests of the lowland coastal areas were surveyed by Murdjoko et al. (2021) with a focus on a species of Haplolobus (Buah Hitam in Indonesian), the fruits of which are widely consumed in the region. The geology of the peninsula mainly comprises high pressure metamorphic rocks, aged from about 1 to 4 Ma (Kaymakci et al. 2013).

There is little forest loss on most of the peninsula due to the steep and inaccessible terrain. The Pegunungan Wondiboy Nature Reserve covers 795 km2 of the peninsula, but excludes the lowlands. The development and expansion of settlements in the lowlands is causing some forest loss in those areas. The Wandammen peninsula also supports a high diversity of frogs, including 13 species endemic to the peninsula (Gunther et al. 2023). The Wondiwoi tree kangaroo (CR) was photographed in 2018 in the mossy montane forest at the highest elevations in the Wondiwoi mountains, before which it was known from a single specimen collected in 1928.

The Wandamen peninsula forests are sources of non timber forest products for the local people, and include the catchment area for their drinking water supplies. The dense and intact montane forests, as well as supporting the plant species endemic to this peninsula, are also habitats for threatened and endemic vertebrate species.

Laura Jennings, Royal Botanic Garden Kew

Charlie D. Heatubun, The Provincial Government of West Papua and Universitas Papua

Jimmy Wanma, State University of Papua

Liam Trethowan, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Date of first assessment: 4th Mar 2025