Present Condition of the Protected Area of Endangered Asian Arowana (Scleropages formosus) Golden-Red in East-Central Sumatra, Indonesia

Abstract The only location for the protection of Arowana golden-red in its natural habitat is in east-central Sumatra. Currently, the area is being invaded by oil palm plantations. This research identified the present conditions in that conservation area, specifically focusing on land-use situation and aquatic organism distribution and diversity. We designated four sampling sites according to the stratification of river flows that pass through the Arowana golden-red conservation area and present land use. The research showed that oil palm plantation was the largest land use in the Arowana golden-red conservation area covering 61.2% (2,310.84 ha). The swamp forest which is the habitat of Arowana golden-red only remained at 6.99% (263.98 ha). In the study area, aquatic organisms were identified as 47 species with a total of 424 individuals: 7 genera of Benthos, 11 species of Planktonic algae, and 29 species of Fish. The diversity index was in the range of 0.46–2.45. The diversity of aquatic organisms was found to be comparable to or higher than other areas in Malaysia and Indonesia such as Aceh province and Kalimantan. However, only 31 individuals of Arowana golden-red were found in the swamp forest in Middle Mahato. This site should be a priority area to save the Arowana golden-red.