FISH BIODIVERSITY STATUS CITANDUY WATERSHED

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Citanduy Watershed is one of the Main Watersheds that spans two provinces, West Java and Central Java. The Citanduy Watershed is an area where it is lacking the complete data/information about fish biodiversity. Meanwhile, human activities and anthropogenic impacts pose significant threats to the existence of this biodiversity. The study conducted utilized secondary data from various scientific publications and information sources on social media. The gathered information was systematically organized to provide an overview of the existing fish biodiversity and the current condition of the Citanduy Watershed.
The Citanduy Watershed covers an area of 473,697 hectares. Geographically, it spans from 108o 04' to 109o 30' East Longitude (EL) and 7o 03' to 7o 52' South Latitude (SL). The Citanduy River is approximately 180 km long, originating between Mount Sawal and Mount Galunggung, and flows into the Segara Anakan area. The overall condition of the Citanduy Watershed is critical, making it one of the priority basins for improved management. Consequently, sedimentation in the downstream area of the Citanduy River, particularly in Segara Anakan, continues to increase, affecting the existing fish biodiversity within it.
Fish biodiversity in the Citanduy River is recorded with 41 families and 21 orders, totaling 92 species. Cyprinidae is the most dominant family with 11 species. Based on longitudinal distribution, there are 21 species in the Upstream basin area, 39 species in the middle area, and 62 species in the Downstream area of the Watershed. Out of the total, 79 species are native to Indonesia, and 13 species are introduced. Five families belong to introduced fish, totaling 13 species: Serrasalmidae, Poecillidae, Cichlidae, Clariidae, and Loricariidae.
There are 11 species that serve as indicators of good water conditions and 2 species for polluted conditions. The existing biodiversity status shows 2 vulnerable (VU) species, 1 nearly threatened (NT) species, 68 least concern (LC) species, 8 data deficient (DD) species, and 12 not evaluated (NE) species. Additionally, all species fall under the "not evaluated" (NE) category based on CITES. Among the economically important species that are popular, competitively priced, and exported, the eel stands out.
Understanding the fish biodiversity status of the Citanduy Watershed is expected to optimize and protect the existing fish biodiversity. This, in turn, will allow future commercially based fishing activities to develop while relying on other high-value economic commodities, which can reduce pressure on specific species like eels. Biodiversity status also serves as a foundation for developing policies for sustainable fish resource management and preventing the extinction of existing fish species.