Organisation: PROGRES
Project focus: Urgent surveys to determine population status, key threats, and conservation action for three fishes endemic to Lake Poso, Sulawesi, Indonesia
Location: Sulawesi, Indonesia
Project date: March 2022 – March 2023 (ongoing)
Species: Duck-billed Buntingi Adrianichthys kruyti, Rosen’s Buntingi Adrianichthys roseni, Poso Bungu Mugilogobius amadi 
Supported by: Fondation Segré
The challenge
Lake Poso in Sulawesi is one of the world’s oldest lakes, a Key Biodiversity Area and an Alliance for Zero Extinction site. It supports a high degree of endemism of many freshwater species, including 10 endemic fish species, 3 of which are Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct): Duck-billed Buntingi, Rosen’s Buntingi and Poso Bungu. The drastic declines of these three species are largely considered to be due to predation by alien fishes in the 1970s which have since become invasive.
In addition, a large hydroelectric dam project approved in 2005 has resulted in widespread dredging and reclamation, threatening the unique ecosystem of the lake and the traditional fishing approaches of the lake’s fishing community. Urgent action is required in order to assess and obtain information on these freshwater fishes before it is too late.
The project
PROGRES aims to conserve the three Critically Endangered fishes in Lake Poso by:
- Conducting extensive surveys to determine if these species still persist and ascertaining their population status and distribution
- Identifying key threats and potential for population recovery, including the potential need for an ex situ breeding programme
- Engaging with the local community to garner support for the conservation of the lake and the fishes
- Consulting local stakeholders to develop a conservation plan for the Lake Poso landscape
Project reports
Project reports will be added here
