Oryzias wolasi (Oryzias wolasi)

Mohamed bin Zayed Species project number 250538837

Conservation of Oryzias wolasi in Wolasi River Ecosystem, Southeast Sulawesi Province under threatened by nickel mining and palm oil plantations

Oryzias wolasi is an endemic freshwater fish species from Sulawesi that its found only in the river systems of Wolasi District, Southeast Sulawesi. The IUCN Red List currently classifies the species as Data Deficient (DD), indicating a lack of sufficient data on its population status and threats. Morphologically, O. wolasi has an elongated body reaching up to 28.6 mm SL, with a golden body color and bright orange pigmentation on the olfactory epithelium, especially in females. This species typically inhabits clean, well-oxygenated rivers within the Wolasi forest ecosystem, where organic matter from surrounding vegetation supports its habitat. However, increasing agricultural, plantation, and especially nickel mining activities pose significant threats. These activities contribute to water pollution through runoff, sedimentation, and increased acidity, degrading water quality and threatening fish populations. Therefore, this project aims to complement previous research through the integration of ecological data and threat assessments to provide proposed conservation actions that are appropriate to the dynamics of land use in Southeast Sulawesi spesifically at core habitat of O. wolasi. Were also execute species identification training for undergraduate student local university students on species identification procedures.