Mosquito Biodiversity and Its Implications for Public Health in South Kalimantan's Forested Areas

¹ Research Center for Public Health and Nutrition, BRIN, Cibinong, West Java, Indonesia
² National Laboratory for Environmental Health Surveillance, Ministry of Health, Salatiga, Indonesia
³ Biology Doctoral Student, Faculty of Biology, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

^* Corresponding agungpeka@gmail.com

Abstract

Forests are habitats for various fauna, including mosquitoes, and play a crucial role in public health. Many communities rely on forests as a source of livelihood, increasing the risk of transmission of mosquito-borne diseases due to human-forest interactions. This study aimed to describe the diversity of mosquitoes in the forest ecosystem of South Kalimantan and explore their potential implications for public health. It used a cross-sectional approach and was conducted in two different locations: a forest far from settlements areas and a forest close to settlements areas. The data were collected using three techniques: Human Landing Catches (HLCs), animal-baited traps (ABT), and cattle-baited cowsheds. The data were analyzed using the Shannon-Wiener diversity, Simpson, and Evenness indices. Differences in species composition and abundance were analyzed using the Bray-Curtis dissimilarity index. A total of 30 mosquito species were identified in the forest ecosystem far from the settlements, whereas 18 species were found in the forest near the settlements. Both ecosystems contain several disease-vector species, such as Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus, Anopheles letifer, Culex tritaeniorhynchus, and Mansonia uniformis. Diversity analysis showed that the species abundance distribution was relatively even in both ecosystems. The Bray-Curtis dissimilarity value of 0.623 indicated significant differences in species composition and abundance between the two ecosystems. This study highlights the diversity of mosquitoes in the forest ecosystems of South Kalimantan, including the presence of disease vector species. These findings emphasize the importance of vector control in forest ecosystems, especially those near settlements, and the need to raise public awareness of personal protection when engaging in forest activities. Therefore, preventive measures and surveillance should be strengthened to reduce the risk of mosquito-borne disease transmission.