Compotition of understory vegetation after land clearing in the protected forest of Mount Talamau, West Sumatera

Abstract

Mutaqien Z, Normasiwi S. 2015. Compotition of understory vegetation after land clearing in the protected forest of Mount Talamau, West Sumatera. Pros Sem Nas Masy Biodiv Indon 1: 682-686. Mount Talamau, West Sumatera, has a very high plant diversity. At least there was 65 family of plants that can be found sparsely on various altitude. Nevertheless, the existence of the flora inside was threatened by agriculture and plantation activities conducted by local people. Abandoned coffee plantation adjacent this protected forest area has damaged and the former semi-natural vegetation was opened and land cleared to be planted by annual crop in 2012. The aim of this study was to determine the diversity of seedling and its population in the ex-coffee plantation of Mount Talamau area. Data were collected on May 2014 using a plot 2 (6 x 1) m2 (Muller-Dumbois and Ellenberg 1974). Plots were distributed randomly in forests that have been cleared for agriculture and forest covered areas that are still natural and compared by Importance Value Index (IVI), Diversity Index, Evenness Index, and Similarity Index. The results showed there were 42 species in the region that have been opened and 37 species in the region are still closed. Eupatorium sp (IVI: 43.70; DR: 37.18) and Coffea arabica L. (IVI: 30.34; DR: 9.02) is the dominant species in the open area, while Tetrastigma sp. (IVI: 19.01; DR: 1.01) and Coniogramme fraxinea (D.Don) Diels (IVI: 16.66; DR: 5.05) becomes the dominant species in the covered area.