Inventory of Inv asive Plant Species at Bukit Duabelas National Park and the Vicinity, Jambi, Sumatra

Abstract

Sumatra, the Indonesia’s second largest island, has the forest that harbor some world’s highest biodiversity. However, the Sumatran forest have been largely replaced by plantation development i.e. acacia, rubber and oil palm plantation. Exploitation of resources will enhance the development of plant species which are potentially invasive. Bukit Duabelas National Park is one of the remaining forest in the lowlands of Sumatra which has to be conserved. Illegal logging and conversion of the surrounding areas into rubber and oil palm plantations might lead to an increase invasive plant species in the forest. The inventory of invasive plant species in Jambi is necessary as an initial step for further studies. Exploration and sample collections were carried out in the permanent plots of the Collaborative Research Center 990 EFForTS in each of the land-use type, natural forest, jungle rubber, rubber plantation, oil palm plantation, and in surrounding areas. There are 76 invasive plant species belongs to 64 genera and 30 families identified. High risk of invasive plant species infestation was found at the disturbed areas. Oil palm plantation (28 sp.) and rubber plantation (27 sp.) had higher number of invasive plant species compared to jungle rubber (10 sp.). In terms of species abundance, Clidemia hirta and Dicranopteris linearis were found to be far more invasive. Invasive plant species was not found in the natural forest plots. The invasive plant species cannot reach the forest interior where the canopy cover is still relatively intact.