Penentuan Batas Edge dan Core Area Hutan Sisa (Remnant Forest) di Suaka Margasatwa Balai Raja Propinsi Riau

Abstract

Peningkatan aktivitas masyarakat seperti kegiatan illegal logging, pertambangan, pertanian, perkebunan dan pemukiman mengakibatkan fragmentasi habitat dan penurunan luas tutupan vegetasi hutan pada kawasan Suaka Margasatwa (SM) Balai Raja di Propinsi Riau. Kehilangan hutan selama periode 1985 sampai 2004 sebesar 12.999,34 ha (rata-rata 684,18 ha per tahun atau 4,99% pertahun). Sementara teIjadi peningkatan penggunaan lahan untuk pemukiman dan bareland dari tahun 1985 sebesar 280,51 ha (pemukiman) dan 825,78 ha (bareland) meningkat pada tahun 2004 menjadi 1.103,36 ha (pemukiman) dan 4.947,59 ha (bareland). Sedangkan penggunaan lahan untuk kelapa sawit yang pada tahun 1985 dari tidak ada menjadi sebesar 3.391,36 ha pada tahun 2004 (PPLH IPB,2004).

Over the period 1985 to 2004, forest land cover in Balai Raja Wildlife Sanctuary reduced from 13,705.19 hectares to 705.85 hectares of fragmented forest. The reduction was attributed to illegal logging, mining, agriculture, oil palm plantation and settlement. In spite of the large loss, the remnant fragmented forest still serves a very important purpose, it is the last habitat for the Sumatran wildlife, however, there is no little or no infonnation on the characteristics of this forest, such as, the diversity of plant, indicator species and stand structure of forest edge. This study was designed to fill the knowledge gap, specifically, to detennine boundaries, diversity, stand structure of forest edge which is essential as a basis of infonnation in managing this area. Through field visits, seedlings, sapling poles, and trees species were identified and inventoried. The data were then used to carry out Bray Curtis analysis. Results show that the boundaries of forest edge range from 20-80 meters. Species of macaranga, mallotus and aporosa were identified as the indicator species. The dominant species in sequence for seedling, sapling, pole and tree were Alphitonia incana, Mischocarpus sundaicus, Macaranga gigantean and Shorea canina.