Abstract
A vegetation survey was carried out in the Ujung Kulon nature reserve (West Java, Indonesia). Particular attention was paid to the altitudinal zoning of the vegetation, to succession and to the applicability of the phytosociological approach in forests of the humid tropics. The altitudinal zoning provides a clear example of the telescope effect: low, isolated mountain complexes surrounded by sea reflect the vegetation zoning of higher mountains in a condensed, ‘telescoped’ way. The pattern of primary forests, secondary forests and rattan-dominated shrublands can be explained by the former shifting cultivation practice and the impact of ash rains following the notorious eruption of the nearby volcano Krakatau in 1883. The arguments against the phytosociological approach in the humid tropics are found to be invalid. The minimal area concept does not cause great problems if used in a practical sense and if plants of all age classes and all terrestrial growth forms are included in the releve.
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