Comparison of species diversity of mammals and herpetofauna between burnt and unburnt land after one year of fire in RAJ Oil Palm Estate, South Sumatera

Abstract

Frequent fires are common in Indonesia, particularly within oil palm plantations, and are believed to negatively affect the diversity of native plants and animals. In 2018, the RAJ oil palm plantation in South Sumatra experienced a fire incident. This study aimed to assess the contrasting diversity of mammal and herpetofauna species and the impact of fire on species abundance over one year. Data were collected in burnt and unburnt areas with two land cover types, grass and gelam. Transect strips, 1 km long and 50 m wide, were established in each land cover for mammal observations, while the Visual Encounter Survey (VES) method was used for herpetofauna. Data were collected during active animal hours: 06:00-08:00 and 16:00-18:00 for mammals, and 19:00-21:00 for herpetofauna, with three observation rounds each. The analysis included number of eah species, species richness and evenness indices, community similarity index, and percentage of species loss and gain. Results revealed 5 mammal and 5 herpetofauna species in both land cover types. Species Diversity (H′) and Richness (Dmg) Indices differed for each animal group. Generally, H′ and Dmg were higher in burnt areas for mammals, while for herpetofauna, values were greater in unburnt land. Mammal species loss was lower than in burnt areas, with 20% loss and 60% gain in grassland, and 33% loss and gain in gelam land. Herpetofauna loss and gain percentages were similar in unburnt and burnt lands, at 20% for grassland and 33% for gelam land.