Rapid Assessment on Biodiversity in Logged Forest of Tesso Nilo, Riau Province, Sumatra

Abstract

Tesso Nilo area which is located at Riau province covers an area of 188.00 ha. Recently, it is famous because of a sharply increased in encroachment activities for forest conversion, especially for oil palm plantations and village sites. It was conducted in logged forest around Segati river, Toro river, Mamahan river and Sawan river in June 2003. The results showed that the area had the high richness of plant species which was indicated by the high value of Mennhenick index. Records from the 1 ha studied plot identified a total of 360 species included 165 genera and 57 families with 215 tree species 305 sapling species. Some important tree species which were included in the Red List of IUCN were ‘gaharu’ (Aquilaria malaccensis), ‘ramin’ (Gonystylus bancanus), Shorea spp. and Dipterocarpus spp. The local community utilized 83 species of medicinal plants and 4 species of toxic plants for fishing. The total number of recorded bird species was 114 species represented 29% of the total Sumatran bird species. The most important bird species were the Wrinkled Hornbill (Aceros corrugatus), Crestless Fireback (Lophura erythrophthalma), Crested Fireback (Lophura ignita) and Hooked-billed Bulbul (Setornis criniger). The total number of recorded mammal species was 34 species or 16.5% of 206 species of Sumatran mammals. The most important mammal species included Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae), Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatrensis), the Sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) and three species of primates: Hylobates agilis, Presbytis femoralis and Macaca nemestrina. The herpetofauna contained 15 reptile species and 18 amphibian species. The most important herpetofauna was the endangered False Gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii) and the vulnerable Common Softshelled turtle (Amyda cartilaginea). The number of recorded fish species was 50 represented 18% of the total Sumatran fish species (272 species). The important fish species were Breinsteinea sp. and Chaca bankanensis which were unique and rare. Since insects are the largest group of animal, this study only focused on beetles. The identified beetles were classified into 644 species and 34 families. The important beetles were the Longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae) and the Scarab beetles (Scarabaeidae).The small mammal parasites consisted of ectoparasites which were categorized into 14 species and endoparasites which were categorized into 2 orders and 3 species. Keywords: biodiversity, logged forest, richness, Sumatran tiger, Sumatran elephant