Vegetation cover changes and species composition: preliminary results from agroforestry system in Gunung Halimun Salak National Park, Indonesia

Abstract

As a mitigation target for Indonesia’s Forestry and Other Land Use (FOLU) Net Sink 2030, Gunung Halimun Salak National Park (GHSNP) has a high potential. However, there is a lack of data on tree species composition and vegetation cover, particularly in the traditional zone (TZ). This study aims to estimate the vegetation cover of GHSNP in 2016, 2019, and 2022, as well as tree species composition in the TZ compared to the wilderness zone (WZ). This study used Sentinel-2 imagery and plot establishment for vegetation analysis in both zones. The most dominant class of vegetation cover in GHSNP from 2016 to 2022 is in class 5 which has highly dense vegetation. The large area class 5 increased by around 2.17% from 2016 to 2022. There were 17 species found in TZ and 24 species in WZ. Local communities are applying the traditional agroforestry of Poh-pohan (Pilea trinervia) as the main commodity and Pinus merkusii for the shade trees. P. merkusii and Maesopsis eminii are the most frequently found in TZ and WZ due to the former status of GHSNP as a production forest. Agroforestry systems can enhance biodiversity as a conservation effort and Indonesia’s FOLU Net Sink 2030 actions.