Secondary Forest Research Articles

Overstory functional groups indicate the legacy of land use in a secondary tropical forest in southwestern China

Overstory functional groups indicate the legacy of land use in a secondary tropical forest in southwestern China

From Green to Black: A Voluminous Political Ecology of the Extraction–Conservation Nexus

Within political ecology research, a dominant focus on the hard physicality of the world limits engagement with how events taking place on land mediate and are mediated by other material spaces like the atmosphere. This article engages with burgeoning research on the extraction–conservation nexus to show how the clearly demarcated land-based boundaries on which nexus thinking relies limit an awareness of how processes of conservation and extraction cohere and take shape in and through the aerial atmosphere. The article substantiates this argument with case studies on Guyana and Suriname, two countries that have been working on avoiding deforestation through Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation for over a decade in the aim of mitigating climate change. In each case, we examine three years of news reporting on recent, major oil finds in the Guyana-Suriname Basin. The news reports, set against longer term research, demonstrate a narrative pivot from “green,” land-based avoided deforestation narratives to “black,” offshore extractive ones. The reports show that reference to the competing atmospheric effects of the mutual pursuit of these activities is scarce, even at a time of rapidly intensifying climate change. Hence, we argue that a voluminous analysis of the extraction–conservation nexus integrating a vertical awareness of the ever-present and unbounded atmosphere harbors potential for orienting a less contradictory politics of climate change—one that recognizes how activities deemed oppositional on land take shape in the shared, unbounded atmosphere. These activities consequently go on to affect other spaces and places in indirect, often unpredictable ways.

Voluntary sustainability standards to cope with the new European Union regulation on deforestation-free products: A gap analysis

The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) has been recently adopted to fight deforestation and forest degradation associated with the trade of forest-risk commodities, including cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya, and wood. Operators must exercise due diligence (i.e., information collection, risk assessment, and risk mitigation) to ensure these commodities and their products are deforestation-free and produced in accordance with relevant legislation. In recent decades, Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) have been adopted in the private sector to promote sustainable and deforestation-free supply chains. The EUDR recognizes certification and other third-party verified schemes as supporting tools for risk assessment during the due diligence procedure. However, questions persist regarding the extent to which these schemes can assist operators in assessing compliance with the EUDR. This study addresses these concerns by developing an assessment framework to evaluate the suitability of VSS schemes in covering the due diligence requirements established in the EUDR. The assessment of five major agricultural and forestry VSS schemes against this framework revealed both potentialities and limitations in covering these requirements. Most of the indicators from the framework were at least partially covered. Nevertheless, the assessed schemes fell short in providing a comprehensive prohibition of deforestation and forest degradation. They also presented variable coverage of the relevant legislation outlined in the EUDR, as well as deficiencies in their systems to assure compliance with the standards. Overall, this study indicates that VSS schemes can be incorporated as elements of due diligence systems but are insufficient to demonstrate compliance with the EUDR.

Improving plot-level above ground biomass estimation in tropical Indian forests

Accurate plot-level estimates of above ground biomass (AGB) are crucial for reducing uncertainty in spatial AGB quantification, a key requirement for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation framework (REDD+) and achieving Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) goals. This study explores the impact of plot size, selection and use of height-diameter (H–D) model, and allometric models on plot-level AGB estimation in tropical Indian forests. We analyze a dataset of 8179 tree measurements from 51 one-hectare plots across four tropical sites to investigate these factors and improve estimation accuracy. Our findings highlight the importance of locally derived H–D models for superior accuracy. We propose two H–D models for improved plot-level AGB estimation accuracy in tropical Indian forests: a general model with a residual standard error (RSE) of 4.18 m and a forest type-specific model with a RSE of 3.65 m. These models outperform global models, which significantly underestimate tree height by up to 51.3% and overestimate by 43.4% across our sites. The developed H–D models were evaluated using spatial cross-validation to ensure broader applicability across Indian tropical forests. Further, we evaluated the impact of the choice of the allometric model on plot-level AGB estimation using the prevalent models (local destructive models by the Forest Survey of India and global pantropical models). Our results indicate minimal variability between the local destructive models and the pantropical model when height measurements are derived from this study's developed H–D models. We have also investigated the effect of plot size on plot-level AGB estimation using synthetic plots generated from 1-ha plot data. Notably, the relative error diminishes from approximately 22% to about 5% as plot size increases from 0.04 ha (20x20m) to 0.49 ha (70x70m) across all sites, and we recommend field plots of size ≥0.5 ha for AGB mapping over Tropical Indian Forests. By making this data publicly available, this study paves the way for more accurate spatial AGB mapping in tropical Indian forests, ultimately contributing to better forest management.

Population Abundance and Density Estimates of Poorly Documented Near-Threatened Calabar Angwantibo (Arctocebus calabarensis) in Oban Hills Region.

Population abundance and density estimates play important roles in biodiversity conservation assessment and can lead to prioritization of conservation efforts, strategies, and management. The Calabar angwantibo (Arctocebus calabarensis) is a poorly studied, Near-Threatened nocturnal, arboreal mammal species occurring only in the lowland moist tropical rainforest blocks of southeastern Nigeria and southwestern Cameroon. Like other arboreal nocturnal mammals, there are gaps in knowledge of the distribution and abundance of this species, which may be facing population declines due to habitat loss and hunting. In this study, we investigated the abundance and density of A. calabarensis in the Oban Hills Region of Nigeria. We conducted systematic distance sampling survey along 32 transects in different habitats in a 1227 km of survey efforts. A total of 41 sightings of A. calabarensis were detected, resulting in an abundance of 7345 individuals (95% CI = 1.51-4.37) with an estimated density of 2.57 animals/km2. The estimated population abundance is 6515 individuals in closed-canopy forests and 830 individuals in secondary forests, with encounter rates of 0.52 individual/km2 and 0.60 individuals/km2 in the closed canopy and secondary forest habitats. The global estimates encounter rate of A. calabarensis across the habitat types is 0.33 individuals/km2 and population abundance of 4456 individuals. Our findings indicate that the A. calabarensis populations can adapt to low changes in forest habitat modifications resulting from increasing and widespread forest disturbance by human-dominated activity, which is giving way to forest clearance for agriculture cultivation and infrastructural development. Our findings help to fill a knowledge gap regarding this species and may help establish a baseline for future management, population monitoring, and conservation of the cryptic population of A. calabarensis in Cross-Sanaga Forests.

Increasing Fire Activity in African Tropical Forests Is Associated With Deforestation and Climate Change

AbstractFires were historically rare in tropical forests of West and Central Africa, where dense vegetation, rapid decomposition, and high moisture limit available fuels. However, increasing heat and drought combined with forest degradation and fragmentation are making these areas more susceptible to wildfires. We evaluated historical patterns of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer active fires in African tropical forests from 2003 to 2021. Trends were mostly positive, particularly in the northeastern and southern Congo Basin, and were concentrated in areas with high deforestation. Year‐to‐year variation of fires was synchronized with increasing temperature and vapor pressure deficit. There was anomalously high fire activity across the region during the 2015–2016 El Niño. These results contrast with the drier African woodlands and savannas, where fire has been decreasing. Further attention to fires in African tropical forests is needed to understand their global impacts on carbon dynamics and their local implications for biodiversity and human livelihoods.

Use of Google Earth Engine for the estimation and variation of the vegetable cover of the amazon forest generated by anthropic activity in Huepetuhe period 2016 to 2022

The estimation and variation of the vegetation cover of the Amazon forest generated by anthropic activity in Huepetuhe had the purpose of estimating the loss of vegetation and the deforestation rates for an Amazon forest, the study was carried out using Landsat 8 satellite images, the treatment of the raster images was made using the ERDAS software, the images were subjected to geometric and radiometric corrections, for this purpose control points were taken on the ground, for the analysis four categories of forest degradation were established: Forest with null vegetation with presence of bare soil, forest with sparse vegetation, forest with moderate vegetation and total area of deterioration. The results from the analysis of the multispectral images and the NDVI show that compared to 2016, 30.1 ha increased in the forest category with no vegetation, 28.8 ha in forests with sparse vegetation, 236.9 ha for forests with moderate vegetation and the area of global deterioration increased by 295.8 ha. The annual deforestation rate was 5% (6.02 ha/year) for forests with no vegetation and presence of bare soil and 9% (59.16 ha/year) for global degradation, the coefficient of determination for forests with no vegetation and area naked was R2=0.9704, and for global deterioration of the forest R2=0.957.

Trophic position determines the persistence of neotropical understory birds after forest disturbance.

Habitat loss and degradation are key drivers of the current biodiversity crisis. Most research focuses on the question of which traits allow species to persist in degraded habitats. We asked whether a species' trophic position or niche width influences the resilience of species in degraded habitats and to what extent habitat degradation affects trophic interactions between species. We used nitrogen isotope ratios (15N:14N, expressed as δ15N value) to quantify and compare trophic positions and niche widths of understory birds inhabiting old-growth and young secondary forests in the Pacific lowlands of Costa Rica. We found that a species' trophic position rather than its trophic niche width determined its persistence in secondary forests. Species feeding at lower trophic levels in old-growth forests were less likely to persist in secondary forests than those occupying a higher trophic position in old-growth forests. This pattern is likely induced by the occurrence of relatively large-bodied habitat specialists with a flexible and high-trophic level diet in secondary forests. These habitat specialists likely caused generalist bird species to lower their trophic position relative to conspecifics in old-growth forests. Regarding trophic niche widths, species in secondary forests tend to have larger niche widths than old-growth forest species. However, as old-growth forest specialists and generalists did not differ in their niche widths, no systematic effect of trophic niche width on species persistence after forest disturbance was found. This is the first study that shows a systematic effect of trophic position on the persistence of a wide range of bird species in a disturbed forest ecosystem. It therefore provides important insights into species' responses to habitat degradation and the conservation value of secondary forests. To improve habitat quality for old-growth forest birds and facilitate avian seed dispersal, the creation of large contiguous forest patches should be prioritised when implementing reforestation measures.

Habitat use of Amazonian birds varies by age and foraging guild along a disturbance gradient.

Patterns of habitat use directly influence a species' fitness, yet for many species an individual's age can influence patterns of habitat use. However, in tropical rainforests, which host the greatest terrestrial species diversity, little is known about how age classes of different species use different adjacent habitats of varying quality. We use long-term mist net data from the Amazon rainforest to assess patterns of habitat use among adult, adolescent (teenage) and young understory birds in forest fragments, primary and secondary forest at the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project in Brazil. Insectivore adults were most common in primary forest, adolescents were equally likely in primary and secondary forest, and all ages were the least common in forest fragments. In contrast to insectivores, frugivores and omnivores showed no differences among all three habitat types. Our results illustrate potential ideal despotic distributions among breeding populations of some guilds of understory birds where adult insectivores may competitively exclude adolescent individuals from primary forest. Secondary forest recovery appears to hold promise as a breeding habitat for frugivore and omnivore species but only as a pre-breeding habitat for insectivores, but as the forest ages, the demographic structure of bird populations should match that of primary forest.

Evaluating carbon stocks in soils of fragmented Brazilian Atlantic Forests (BAF) based on soil features and different methodologies.

Brazil's Atlantic Forest (BAF) is a highly fragmented, strategic environmental and socio-economic region that represents the fourth biodiversity hotspot while also producing many commodities that are exported globally. Human disturbance plays a pivotal role as a driver of BAF's soil dynamics and behaviors. The soils under Late Primary and Secondary Semideciduous Seasonal Forests (LPSF and LSSF) were characterized by high to moderate resilience, with improved chemical properties as human disturbance decreased. The Transitional Forest to Cerrado (TFC) had the worst soil conditions. Disturbed Primary and Secondary Semideciduous Seasonal Forests (DPSF and DSSF) represent a transitional stage between LPSF/LSSF and TFC. Accordingly, SOCs stocks increased from TFC << DPSF, DSSF < LPSF, LSSF. In BAF soils, to avoid unreliable data, SOCs measurements should be (i) conducted to at least 1m soil depth and (ii) quantified with a CHN analyzer. Human disturbance strongly affected the positive feedback between vegetation succession, SOCs, and soil nutrition. Soil development decreased as human disturbance increased, thus negatively affecting SOCs. Soils in the BAF require a long time to recover after the end of human disturbance, thus suggesting that preservation strategies should be prioritized in remnant BAF fragments.

Spatial analysis of land cover changes in mangrove and peatland forests in North Sumatra, Indonesia

Forest management in Indonesia can be observed through land cover change as a macro indicator for forest loss or gains. In order to have a clear understanding of the trend of the land cover change in peatland and mangroves, we conduct the land cover change analysis using the last decadal or 10-year period. The land typologies used as analysis units are peat and mangrove ecosystem. The research area is located in North Sumatra Province, occupying a peat area of 50,089.9 ha and mangrove area of 86,907 ha. The spatial analysis includes land cover maps overlay and classification using GIS. The 2012-2022 analysis results indicate a trend of an increase in peat reforestation by 819.6 ha and deforestation by 5,043.5 ha, while the trend of mangrove reforestation increased by 12,801.5 ha and deforestation by 4,669.5 ha. Land cover changes in the peatland are predominantly derived due to conversion of plantation to secondary swamp forest and conversion of secondary swamp forest to bare land. In the mangrove ecosystem land cover changes are mainly derived due to the regrowth of shrubs to secondary mangrove forests and due to conversion or degradation of secondary mangrove forests to shrubs.

Implementation of geographic information system in relation to land cover changes in the Leuser National Park area from 1990 to 2020

In recent years, there have been pressing issues that need immediate attention regarding land cover change in Leuser National Park, particularly in BPTN Region III Stabat, Indonesia. The objective of this study is to analyze the land cover changes that have occurred between the years 1990 and 2020 in BPTN Region III Stabat, Leuser National Park, Indonesia. The methodology employed includes temporal and spatial analysis, with data processing carried out using ArcMap 10.4 software. The land cover categories considered in the analysis include primary dryland forest, secondary dryland forest, shrubland, plantation, open land, water body, dryland agriculture, and mixed dryland agriculture. The findings of this study indicate that the largest land cover area was recorded in 1990, with primary dryland forest covering approximately 192,188.92 hectares, while the smallest land cover area was open land, covering around 3.31 hectares. Over the entire period from 1990 to 2020, the largest decrease in land cover area was observed in secondary dryland forest, amounting to approximately 5,546.23 hectares, whereas the largest increase in land cover area was observed in dryland agriculture, totaling around 4,201.75 hectares.

The impact of natural vegetation restoration on surface soil moisture of secondary forests and shrubs in the karst region of southwest China

AbstractSoil moisture is crucial to vegetation restoration in karst areas, and climate factors and vegetation restoration are key factors affecting changes in soil moisture. However, there is still much controversy over the long‐term changes in soil moisture during vegetation restoration. In order to reveal the changes in soil moisture during vegetation restoration, we conducted long‐term positioning monitoring of soil moisture at 0–10 and 10–20 cm on secondary forests sample plot (SF, tree land) and shrubs sample plot (SH, shrub land) in karst areas from 2013 to 2020. The results showed that the aboveground biomass of SF and SH increased by 50% and 240%, respectively, and the soil moisture of the SF and SH showed an increasing trend. When shrubs are restored to trees in karst areas, the soil moisture becomes more stable. However, the correlation coefficients (R2) between the annual rainfall and the annual average soil moisture of SF and SH are 0.84 and 0.55, respectively, indicating that soil moistures in tree land are more affected by rainfall. The soil moisture of shrubs and trees are relatively low during the months of alternating rainy and dry seasons. Rainfall has a very significant impact on the soil moisture of tree land, while air temperature and wind speed have a significant impact on the soil moisture of tree land, but the soil moistures of shrub land are very significantly affected by rainfall and relative humidity. Therefore, during the process of vegetation restoration from shrubs to trees, the main meteorological factors that affect soil moisture changes will change. The results are important for understanding the hydrological processes in the ecological restoration process of different vegetation types in karst areas.

Assessement of Morphometric Characteristics of Riko Manggar Sub-Catchments to Identify the Soil Erosion Risk of Nusantara New Capital City, East Kalimantan, Indonesia

Motivated by the critical condition in Jakarta, a new capital city called Nusantara in East Kalimatan has been prepared to answer this problem. Although it is prepared to be a sustainable green city, no city cannot evade from the ecological footprints. These activity could trigger a massive deforestation and forest degradation and also become a direct implication in soil erosion. Identification of area at risk of erosion and prioritizing it is necessary in the development and management progress of the city. Riko Manggar’s sub-watershed, where Nusantara is planned to be build, has 5 sub-catchments. Fortunately, Nusantara 0 km point has already placed in the lowest risk erosion area. Furthermore, it will be more convenient to expand the development to the west and east direction. Moreover, there is needed to make an erosion mitigation management before developing the upstream and downstream area.

Disputes over Burial Mountains

This article examines legal decisions in lineage property disputes from the Korean Empire period (1897–1910) to the first two decades of the Japanese colonial rule to trace the effect of Japanese efforts to implement property rights reforms in colonial Korea. Lineage properties were heavily concentrated in the mountains in the form of communal burial sites; thus, to ease acceptance of colonial rule, such Japanese objectives as forest cultivation needed to accommodate long-established Korean practices of mountain burial. In addition, Japanese perceptions of Koreans as primitively collective in their property relations led to initial suppression of the rights of heirs over lineage property. The colonial court's subsequent gradual and uneven invocation of the principle of exclusive individual property rights became a source of both legal and physical conflicts. The case of how lineage property rights were reorganized in colonial Korea shows the compromised nature of the colonial property regime as it sought to balance traditional claims and modern concepts of property ownership, with long-term consequences for property rights in Korea.

Relationship of selected properties of Cambisols to altitude and forest ecosystems of four vegetation grades

Currently, little is known about the spatial variability of significant soil properties and their relationships to forest ecosystems of different vegetation grades. This work evaluates the variability of the properties of the upper layer of Cambisol taxa and their relationship to altitude and forest ecosystems of 2nd to 5th forest vegetation grades selected in the Western Carpathians using PCA and regression analysis. The content of clay, total carbon and total nitrogen, humus, energy, and ash in the soils varied between 5.43 and 11.53 %, 21–65 mg g−1, 1.9–4.7 mg g−1, 36–112 mg g−1, 438.4–5845.7 J g−1 and 852.9–946.3 mg g−1, and C/N, pHH2O, and pHKCl values ranged between 11.2 and 16.7, 4.0–5.8 and 3.1–4.6. PCA showed that EAC in the 3rd oak-beech vegetation grade had significantly higher pH values and significantly lower energy content, ESC in the 4th beech vegetation grade had a significantly higher ash content and a significantly lower energy content, and DC in the 5th fir-beech vegetation grade had a significantly higher content of Ct, Nt, and humus. Linear regression revealed a strong negative correlation between the energy content and soil reaction (R2 for pHH2O = 0.48; R2 for pHKCl = 0.38) for all Cambisol taxa. Ct content and ash show a strong negative correlation (R2 = 0.78). The positive relationship between altitude and FVGs was found only for the soil Ct (R2 = 0.87), Nt (R2 = 0.81), and humus content (R2 = 0.87). A strong negative linear relationship between altitude and FVGs showed the ash content (R2 = 0.77). In turn, the oscillatory, polynomial course had a relationship between the clay content (R2 = 0.65) and energy (R2 = 0.75) to altitude and FVGs. Recognizing significant soil variables and better understanding their impact on the development of forest ecosystems is a prerequisite for distinguishing areas with the highest risk of their damage under conditions of various anthropogenic interventions and climate change. Therefore, this topic continues to require increased research efforts. For this reason, a better understanding of the relationships between soil properties and ecologically differentiated communities of forest ecosystems will allow us to identify areas with the highest risk of ecological changes that could lead to the degradation of European forests in the future.

Light competition drives species replacement during secondary tropical forest succession

Light competition is thought to drive successional shifts in species dominance in closed vegetations, but few studies have assessed this for species-rich and vertically structured tropical forests. We analyzed how light competition drives species replacement during succession, and how cross-species variation in light competition strategies is determined by underlying species traits. To do so, we used chronosequence approach in which we compared 14 Mexican tropical secondary rainforest stands that differ in age (8–32 year-old). For each tree, height and stem diameter were monitored for 2 years to calculate relative biomass growth rate (RGR, the aboveground biomass gain per unit aboveground tree biomass per year). For each stand, 3D light profiles were measured to estimate individuals’ light interception to calculate light interception efficiency (LIE, intercepted light per unit biomass per year) and light use efficiency (LUE, biomass growth per intercepted light). Throughout succession, species with higher RGR attained higher changes in species dominance and thus increased their dominance over time. Both light competition strategies (LIE and LUE) increased RGR. In early succession, a high LIE and its associated traits (large crown leaf mass and low wood density) are more important for RGR. During succession, forest structure builds up, leading to lower understory light levels. In later succession, a high LUE and its associated traits (high wood density and leaf mass per area) become more important for RGR. Therefore, successional changes in relative importance of light competition strategies drive shifts in species dominance during tropical rainforest succession.

Ecological environment quality of the Shanxi section of the Yellow River Basin under different development scenarios

Shanxi Province holds an important strategic position in the overall ecological pattern of the Yellow River Basin. To investigate the changes of the ecological environment in the Shanxi section of the Yellow River Basin from 2000 to 2020, we selected MODIS remote sensing image data to determine the remote sensing ecological index (RSEI) based on the principal component analysis of greenness, humidity, dryness, and heat. Then, we analyzed the spatial and temporal variations of ecological quality in this region to explore the influencing factors. We further used the CA-Markov model to simulate and predict the ecological environment under different development scenarios in the Shanxi section of the Yellow River Basin in 2030. The results showed that RSEI had good applicability in the Shanxi section of the Yellow River Basin which could be used to monitor and evaluate the spatiotemporal variations in its ecological environment. From 2000 to 2020, the Shanxi section of the Yellow River Basin was dominated by low quality habitat areas, in which the ecological environment quality continued to improve from 2000 to 2010 and decreased from 2010 to 2020. The high quality habitat areas mainly located on the mountainous areas with superior natural conditions and rich biodiversity, while the low ecological quality areas were mainly in the Taiyuan Basin and the northern part of the study area, where the mining industry developed well. Climate factors were negatively correlated with ecological environment quality in the northern and central parts of the study area, and positively correlated with that in the mountainous area. Under all three development scenarios, the area of cultivated land, forest, water and construction land increased in 2030 compared to that in 2020. Compared to the natural development scenario and the cultivated land protection scenario, the ecological constraint scenario with RSEI as the limiting factor had the highest area of new forest and the lowest expansion rate of cultivated land and construction land. The results would provide a reference for land space planning and ecological environment protection in the Shanxi section of the Yellow River Basin.

Analysis of land cover changes on the Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii) habitat due to forest fires in Gunung Leuser National Park

Gunung Leuser National Park (GLNP) is home to Indonesia’s native species, the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii). The GLNP in some of its areas has experienced forest degradation, one of which is by land clearing activities by burning. The purpose of this study is to analyze land cover changes due to forest fires in the habitat of Sumatran orangutans in GLNP, Langkat Regency, North Sumatera Province. This study used temporal and spatial analysis of fire hotspot data with land cover. Temporal analysis of land cover changes was conducted between before and after forest and land fires in the study area. There are at least 6,783 ha of forest fires, of which 1,541 ha were habitat distribution areas for Sumatran orangutans. From 2000-2019, 158 hotspots were detected, of which 36 hotspots were in the distribution area of Sumatran orangutan habitat. Land cover in the study area has mostly changed from primary dryland forest to plantations. The primary dryland forest that remained in the study area only 483.51 Ha in 2019 after converting since 2000. Communities around GLNP need to be assisted in the process of ecosystem restoration through a conservation partnership pattern to restore the function of the area, one of which is as a habitat for Sumatran orangutans.

Diversity of fungi species that decompose Ceriops tagal leaf litter on Pulau Sembilan, Langkat Regency

One of the processes in mangrove ecosystems that contributes greatly to water fertility is the decomposition or breakdown of mangrove litter. Fungi, as decomposers in the process of decomposing litter, have an important role in the ecosystem and also play a role in regulating nutrient availability and carbon cycling.This research was conducted to determine the number of species and diversity of fungi found in decomposed C. tagal leaf litter, to measure the rate of decomposition of C. tagal leaf litter and to determine the levels of carbohydrates and proteins during the decomposition process.The research was carried out at the Forest Cultivation Laboratory, Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Sumatera Utara. The sampling location of C. tagal leaf litter was in the mangrove ecosystem on Pulau Sembilan, PangkalanSusu District, Langkat Regency.The determination of carbohydrate and protein content was carried out at the Medan Industrial Research and Standardization Center.The research was conducted from June 2022 to December 2022.The average rate of litter decomposition was obtained using the formula: ln (Xt/X0) = -kt, and analysis of carbohydrate and protein content using the SNI 01-2891-1992 method.The results of this research showed that there were 5 types of fungi found in the decomposition process of C. tagal leaf litter, which were Aspergillus sp. 1, Aspergillus sp. 2, Penicillium sp., Trichoderma sp. and Culvularia sp. The average value of fungal diversity is 1.19, which is included in the medium category. The decomposition rate of C. tagal leaf litter was 7.55 per year. On day 90, the lowest carbohydrate content was 3.62% and the highest protein content was 5.4%.