Human and environmental influences on plant diversity and composition in Ben En National Park Vietnam

Slik J. W. F., . and Baas P., . and Steege H. Ter, . and Hoang V. S., . and Keßler P. J. A., . and Raes N., . Human and environmental influences on plant diversity and composition in Ben En National Park Vietnam. pp. 328-337. ISSN 0128-1283

In order to understand the influence of human disturbance and the physical environment on plant biodiversity in Ben En National Park Vietnam we analysed species composition and density in forest plots with diverse soils and varying degrees of human disturbance. Soil factors significantly influenced tree species composition although they only explained 5.7 of the observed data variance. Human factors (disturbance) were second most important in explaining species composition and density accounting for 4.4 of variance. Changes in species composition related to human disturbance varied mostly independently of soils. The species composition of slightly and heavily disturbed forest differed significantly with species of low conservation value being most common in heavily disturbed forest while endangered species and important timber trees were most common in least disturbed forest. Density of treelets was higher in limestone forest than in non-limestone forest. Timber trees and other useful plant species used for a whole range of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) were more abundant in the less disturbed plots which were located far away from villages and roads. Basal area in less disturbed forest was also larger than in heavily disturbed forest indicating that the pressures of illegal logging and harvesting were closely connected to travel distances to nearest villages. Limiting the accessibility to forest resources should therefore be a priority in forest conservation as a first step to safeguard the rich biodiversity and stocks of useful plants in the park.

Full text available from: Official URL: http://www.frim.gov.my/v1/JTFSOnline/jtfs/v23n3/32...

Abstract

In order to understand the influence of human disturbance and the physical environment on plant biodiversity in Ben En National Park Vietnam we analysed species composition and density in forest plots with diverse soils and varying degrees of human disturbance. Soil factors significantly influenced tree species composition although they only explained 5.7 of the observed data variance. Human factors (disturbance) were second most important in explaining species composition and density accounting for 4.4 of variance. Changes in species composition related to human disturbance varied mostly independently of soils. The species composition of slightly and heavily disturbed forest differed significantly with species of low conservation value being most common in heavily disturbed forest while endangered species and important timber trees were most common in least disturbed forest. Density of treelets was higher in limestone forest than in non-limestone forest. Timber trees and other useful plant species used for a whole range of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) were more abundant in the less disturbed plots which were located far away from villages and roads. Basal area in less disturbed forest was also larger than in heavily disturbed forest indicating that the pressures of illegal logging and harvesting were closely connected to travel distances to nearest villages. Limiting the accessibility to forest resources should therefore be a priority in forest conservation as a first step to safeguard the rich biodiversity and stocks of useful plants in the park.

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Item Type:	Article
AGROVOC Term:	Environmental factors
AGROVOC Term:	Human behaviour
AGROVOC Term:	Physical properties
AGROVOC Term:	Biodiversity
AGROVOC Term:	Species diversity
AGROVOC Term:	Plots
AGROVOC Term:	Soil factors
AGROVOC Term:	Trees
AGROVOC Term:	Wildlife conservation
AGROVOC Term:	Endangered species
Depositing User:	Ms. Suzila Mohamad Kasim
Last Modified:	24 Apr 2025 06:27
URI:	http://webagris.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/21466

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