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© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Papuan forests have been subjected to shifting cultivation for centuries by indigenous people affecting the ecological processes therein; during secondary succession, fallow forests recover naturally. However, the information on ecological succession after swidden practices remains poorly understood in Papuan lowland forests. This study aimed to examine the plant species richness and density of different plant lifeforms in fallows of increasing time after slash-and-burn cultivation along with basic edaphic factors. We performed data collection in the northern part of the lowland evergreen tropical forest near Manokwari, West Papua, Indonesia. The sampling consisted of 26 plots distributed in the primary forest (n = 6) and in secondary/fallow forests 2-, 4-, 7-, and 9-years after cultivation (n = 5 for each age class). The plant community in primary forest clearly differed from the secondary forests. The plant species richness was about twice as high in primary compared to secondary forests. The density of trees and shrubs increased during succession whereas that of lianas declined. The soil fertility declined in secondary forests, although soil organic matter was greatest two years after swidden and then decreased gradually over time. This research underlined that indigenous swidden practices alter ecological conditions and that secondary forests will take a long time to fully recover to resemble primary forest. Hence, the monitoring of vegetation during the process is necessary to inform conservation programs.

Details

Title
Secondary Succession after Slash-and-Burn Cultivation in Papuan Lowland Forest, Indonesia
Author
Murdjoko, Agustinus 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Brearley, Francis Q 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Ungirwalu, Antoni 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Djitmau, Dony A 1 ; Nithanel M H Benu 4 

 Fakultas Kehutanan, Universitas Papua, Jalan Gunung Salju Amban, Manokwari 98314, Indonesia; [email protected] (A.U.); [email protected] (D.A.D.); Pusat Penelitian Keanekaragaman Hayati, Universitas Papua, Jalan Gunung Salju Amban, Manokwari 98314, Indonesia 
 Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, Manchester M1 5GD, UK; [email protected] 
 Fakultas Kehutanan, Universitas Papua, Jalan Gunung Salju Amban, Manokwari 98314, Indonesia; [email protected] (A.U.); [email protected] (D.A.D.) 
 Balai Penelitian dan Pengembangan Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan (BP2LHK) Manokwari, Jalan Inamberi-Susweni, Manokwari 98301, Indonesia; [email protected] 
First page
434
Publication year
2022
Publication date
2022
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
19994907
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2642441496
Copyright
© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.