The use of plant stratification by Otus jolandae in the Natural Tourism Park of Kerandangan, Lombok

Abstract

Otus jolandae is an endemic owl species of Lombok island. The previous study suggested exploring the ecology-related aspects more deeply since this species had been just identified in 2013 but their recent status is nearly threatened. This study was conducted in Natural Tourism Park (NTP) of Kerandangan forest from July to September 2016. The field observation was carried out during the night to observe the owl occurrence in different plant species and different vegetation structure (seedling, sapling, pole, and tree). The results reveal the most widely used plant species is Dalbergia latifolia and then followed by Tectona grandis, Tamarindus indica, Samanea saman, Mangifera indica, Delonix regia, and Swietenia mahagoni respectively. Moreover, about 71.6% Otus jolandae occurs dominantly in the tree structure, followed by 28.4% of the pole structure, while no occurrence found in seedling and sapling structure. This indicates the adult and subadult vegetation act as a critical part for being a territory for Otus jolandae. Hence, addressing the deforestation problem and at the same time protecting the forest in a good shape with more pole and tree vegetation structure will keep Otus jolandae population from the extinction.