A Preliminary Biodiversity Survey in Mursala Island: Implication for Conservation

Abstract

Biodiversity refers to all living creatures, including plants in terms of its genetic variation, ecosystem variation, number of species within an area, etc. However, the high anthropological disturbances in a specific area will bring a negative effect on the biodiversity existence. Mursala Island is the biggest island in Central Tapanuli, North Sumatra that has already known for its timber species richness. The island is experiencing disturbances due to forest conversion and illegal logging in which threatening the vegetation occurrence on this Island. We did a preliminary survey by establishing six plots of 20×20 m in different locations within Mursala Island to investigate the current biodiversity condition on this island, especially its plant species. We calculated density, species diversity, and species richness. We found a total of 77 different species with a total density of 680 stems/ha of the individuals >10 cm in diameter. Based on the Shannon Diversity Index, the species diversity in this area is 1.85 or equivalent diversity as a community with six equally-common species, with the species richness Dmn = 0.33. The results indicated the island has a less diverse community. Hence, our conservation strategies are required to increase the biodiversity value of this island.