FLORISTIC STUDY OF MEKONGGA PROTECTED FOREST: TOWARDS ESTABLISHMENT OF THE MEKONGGA NATIONAL PARK
ABSTRACT: Mekongga is one of
the highest mountains in Southeast Sulawesi. The Mekongga region was declared
as protected forest in 1994, after logging had been done in this area. A floristic
study of this forest was conducted from 2009 through 2011 by visiting the area
twice a year, once each during the dry and wet seasons, and collecting
specimens from the flowering and fruiting plants. Other species were also recorded,
but most of them cannot be identified because the plants were too young or were
not in flower or fruit at the time of collection. Specimens of 855 species in
155 families were collected, of which 5% (44 species) are endemic to Sulawesi
and 11% (91 species) are introduced species from China, South America, India,
or even Madagascar. In addition, new records for Sulawesi were collected from
Mekongga for species originally recorded from Java (50 species), Malaysia (35
species), the Philippines (28 species), New Guinea (14 species), Sumatra (13 species),
Borneo (11 species), Moluccas (4 species) and the Lesser Sunda Islands (3
species). Based on these data, it seems that species have mostly migrated to
Mekongga from Java, then from Malaysia and the Philippines. More than 10 new
species are proposed from this area, including a bamboo (Poaceae) and members
of the families Orchidaceae, Gesneriaceae, Melastomataceae, Myrtaceae and
Araliaceae. Further study of the floristic account will be done, which can be
used as baseline data in support of an important proposal to designate the
Mekongga area as a national park.
Author: ELIZABETH ANITA
WIDJAJA, DANIEL POTTER
Journal Code: jpbiologigg140025
