THE EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT FOREST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON GEOMETROID MOTH POPULATIONS AND THEIR DIVERSITY IN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

Abstract

Using geometroid moths as an indicator, the impact of various forest management practices in Peninsular Malaysia was assessed. Results obtained over 14 months of sampling showed that the diversity as measured by Williams alpha (α) was lowest in an abandoned, logged, tin mining area. The next lowest diversity was in a secondary forest that was clear-logged during the study and after that was a plantation of mixed indigenous species, mainly dipterocarps. The highest geometroid moth diversity was recorded in a secondary forest that was selectively logged. In the forest that was logged with modified Malayan Uniform System (MUS), the rate of moth population recovery after logging was found to be better than in a plantation situation where initial clearance had occurred. However, in terms of biodiversity and conservation, the creation of a mixed indigenous plantation may contribute by retaining some of the moth species associated with undergrowth plant species as well as with the indigenous tree species themselves.