Analysis of riparian vegetation of a recreation site in Jeli, Kelantan

Abstract

Lata Keding is recognised as one of the recreational areas in Jeli, Kelantan. It has the function to protect the riparian plant habitats but it is potentially threatened by anthropogenic activities. This study was aimed to determine riparian plant species diversity and estimate species abundance of riparian plant vegetation at Lata Keding, Jeli, Kelantan. The line transect method was used to collect vegetation data. The line transect was established about one km long and each plant species that exist within 3 m up to 5 m from the river bank were recorded. A total of 2389 individuals belonging to 36 families and 49 species were recorded in the study area. Species diversity with Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index (H') with a value of 2.89, while Hmax was 3.99 and Evenness Index (EH) value was 0.72 for the study area. The most dominant families recorded with a high diversity of plant species were Family Melastomataceae (5 species), Asteraceae (5 species) and Fabaceae (3 species). A total of 529 individuals of Clidemia hirta from Family Melastomataceae was recorded as the most dominant species. Thirty-six species are classified as Not Evaluated (NE), six species classified as Least Concern (LC), four species as Near Threatened (NT), two species Vulnerable (VU) and one species listed as Critically Endangered (CR).