Vegetation Condition of Community-Managed Forests in Aik Bual Village and Setiling Village, Lombok Island

Community-based forest management practices vary according to biophysical and management factors. This study aimed to explain the vegetation conditions of community-based forest management in Aik Bual and Setiling village, Lombok Tengah. The study site was divided into protected forest areas (HL) in Aik Bual Village with a legal community forest permit (Aik Bual-HKm), HL in Setiling Village with no legal community forest permit (Setiling-Non Permit), and HL in Aik Bual Village with no legal community forest permit (Aik Bual-Non Permit). Field measurement was conducted in July 2018 by establishing 12 plots of 20 m x 20 m. Each plot consisted of subplots of 10 m x 10 m, 5 m x 5 m, and 2 m x 2 m to collect data of woody and non-woody plants with the criteria of diameter (D) as follows: D ≥ 20 cm, 10 cm ≤ D < 20 cm, 2 cm ≤ D <10 cm, and D < 2 cm with tree height of < 1,5 m, respectively. The results showed that Aik Bual-HKm, Setiling-Non Permit and Aik Bual-Non Permit had 24, 13 and 22 species, respectively. Dominant species of vegetation at D ≥ 20 cm were Erythrina variegata and Swietenia macrophylla, at 10 cm ≤ D < 20 cm were Musa paradisiaca and Durio zibethinus, at 2 cm ≤ D < 10 cm was Coffea canephora, and at D < 2 cm were C. canephora and S. macrophylla. Vegetation diversity index (H') of plants at D ≥ 2 cm in Aik Bual-HKm was slightly higher (H'=1,78) than that in Setiling-Non Permit (H’=1,04) and Aik Bual-Non Permit (H’=1,15), although these are classified as moderate. The results illustrated the possible differences of vegetation diversity in community-managed forests with and without legal permission.Keywords: agroforestry, land tenure, protected forest, vegetation analysis