Wildlife Diversity in the Fragmented Forest Area on the North Slope of Mount Lawu, Ngawi Regency, East Java Province, Indonesia

¹ Department of Forest Resources Conservation, Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Gadjah Mada
² Wildlife Researcher, Wildlife Laboratory, Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Gadjah Mada
³ Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Gadjah Mada

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

The northern slopes of Mount Lawu lack data on biotic, physical, and socioeconomic potential. Most of the land has been converted to plantations and agricultural lands. The exploration of faunal potential is essential because fauna can serve as indicators of environmental damage. The objective of the research is to determine the distribution and diversity of fauna species on the northern slopes of Mount Lawu. The methods used are point count for bird observations, line transect for mammal observations, and Visual Encounter Survey for observing herpetofauna. The ShannonWiener diversity index is used to determine fauna diversity. Distribution is analyzed by processing the coordinates of encounter points of fauna using ArcView 3.3. The research identified 37 bird species, belonging to 25 Families. 5 mammal species were identified, belonging to 5 families, one of which is a protected species. Herpetofauna identified 11 species across 8 Families. Two endemic species were found. The bird diversity index was 2.45, indicating moderate diversity. Mammals had a diversity index of 0.72. The herpetofauna diversity was moderate only 1.58. Bird species could be found along these trails. Mammal species were distributed throughout the observation trails. Herpetofauna was mostly found in the tea plantation area and the edges of the forest patches.