Forest types and tree communities of Imbak Canyon, Sabah, Malaysia

Abstract

While Imbak Canyon, Sabah provides both fully-protected habitats and long-term maintenance of biological diversity, the composition of its flora still remain rather insufficiently known. A field survey was undertaken in the pristine forest of Imbak Canyon to identify the major forest types and tree communities, and to document the tree species collected in the study areas. Areas surveyed encompassed a diverse range of tree communities from streamside vegetation, lowland, hill and upper hill mixed dipterocarps up to lower montane heath forests. The survey resulted in the documentation of 40 families of the Angiosperms and Gymnosperms comprises of 85 genera and 149 taxa. The areas are rich with tree species from the families of Dipterocarpaceae, Guttiferae, Lauraceae, Leguminosae and Myristicaceae. Trees from Podocarpaceae family are common montane taxa occurred in highest peak of ridge trail such as Podocarpus neriifolius, Dacrydium elatum, Phyllocladus sp. and Falcifolium falciforme. An interesting finding was the occurrence of Shorea monticola (Dipterocarpaceae) in the summit zone of montane heath forest. Information from this survey may provide a valuable reference for forest assessments, and improving our knowledge in identification of ecologically useful species as well as species of special concern, thus identify conservation efforts for sustainability of forest biodiversity.