ABOVEGROUND BIOMASS AND TREE DIVERSITY OF RIPARIAN ZONES IN AN OIL PALM-DOMINATED MIXED LANDSCAPE IN BORNEO

Logging, deforestation and oil palm plantations have increased forest fragmentation in Borneo. Given the extent of forest loss and logging, evaluating the ability of remnant forests, especially fragments and riparian buffers, to provide aboveground biomass (AGB) storage and retain tree biodiversity is essential. This paper examines the variation in AGB stocks and tree species richness of riparian buffers located in forests of different disturbance intensities situated at the Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystem (SAFE) site in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Disturbance intensities ranged from pristine old growth forests to oil palm monocultures. The AGB of riparian buffers showed no significant variation between riparian buffers located in unlogged, once-logged and twice-logged forests but underwent sharp decline in heavily logged forests and oil palm (OP) plantations. However, riparian zones located within OP plantations exhibited significantly higher AGB than that of OP monoculture plantations. OP riparian buffers had the highest species richness although most were small, successional species. The retention of riparian buffers in OP plantations can yield AGB storage benefits while maintaining species-rich assemblages of trees.