Version 1.0

Approximately 730 plant species are recorded for the proposed Jaco-Tutuala-Lore National Park with 391 taxa (54%) presently identified to species level. It is considered likely that further survey would reveal the flora to be around 1,200-1,500 vascular plant species. The Park supports a well developed tropical closed forest flora with a mixture of dry and wet adapted species. On the present, preliminary figures 22 species are new records for the island of Timor and this represents 4.7 % of the vouchered plant specimens. Once identifications from the current survey are complete, the final percentage may reasonably be in the order of 10% new records for the island. Three IUCN Red List Species for Timor-Leste & Indonesia were recorded in the Park (Intsia bijuga, Pterocarpus indicus, Santalum album). Additional species that may be threatened include Antiaris toxicaria, Neoalsomitra podagrica, Carallia brachiata and Eleocharis geniculata. The area also contains significant populations of Cycas rumphii a taxon listed by IUCN as Near Threatened. The natural vegetation of the proposed NP is dominated by largely contiguous closed forest communities occurring over an intact altitudinal/rainfall/edaphic gradient from sea level to nearly 1000m. Smaller but significant areas of grass/sedgeland occur on the floodplain of Lake Ira Lalaro while Borassus palm savanna, grassland and shrubland occur along the coastal plain. The proposed Park area contains what is probably the largest remaining area of natural closed forest vegetation on the island of Timor and includes excellent examples of several communities that are of national, regional and international significance (coastal forest, deciduous forest, Canarium forest, thorn forest, swamp forest). Substantial areas of nationally and regionally significant semi evergreen, evergreen and montane forest and seasonally inundated grassland, all in very good condition, are also present. It is recommended that primary forest communities and the old secondary deciduous forest be given full protected status within the context of an IUCN category 5 national park. Connecting corridors of natural vegetation need to be maintained between the Lore and Paitaxau Range primary forest blocks as do buffer zones dominated by native tree species adjacent to primary forest. There are a number of ongoing management issues for the proposed park including illegal logging, slash and burn agriculture, fire, weeds and grazing. In the longer term, improved agricultural systems that do not rely on the unsustainable clearing and burning of primary forest need to be developed. Better management of grazing animals is needed in some vegetation types to reduce impacts. The scrambling shrub Chromolaena odorata, one of the world's worst weeds, is the dominant weed species in the area but is largely absent from primary forest and floodplain grass/sedgeland. Management of this species is likely to be difficult. There is potential for the limited, small scale, sustainable harvesting of some forest products or to cultivate (outside the fully protected zone) some native species for food, medicinal, timber or other forest products. There is a considerable need for further research on the flora, vegetation and its management. Areas that would benefit include plant identification tools, flora survey, recording of local names (and ethnobotany), vegetation mapping and phytosociology, rare and threatened species, small scale sustainable harvesting and cultivation of forest products, weed management and improved agricultural and grazing systems in the context of the Park. It is expected that an updated version of the report will be produced as further identifications of plant specimens are made.Summary -- 1 Introduction -- 1.2 Description of the proposed reserve -- 1.2.1 Location -- 1.2.2 Physical and Biological Features -- 1.2.3 Previous Botanical Exploration of Timor -- 1.2.4 The Flora of Timor -- 1.3 Scope and objectives -- 1.3.1 Purpose -- 1.3.2 Objectives -- 1.3.3 Activities -- 1.3.4 Outputs -- 2 Methods -- 2.1 Timing of surveys -- 2.2 Background on flora and vegetation survey -- 2.3 Survery of the proposed Park -- 2.3.1 Identification of the Flora -- 2.3.2 Resources for Plant Identification -- 3 Results and discussion -- 3.1 Inventory of vascular plant species -- 3.1.1 Number of Species and New Timor Records -- 3.1.2 Features of the Flora -- 3.1.3 Adequacy of Flora Survey -- 3.1.4 Plant Species of Particular Conservation Interest -- 3.2 Plant identification tools -- 3.3 Plant communities -- 3.3.1 Classification of Plant Communities in the Region -- 3.3.2 Limitations of the Conceptual System and Difficulties of Application -- 3.3.3 Plant Community Types in the Proposed Park and their Status -- 3.3.4 Species Richness of Habitats and Quadrats -- 3.4 Vegetation management issues -- 3.4.1 Slash and Burn Agriculture (Ladung) -- 3.4.2 Harvesting of Plant Resources -- 3.4.3 Grazing -- 3.4.4 Weeds -- 3.4.5 Zoning of the Proposed Park -- 4 Conclusions and recommendations for further work-- 5 Acknowledgments -- 6 References -- Appendixes.Date:2006-05Bibliography : p. 39-42.Made available via the Publications (Legal Deposit) Act 2004 (NT