Studi Keragaman Jenis dan Pola Sebaran Tumbuhan Pakan Burung Madu di Taman Wisata Alam Baumata, Kabupaten Kupang, Provinsi Nusa Tenggara Timur

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the diversity and spatial distribution of nectar-producing plants for sunbirds (honeyeaters) in the Baumata Natural Recreation Park (TWA), East Nusa Tenggara. An exploratory survey was conducted using a systematic sampling technique. Sampling plots were established at 100-meter intervals, consisting of nested sub-plots categorized by growth stages. The data were analyzed using the Importance Value Index, the Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index (H'), and the Morisita Dispersion Index. The results identified eight species of forage plants. Three species were confirmed as actual forage plants due to direct consumption observations : Senna siamea, Gliricidia sepium, and Gmelina arborea. Meanwhile, five other species, including Alstonia scholaris, Tectona grandis, Ficus benjamina, Bauhinia purpurea, and Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, were categorized as potential forage plants. According to the Morisita Index, all identified forage plants exhibited a clumped distribution pattern. These findings suggest that enrichment planting programs focusing on both actual and potential forage species are essential to ensure food availability and support the long-term conservation of sunbirds in TWA Baumata.