| Summary: | Tambunan Rafflesia Forest Reserve has a facility known as Tambunan
Rafflesia center which caters for mass tourism. The objective of this
research is to determine effect of recreational trail by looking at soil
compaction and distribution of selected herbaceous plants along a
recreational trail in lower montane forest. The methods used in this
research are a) soil bulk density study, and b) point frequency method.
The findings of this research confirm that recreational trail has a negative
impact on the lower montane forest ecosystem, but only up to about 25
cm from trail center. From this research the soil bulk density along
recreational trail is 0.55 gcm⁻³ and reduces to about 0.32 gcm⁻³ off the trail.
This research also shows that there is a negative impact on Pothos sp. and
Anadendrum sp .. due to the recreational trail. Off the recreational trail the
impact on the aroid is not noticeable. Furthermore, this research shows
that Pothos sp. is frequently found along the recreational trail and is more
dominant than Anadendrum sp .. From this research, tourism activity along
recreational trail has a negative impact on highland forest as it increases
the soil compaction and changes the distribution of certain herbaceous
plants. The natural features such as the trail steepness and waterlogged
condition enhance recreational trail impact onto the forest ecosystem. As
such, diversification of TRC's tourists' attractions is a possible mitigation
towards this issue.
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