A checklist of vascular plants and uses of some species for livelihood-making in Setiu Wetlands, Terengganu, Malaysia

Jamilah Mohd Salim; Gaik Ee Lee; Muhamad Razali Salam; Salwa Shahimi; Elizabeth Pesiu; Jarina Mohd Jani; Nurul Amira Izzaty Horsali; Rohani Shahrudin; Siti Mariam Muhammad Nor; Ju Lian Chong; Faridah Mohamad; Akmal Raffi; Dome Nikong

doi:10.3897/phytokeys.160.52946

A checklist of vascular plants and uses of some species for livelihood-making in Setiu Wetlands, Terengganu, Malaysia

PhytoKeys. 2020 Sep 8:160:7-43. doi: 10.3897/phytokeys.160.52946. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Jamilah Mohd Salim^{1

2}, Gaik Ee Lee^{1

2}, Muhamad Razali Salam², Salwa Shahimi^{1

2}, Elizabeth Pesiu², Jarina Mohd Jani², Nurul Amira Izzaty Horsali², Rohani Shahrudin², Siti Mariam Muhammad Nor^{2

3}, Ju Lian Chong^{1

2}, Faridah Mohamad², Akmal Raffi^{1

4}, Dome Nikong²

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development (Bio-D Tropika), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia Universiti Malaysia Terengganu Terengganu Malaysia.
² Faculty of Science and Marine Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia Universiti Malaysia Sarawak Kuching Malaysia.
³ Mangrove Research Unit, Institute of Oceanography and Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia Universiti Malaysia Terengganu Terengganu Malaysia.
⁴ Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia Universiti Malaysia Sarawak Kuching Malaysia.

Abstract

The Setiu Wetlands, a unique area with nine interconnected habitats, comprises a considerable fraction of the total Peninsular Malaysia's wetland flora. Although botanical collecting in the area has been active in the past 10 years, only a few studies dealing with the wetland flora have been published. Thus, a detailed checklist of this area is urgently needed to ensure the continuity of its inter-relating flora and fauna, as well as the livelihood of the local people. In this work we conducted a survey of the vascular plant flora of Setiu Wetlands and investigated the most important plants used by the local communities. Our checklist accounts for 406 taxa from 277 genera and 106 families, including 24 (6%) species of ferns and lycophytes, three gymnosperms, 257 (64%) dicotyledons and 122 (30%) monocotyledons. This comprehensive plant checklist will be a primary reference for the management of the newly gazetted Setiu Wetlands State Park covering more than 400 hectares of lands and water bodies.

Keywords: Malesia; coastal ecosystem; diversity; flora; local community; useful plants.

Jamilah Mohd Salim, Gaik Ee Lee, Muhamad Razali Salam, Salwa Shahimi, Elizabeth Pesiu, Jarina Mohd Jani, Nurul Amira Izzaty Horsali, Rohani Shahrudin, Siti Mariam Muhammad Nor, Ju Lian Chong, Faridah Mohamad, Akmal Raffi, Dome Nikong.