Gunung Ambang

On the drive from Manado to Kotamobagu, we stopped briefly near the summit of Mt. Ambang at roughly 900 m elevation. The forest was heavily disturbed at lower elevations and largely converted into clove and palm plantations. After climbing upslope for a few hundred meters, relatively good and intact forest was encountered. The species composition was dominated by lowland species, particularly of the genus Aglaia in the family Meliaceae and several Myristicaceae or nutmeg species, despite the rather high elevation. A fairly large number of naturalized plantation individuals and common pioneer things was present, suggesting sustained exposure to the surrounding intensive agriculture has allowed the invasion of these ‘domestic’ plants. The understory was rich in gingers and orchids, probably due to the open forest nearby and the steep slopes. This site possesses rich volcanic soils which might explain the presence of lowland species at this high elevation. It also lies along a very steep gradient in rainfall which decreases rapidly north to south. This nature reserve represents an important ‘stepping-stone’ habitat between East and Central North Sulawesi.

Click on any photo to see a larger version

---

---