The effects of annual harvesting on the subsequent phytomass and species composition of grassland and fernland: A Hong Kong case

Anthropogenic grasslands mixed with fern and shrubland, on scales from metres to kilometres, are widespread in tropical Southeast Asia, and especially in southern China and adjoining regions where harvesting for domestic fuel is a major factor in their maintenance. Baseline surveys in grassland and fernland in 1989-90 and resurveys in 2001 of three 6 x 20 m plots in Wong Chuk Yuen, Hong Kong, showed substantial change in species composition and total above ground phytomass as a result of annual harvesting, with more pronounced change in the fernland.