This study was conducted in the Caiman forest on Mahé in the Seychelles – an important water catchment area that suffers from different land use activities and also from invasive species. The aim of this research was threefold: (i) to identify and document plant species in the Caiman forest, (ii) to assess the diversity of plant species, and (iii) based on available saplings, to make inference on future potential for regeneration. Considering the rugged terrain, existing paths were used as transects having first established that the species composition along paths was similar to that in the forest as a whole. Adult plants and saplings were inventoried across 8 sub-transects giving a total length of 1260 m. Twenty-six plant species belonging to 18 families were recorded in the study area, the majority belonging to the plant family Arcecaceae and Moraceae. Exotic species recorded a relatively higher diversity compared to native species across the three different altitude and dominated even on glacis habitats mostly located on steep slopes in Seychelles. Phoenicophorium borsigianum recorded the highest prominent value for both adult and sapling while species such as Swietenia macrophylla, Artocarpus heterphyllus, Pinus carbaea, Dillenia ferruginae, Ficus reflexa and Terminalia catappa had no identifiable saplings. In term of their potential for future regeneration, our study found out that exotic species have relatively higher potential for regeneration compared to native species in the Caiman forests. Without eradication programs and monitoring, the future composition of the Caiman forest is likely to be dominated by exotic species.

这项研究是在塞舌尔马埃岛的凯门鳄森林中进行的，塞曼群岛是重要的集水区，其土地利用活动不同，入侵物种也很多。这项研究的目的是三方面的：（i）在凯门鳄森林中识别和记录植物物种，（ii）评估植物物种的多样性，（iii）根据可用的树苗，推断出未来的再生潜力。考虑到崎terrain的地形，首先将现有路径用作样带，首先确定路径上的物种组成与整个森林中的物种组成相似。在8个子样线上盘点了成年植物和幼树，总长度为1260 m。研究区域记录了18个科的26种植物，大多数属于Arcecaceae和Moraceae植物。与在三个不同高度上的本地物种相比，外来物种记录了相对更高的多样性，甚至在主要位于塞舌尔陡坡上的冰河生境中也占主导地位。紫茎泽兰（Phoenicophorium borsigianum）的成年和幼树均具有最高的突出价值，而Swietenia macrophylla，Artocarpus heterphyllus，Pinus carbaea，Dillenia ferruginae，Ficus reflexa和Terminalia catappa等物种则没有可识别的树苗。就其未来再生的潜力而言，我们的研究发现，与开曼森林中的本地物种相比，外来物种具有相对更高的再生潜力。如果没有根除计划和监测，凯门群岛森林的未来组成很可能将由外来物种主导。