Throughout Southeast Asia, removal of old growth forests coincides with rapid expansion of secondary forest landcover. Increasing evidence suggests that secondary forests can contribute to conservation of forest species. The effects of deforestation and subsequent reforestation by secondary vegetation on forest biotas vary geographically, and local data are needed to understand the potential role such forests may play in conservation. In the Philippine Archipelago, a globally distinct biota is coupled with severe deforestation. Focusing solely on old growth forest preservation may no longer be a feasible strategy of achieving conservation goals on islands that have lost the majority of old growth tracts. The potential of Philippine secondary forests to provide habitat for the endemic component of animal communities is not well known. We studied frugivorous butterflies, a common indicator taxon, at a limited spatial scale in Mount Kanlaon Natural Park, Negros Occidental, Philippines. We compared the butterfly communities of three contiguous forest types across a small spatial scale: disturbed secondary forest, regenerating secondary forest, and old growth forest. Hierarchical cluster analysis and NMDS ordination indicated high similarity between communities, though the close proximity of sampling areas may have influenced this similarity. Significant differences between secondary and old growth sites were detected by permutational MANOVA. Endemic butterfly species were abundant in both secondary forest types, and some endemic species were significantly more abundant in secondary forests compared to old growth. These results indicate endemic frugivorous butterflies utilize regenerating habitats at close proximity to intact forest, and provide evidence that secondary forests in the Philippines can contribute to the conservation of endemic components of butterfly communities. However, further study is needed to fully characterize the contribution of regenerating forests, broadly, to conservation strategies in the Philippines.

中文翻译：

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菲律宾西内格罗斯省坎拉翁山次生林栖息地对地方性食果蝴蝶的保护价值

在整个东南亚，老林的清除与次生林土地覆盖的快速扩张同时发生。越来越多的证据表明，次生林有助于保护森林物种。次生植被砍伐森林和随后重新造林对森林生物群的影响因地理而异，需要当地数据来了解此类森林在保护中可能发挥的潜在作用。在菲律宾群岛，全球独特的生物群与严重的森林砍伐相结合。在失去大部分旧林地的岛屿上，仅关注旧林保护可能不再是实现保护目标的可行策略。菲律宾次生林为动物群落特有组成部分提供栖息地的潜力尚不清楚。我们在菲律宾西内格罗斯的坎兰山自然公园的有限空间尺度上研究了食果蝴蝶，这是一种常见的指示分类群。我们在小空间尺度上比较了三种连续森林类型的蝴蝶群落：受干扰的次生林、再生次生林和老生长林。层次聚类分析和 NMDS 排序表明社区之间的高度相似性，尽管采样区域的接近可能影响了这种相似性。通过置换多元方差分析检测到次生和旧生长位点之间的显着差异。两种次生林类型的地方性蝴蝶物种都很丰富，与旧林相比，次生林中的一些地方性物种明显更丰富。这些结果表明地方性食果蝴蝶利用靠近完整森林的再生栖息地，并提供证据表明菲律宾的次生林有助于保护蝴蝶群落的地方性成分。然而，需要进一步研究以全面描述再生森林对菲律宾保护战略的贡献。