A NATIONAL OVERVIEW OF FERN DIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION IN MALAYSIA

This chapter presents a national synthesis of fern diversity and conservation status across Malaysia, encompassing ecological data from both Peninsular and East Malaysia. Ferns represent one of the most ancient and ecologically significant plant groups, thriving across a wide range of forest ecosystems and serving as indicators of environmental change and forest health. Our study integrates multi-site field data and literature-based records to assess fern species richness, diversity indices, and ecological distribution patterns along three major gradients: lowland, dipterocarp/ hill, and montane forests. Data from past studies were selected where six representative forest reserves from Kedah to Johor were chosen, covering an elevational range from 100 to over 2,000 meters above sea level. These Peninsular data are complemented by a case insight on montane ferns of Sabah, contributed by Dr. Florina Anthony (Universiti Malaysia Sabah), which highlights the exceptional diversity and endemicity of genera such as Dryopteris in Mount Alab and Mount Kinabalu. The combined analysis provides a first-of-its-kind overview of Malaysia’s fern flora, revealing distinct patterns of species turnover with elevation and identifying forest zones of high conservation value. Beyond documenting species richness, this chapter emphasises the importance of habitat protection, restoration, and taxonomic research in sustaining Malaysia’s fern diversity under changing environmental conditions. By bringing together taxonomic, ecological, and spatial data, this work contributes to a unified understanding of fern conservation in Malaysia forming a critical component of the State of Nature Conservation in Malaysia 2025 (SoNC 2025) and guiding future biodiversity management priorities.