SAIDA RASNOVI. Ecological Regeneration of Woody Species in Rubber Agroforest System. Under the direction of CECEP KUSMANA, GREGOIRE VINCENT and SOEKISMAN TJITROSEMITO. The aim of this research was to investigate the potential of rubber agroforest (RAF) as a refuge area for woody species. Understorey data was collected from RAF and its adjacent forest at a landscape level from seven village territories in Bungo and Tebo districts, Jambi province. This research was conducted from August 2002 until August 2005. Woody sapling species exclude liana (≥ 1 m height and ≤ 3 cm in diameter) were surveyed using standard plots combined with circular elementary subplots laid along 60 m transect line. Data of age, previous vegetation types and management intensity of rubber agroforest as well as dispersal mode, light percentage under canopy, soil and stand structure were also collected from both rubber agroforest and its adjacent forest. The survey found 686 woody species from 77 plots covering 2.35 ha regenerating in RAF comparing with its adjacent natural forest which has 646 woody species from 31 plots covering 0.88 ha. Rarefaction Coleman and Simpson probability indices in RAF plots were lower significantly than forest plots. Observed shared species between RAF and forest were 405 species while Morishita-Horn's similarity index (MHSI) of species, genus and family between forest and RAF were 0.185, 0.34 and 0.84 respectively. As many as five of seven in total protected species by Indonesian law as well as six of seventeen in total IUCN critically endangered and endangered category species were found regenerated in the RAF. Stand structure and light percentage under canopy not have significantly effect to woody sapling species richness and diversity index nor age, management intensity and previous vegetation types. Soil data were worthless due to data interchange among plots. There was no clear pattern of MHSI values among age class gradient comparing with its adjacent forest. MHSI decreases as management intensity increase and MHSI was higher in rubber agroforest which made initially from natural forest than bush. Beta diversity index was lower significantly in RAF than its adjacent forest. This index correlated with alpha diversity level in RAF but it is not in the forest. Abundance of seven woody sapling species showed significantly distributed to the high light class and abundance of nine woody sapling species showed significantly disributed to the low light class in RAF. Both in RAF and forest, the important seed dispersal agent was zoochory-distance group. Dispersal seed agent for woody plant species which found only in RAF was dispersed by anemochory and zoochoryshort groups, and for woody plant species which found only in forest was dispersed by autochory. While shared woody plant species which found both in RAF and forest was dispersed by zoochory-distance.