Abstract:The predominant population of Zhayun Township,which is located in the interior mountains of Hainan,is the Li ethnic minority.To show how human activities affect plant diversity,and to provide the basis for research on sustainable land use in the central mountains of Hainan,we investigated five villages and two rubber plantations with participatory biodiversity appraisal(PBA).Results showed there were four ecosystems,including farmland,home garden,garden,and forestland ecosystems.A total of 318 species were recorded,belonging to 243 genera and 95 families and including one first class national protected species,three second class national protected species,and six provincial protected species.A total of 87 cultivated species were recorded,including 17 multi-variety plants.Officinal plants accounted for the largest proportion.According to our study,while plant diversity showed no significant correlation with area it did show correlation with human demand diversification.Additionally,the home garden ecosystem had the highest plant diversity.Using in situ conservation under PAPDM,focusing on plant diversity and land-use efficiency of the home garden ecosystem would be the effective way to protect the plant species of Zhayun Township.