Little is known about recovery process in tropical degraded forest under different land use history. Therefore, this study will describe and analyze the recovery process of degraded forests with different land use history and community structure in Pangandaran Nature Reserve (PNR) and corridor of Gunung Halimun Salak National Park (C-GHSNP). Forest recovery of abandoned grasslands in PNR was different with those abandoned plantation and agriculture in C-GHSNP due to initial vegetation, human disturbance intensity and management. Early succession was initiated by light tolerant and wind dispersed species such as Blumea balsamifera and Chromolaena odorata in PNR and Clibadium surinamense and Eupatorium inulifolium in C-GHSNP. The exotic species in both areas disrupted species composition. Teak invaded some grasslands in PNR severely while Bellucia pentamera and Maesopsis eminii replaced forest species dominance in C-GHSNP. The grassland in PNR after more than 30 years abandonment developed to young secondary forest and occupied by Syzygium linneatum, Buchanania arborescens and Diospyros hermaphroditica. Contrary, natural succession cannot be relied to recover severely degraded area in C-GHSNP. Therefore, human intervention by planting native species can be suggested to avoid invasive species as well as accelerate forest recovery.