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Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests

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The Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests, presently known as East Deccan moist deciduous forests,[2] is a tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests ecoregion in east-central India. The ecoregion covers an area of 341,100 square kilometers (131,700 sq mi), extending across portions of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Telangana states.

Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests
Tropical moist deciduous forest in Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary, Andhra Pradesh
Location of the ecoregion
Ecology
RealmIndomalayan
Biometropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Borders
List
Bird species313
Geography
Area341,100 km2 (131,700 sq mi)
CountryIndia
States
Coordinates19°12′N 80°30′E / 19.200°N 80.500°E / 19.200; 80.500
Conservation
Conservation statusCritical/endangered[1]
Protected3.97%

Setting

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The Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests extend from the Bay of Bengal coast in northern Andhra Pradesh and southern Orissa, across the northern portion of the Eastern Ghats range and the northeastern Deccan Plateau, to the eastern Satpura Range and the upper Narmada River valley.

The forests of the ecoregion are sustained by the moisture-bearing monsoon winds from the Bay of Bengal. The ecoregion is bounded on the north and west by tropical dry deciduous forest ecoregions, including the Central Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests to the southwest and west, the Narmada valley dry deciduous forests to the northwest, and the Chota Nagpur dry deciduous forests to the north and northeast. The drier Northern dry deciduous forests ecoregion, lying west of the Eastern Ghats range, is completely surrounded by the Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests, in the rain shadow of the Ghats, which partially block the moisture-laden monsoon winds off the Bay of Bengal. The humid Orissa semi-evergreen forests ecoregion lies to the northeast in the coastal lowlands of Orissa.

Flora

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The ecoregion's forests are dominated by Sal (Shorea robusta), in association with Terminalia, Adina, Toona, Syzygium, Buchanania, Cleistanthus, and Anogeissus, according to soil variations. The flora of the ecoregion shares many species with the moist forests of the Western Ghats and the Eastern Himalayas.

From the Western Ghats this includes plants like jackfruit and several hu lianas such as Schefflera vine (Heptapleurum venulosum), joint fir (Gnetum edule), and common rattan.

From the Eastern Himalayas this includes the peculiar Indian pepper tree and several shrubs, herbs and flowers such as yellow Himalayan raspberry, false nettle (Boehmeria macrophylla), and whipcord cobra lily among others.

Several globally threatened plant species are found in this ecoregion, including the two endemic plants Leucas mukerjiana and Phlebophyllum jeyporensis.

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    Inside a tropical moist deciduous forest
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    Sal trees are common in these forests
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    Characteristic yellow-white sal-flowers in winter coincides with leaffall
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    Terminalia, and especially asna trees (Indian laurel), are also common.
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    Bamboo, especially calcutta bamboo, is prominent in many parts of this ecoregion
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    Plants in common with the Western Ghats includes several types of lianas (Joint Fir).
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    Plants in common with the Eastern Himalayas spans a wide range of species (Indian pepper tree)

Fauna

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Tiger in Kanha National Park

The ecoregion still harbours large intact areas of tropical moist deciduous forest and is an important refuge for healthy populations of most of the original large vertebrates associated with this habitat. Large mammals include the predators Indian tiger, wolf, dhole, and sloth bear, and the herbivores gaur, chousingha, blackbuck, and chinkara. The Asian elephants that once lived were extirpated long ago.

The only endemic species found in the ecoregion is the cave-dwelling Khajuria's leaf-nosed bat.

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    Sloth bears are here
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    Indian bison (gaur) is present in parts of this ecoregion
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    Several kinds of antilope and deer species live in this ecoregion (Chousingha)
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    Pallas's fish-eagle, a globally threatened species, is living here
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    Green avadavat, a globally threatened species, has found a refuge in this ecoregion

Conservation

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View from a dam in Kinnersani Wildlife Sanctuary in Telangana
 
Palpala River near lulung, Similipal National Park in Odhisha

Approximately 25% of the original habitat remains, much of it in blocks of 5000 km2 or larger. 31 protected areas, totaling 13,540 km2, preserve about 4% of the ecoregion's intact habitat. The largest protected area in the ecoregion is Simlipal National Park in Odisha state.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Eastern highlands moist deciduous forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  2. ^ Dinerstein, Eric; Olson, David; Joshi, Anup; Vynne, Carly; Burgess, Neil D.; Wikramanayake, Eric; Hahn, Nathan; Palminteri, Suzanne; Hedao, Prashant; Noss, Reed; Hansen, Matt (June 2017). "An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm". BioScience. 67 (6): 534–545. doi:10.1093/biosci/bix014. ISSN 0006-3568. PMC 5451287. PMID 28608869.
  3. ^ Wikramanayake, Eric; Eric Dinerstein; Colby J. Loucks; et al. (2002). Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: a Conservation Assessment. Island Press; Washington, DC. pp. 306-308
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