South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests
| South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests | |
|---|---|
 Chitals in Bandipur National Park, Karnataka | |
 Ecoregion territory (in purple) | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Indomalayan |
| Biome | tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests |
| Borders | |
| Geography | |
| Area | 23,676 km2 (9,141 sq mi) |
| Country | India |
| States | |
| Coordinates | 10°07′31″N 77°02′06″E / 10.125225°N 77.035049°E |
| Conservation | |
| Conservation status | critical/endangered[1] |
| Protected | 6,645 km² (28%)[2] |
The South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests is an
Geography
The
Climate
The climate of the ecoregion is tropical, and varies with elevation and exposure.
The western slopes of the mountains intercept moisture-bearing winds during the June to September southwest monsoon, when 65% to 80% of the annual rainfall occurs. The northeast monsoon brings additional rain between October and November. Evapotranspiration from the forests and moist sea air from the Arabian Sea provide additional humidity. December to May are the driest months. Rainfall on the west side of the range averages 2,000–3,000 mm annually. The eastern slopes are on the rain shadow of the mountains, and rainfall averages 1000 to 2000 mm annually.[3]
Average temperatures are generally cooler than in the adjacent lowlands, and decrease with increasing elevation.
Flora
Many forest trees lose their leaves during the dry season. Typical tree species include
Fauna
There are 89 native mammal species in the ecoregion. Larger mammals include the
The ecoregion has 322 native species of birds. There are nine near-endemic species, which are also found in the adjacent montane rain forests: the
Protected areas
A 2017 assessment found that 6,645 km², or 28%, of the ecoregion was in protected areas. Another 50% is forested but outside protected areas.
- Bandipur National Park, Karnataka (1,110 km²)
- Bilgiriranga Swamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka (370 km², partly in the South Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests)
- Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala (50 km²)
- Eravikulam National Park, Kerala (90 km², partly in the South Western Ghats montane rain forests)
- Indira Gandhi National Park(Anamalai), Tamil Nadu (620 km² partly in the South Western Ghats montane rain forests)
- Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu (895 km², partly in the South Western Ghats montane rain forests)
- Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu (310 km², partly in the South Western Ghats montane rain forests)
- Mudumalai National Park, Tamil Nadu 400 km²)
- Nagarhole National Park, Karnataka (620 km²)
- Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala (128 km²)
- Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala (285 km²)
- Periyar National Park, Kerala (470 km², partly in the South Western Ghats montane rain forests)
- Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala (40 km² partly in the South Western Ghats montane rain forests)
- Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala (430 km²)
In 2000 a portion of The Nilgiris was designated a
References
- ^ a b c d e "South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
- ^ a b Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b. [1]
- ^ a b "Western Ghats". World Heritage Datasheet. International Union for Conservation of Nature and UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 2017. Accessed 12 November 2020. [2]
- Washington, DC. pp. 313-315
External links
- "South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.