Everything about The South Western Ghats Montane Rain Forests totally explained
The
South Western Ghats montane rain forests are an
ecoregion of
southern India, covering the southern portion of the
Western Ghats range in
Kerala and
Tamil Nadu, at elevations over 1000 meters. They are cooler and wetter than the lower-elevation
South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests, which surround the montane rain forests.
Setting
The ecoregion is the most
species-rich in peninsular
India, and is home to numerous
endemic species. It covers an area of 22,600 square kilometers (8,700 square miles). It is estimated that two-thirds of the original forests have been cleared, and only 3,200 square kilometers, or 15% of the intact area, is protected.
The southern portion of the Western Ghats contains the highest peaks in the range, notably
Anai Mudi in Kerala, at 2695 meters elevation. The Ghats intercept the moisture-laden
monsoon winds off the
Arabian Sea, and the average annual precipitation exceeds 2,800 mm. The northeast monsoon from October to November supplements the June to September southwest monsoon. The South Western Ghats are the wettest portion of peninsular India, and are surrounded by drier ecoregions to the east and north.
Flora
The cool and moist climate, high rainfall, and variety of microclimates brought about by differences in elevation and exposure supports lush and diverse forests; 35% of the plant species are endemic to the ecoregion. Moist evergreen
montane forests are the predominant
habitat type. The montane evergreen forests support a great diversity of species. The trees generally form a canopy at 15 to 20 m, and the forests are multistoried and rich in
epiphytes, especially
orchids. Characteristic canopy trees are
Cullenia exarillata,
Mesua ferrea,
Palaquium ellipticum,
Gluta travancorica, and
Nageia wallichiana.
Nageia is a
podocarp conifer with origins in the ancient supercontinent of
Gondwana, of which India was formerly part, and a number of other plants in the ecoregion have Gondwana origins. Other evergreen tree species of the montane forest include
Calophyllum austroindicum,
Garcinia rubro-echinata,
Garcinia travancorica,
Diospyros barberi,
Memecylon subramanii,
Memecylon gracile,
Goniothalamus rhyncantherus, and
Vernonia travancorica.
The other major habitat type in the ecoregion is the
shola-grassland complex, found at elevations of 1,900 to 2,220 m.
Shola is a stunted forest, with an upper story of small trees, generally
Pygeum gardneri,
Schefflera racemosa,
Linociera ramiflora,
Syzygium spp.,
Rhododendron nilgiricum,
Mahonia nepalensis,
Elaeocarpus recurvatus,
Ilex denticulata,
Michelia nilagirica,
Actinodaphne bourdellonii, and
Litsea wightiana. Below the upper story is a low understory and a dense shrub layer. These
shola forests are interspersed with
montane grasslands, characterized by frost- and fire-resistant
grass species like
Chrysopogon zeylanicus,
Cymbopogon flexuosus,
Arundinella ciliata,
Arundinella mesophylla,
Arundinella tuberculata,
Themeda tremula, and
Sehima nervosum.
Fauna
The ecoregion also supports a rich fauna, which is also high in endemism: of 78
mammal species, 10 are endemic, along with 42% of the
fishes, 48% of the
reptiles, and 75% of the
amphibians. Of 309
bird species, 13 are endemic.
The ecoregion supports India's largest
elephant population, along with populations of threatened
tiger (Panthera tigris),
leopard (Panthera pardus),
sloth bear (Melursus ursinus),
gaur (Bos gaurus), and
wild dog (Cuon alpinus). The rare and endemic
Nilgiri tahr (Hemitragus hylocrius) is limited to a 400 km band of
shola-grassland mosaic, from the
Nilgiri Hills in the north to the
Ashambu Hills in the south. The lion-tailed
macaque (Macaca silenus) and Nilgiri macaque (Semnopithecus johnii) are endangered endemic
primate species.
90 of India's 484 reptile species are endemic to the ecoregion, with eight endemic genera (
Brachyophidium, Dravidogecko, Melanophidium, Plectrurus, Ristella, Salea, Teretrurus, and
Xylophis). Almost 50% of India's 206 amphibian species are endemic to the ecoregion, with six endemic genera (
Indotyphlus, Melanobatrachus, Nannobatrachus, Nyctibatrachus, Ranixalus, and
Uraeotyphlus).
Protected areas
As of 1997, 13 protected areas had been designated, covering an area of over 3,200 km².
Further Information
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