Eastern Deccan Plateau Moist Forests - A Global Ecoregion
India has more tigers than any other country, many of them live here
Snapshot: Ecoregion 33
Size:
340,000 sq. km (131,000 sq. miles)
Habitat type:
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests
India
Conservation Status:
Critical/Endangered
Quiz Time!
Why are elephants sometimes referred to as "wasteful feeders"?
Answer:
The elephant eats as much as 5% of its body weight every day and drinks about 160 litres of water. However, elephants are rough feeders, destroying much more vegetation than they eat and eating more than they can digest!
About the Area
These low elevation relatively dry moist forests, which stretch along the southeastern coast of India, provide habitat for several threatened mammals, including a priority area for tiger conservation.
However, almost the entire ecoregion has been deforested due to rapidly growing population pressures.
Local Species
Characteristic plants include Manilkara hexandra, Memecylon umbellatum, Drypetes sepiaria, Pterospermum suberifolium, and Carmona microphylla.
The ecoregion harbours several large mammals of conservation significance, such as Tiger (Panthera tigris), Barasingha (Cervus duvaucelii), Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), Wolf (Canis lupus), Asiatic wild dog (Cuon alpinus), Sloth bear (Ursus ursinus), Leopard (Panthera pardus), Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra), and the Chinkara (Gazella bennettii).
Threats
Shifting cultivation, quarrying, mining, large-scale agriculture, and hydroelectric projects have resulted in the clearing and degradation of many habitats. Conservation efforts are urgently needed to ensure that the remaining large habitat blocks are not lost.
Resources
• NationalGeographic.com
