List of ecoregions in India

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Ecoregions of the world, spanning all land area (terrestrial) of the planet, were first defined and mapped in 2001 [1] and subsequently revised in 2017. [2] Later, freshwater ecoregions [3] and marine ecoregions [4] of the world were identified. Within India, there are 46 terrestrial ecoregions, 14 freshwater ecoregions, and 6 marine ecoregions.

Contents

Terrestrial ecoregions

The terrestrial ecoregions of the world include 45 ecoregions that fall entirely or partly within the boundaries of India. These ecoregions fall within two biogeographic realms: Indomalayan and Palearctic. They also fall under ten biomes: Deserts and Xeric Shrublands,  Flooded Grasslands and Savannas, Mangroves, Montane Grasslands and Shrublands, Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests, Temperate Conifer Forests, Tropical and Subtropical Coniferous Forests, Tropical and Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests, Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas and Shrublands, and Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests. The ecoregion Rock and Ice is not included under any specific biome or biogeographic realm. [2]

Ecoregion State or union territories Biome Realm
Andaman Islands rain forests Andaman and Nicobar Islands Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan
Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests Arunachal Pradesh Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan
Assam
Meghalaya
Nagaland
Central Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe Jammu and Kashmir Montane grasslands and shrublands Palearctic
East Deccan moist deciduous forests Andhra Pradesh Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan
Chhattisgarh
Jharkhand
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra
Odisha
Telangana
West Bengal
Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests Bihar Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan
Sikkim
Uttar Pradesh
Uttarakhand
West Bengal
Lower Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests Assam Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan
Bihar
Jharkhand
Madhya Pradesh
Odisha
Tripura
Uttar Pradesh
West Bengal
Malabar Coast moist forests Goa Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan
Karnataka
Kerala
Maharashtra
Tamil Nadu
Maldives–Lakshadweep–Chagos Archipelago tropical moist forests Lakshadweep Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan
Meghalaya subtropical forests Assam Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan
Meghalaya
Tripura
Nagaland
Mizoram–Manipur–Kachin rain forests Assam Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan
Manipur
Mizoram
Nagaland
Tripura
Nicobar Islands rain forests Andaman and Nicobar Islands Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan
North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan
Goa
Gujarat
Karnataka
Maharashtra
North Western Ghats montane rain forests Goa Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan
Gujarat
Karnataka
Maharashtra
Odisha semi-evergreen forests Andhra Pradesh Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan
Odisha
South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests Karnataka Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan
Kerala
Tamil Nadu
South Western Ghats montane rain forests Karnataka Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan
Kerala
Tamil Nadu
Sundarbans freshwater swamp forests West Bengal Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan
Upper Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests Bihar Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan
Delhi
Haryana
Himachal Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Rajasthan
Uttar Pradesh
Uttarakhand
Central Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests Andhra Pradesh Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests Indomalayan
Chhattisgarh
Karnataka
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra
Telangana
Chota Nagpur dry deciduous forests Bihar Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests Indomalayan
Chhattisgarh
Jharkhand
Madhya Pradesh
Odisha
Uttar Pradesh
West Bengal
East Deccan dry evergreen forests Andhra Pradesh Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests Indomalayan
Puducherry
Tamil Nadu
Khathiar–Gir dry deciduous forests Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests Indomalayan
Gujarat
Haryana
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra
Rajasthan
Uttar Pradesh
Narmada Valley dry deciduous forests Chhattisgarh Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests Indomalayan
Gujarat
Karnataka
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra
Uttar Pradesh
North Tibetan Plateau-Kunlun Mountains alpine desert Jammu and Kashmir Montane grasslands and shrublands Palearctic
North Deccan dry deciduous forests Chhattisgarh Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests Indomalayan
Odisha
South Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests Karnataka Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests Indomalayan
Tamil Nadu
Himalayan subtropical pine forests Himachal Pradesh Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests Indomalayan
Jammu and Kashmir
Sikkim
Uttarakhand
West Bengal
Northeast India–Myanmar pine forests Manipur Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests Indomalayan
Nagaland
Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests Arunachal Pradesh Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests Indomalayan
Assam
Nagaland
Sikkim
West Bengal
Western Himalayan broadleaf forests Himachal Pradesh Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests Indomalayan
Jammu and Kashmir
Punjab
Uttarakhand
Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests Arunachal Pradesh Temperate coniferous forests Indomalayan
Sikkim
West Bengal
Western Himalayan subalpine conifer forests Himachal Pradesh Temperate coniferous forests Indomalayan
Jammu and Kashmir
Ladakh
Uttarakhand
Terai–Duar savanna and grasslands Assam Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands Indomalayan
Bihar
Uttar Pradesh
Uttarakhand
West Bengal
Rann of Kutch seasonal salt marsh Gujarat Flooded grasslands and savannas Indomalayan
Deccan thorn scrub forests Andhra Pradesh Deserts and xeric shrublands Indomalayan
Karnataka
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra
Tamil Nadu
Telangana
Aravalli west thorn scrub forests Chandigarh Deserts and xeric shrublands Indomalayan
Delhi
Gujarat
Haryana
Himachal Pradesh
Jammu and Kashmir
Punjab
Rajasthan
Thar Desert Gujarat Deserts and xeric shrublands Indomalayan
Haryana
Rajasthan
Godavari–Krishna mangroves Andhra Pradesh Mangrove Indomalayan
Odisha
Tamil Nadu
Indus River Delta–Arabian Sea mangroves Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Mangrove Indomalayan
Gujarat
Maharashtra
Sundarbans mangroves West Bengal Mangrove Indomalayan
Northeastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests Arunachal Pradesh Temperate coniferous forests Palearctic
Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows Arunachal Pradesh Montane grasslands and shrublands Palearctic
Sikkim
Karakoram–West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe Ladakh Montane grasslands and shrublands Palearctic
Northwestern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows Himachal Pradesh Montane grasslands and shrublands Palearctic
Jammu and Kashmir
Ladakh
Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows Himachal Pradesh Montane grasslands and shrublands Palearctic
Uttarakhand
Baluchistan xeric woodlands Punjab Deserts and xeric shrublands Palearctic

Freshwater ecoregions

Freshwater ecoregions of the world have been defined [3] as "a large area encompassing one or more freshwater systems with a distinct assemblage of natural freshwater communities and species. The freshwater species, dynamics, and environmental conditions within a given ecoregion are more similar to each other than to those of surrounding ecoregions, and together form a conservation unit." The following 14 freshwater ecoregions occur within India.

Marine ecoregions

Marine ecoregions of the world have been described across the worlds oceans and seas. [4] India's seas are in the Western Indo-Pacific marine realm. This includes the following four provinces and six marine ecoregions.

Global 200 ecoregions in India

The following are the ecoregions in India that are included in the Global 200 ecoregions: [5]

Terrestrial

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ecoregion</span> Ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion

An ecoregion is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural communities and species. The biodiversity of flora, fauna and ecosystems that characterise an ecoregion tends to be distinct from that of other ecoregions. In theory, biodiversity or conservation ecoregions are relatively large areas of land or water where the probability of encountering different species and communities at any given point remains relatively constant, within an acceptable range of variation . Ecoregions are also known as "ecozones", although that term may also refer to biogeographic realms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nearctic realm</span> Biogeographic realm encompassing temperate North America

The Nearctic realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting the Earth's land surface.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neotropical realm</span> One of Earths eight biogeographic realms

The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone.

The Global 200 is the list of ecoregions identified by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the global conservation organization, as priorities for conservation. According to WWF, an ecoregion is defined as a "relatively large unit of land or water containing a characteristic set of natural communities that share a large majority of their species dynamics, and environmental conditions". For example, based on their levels of endemism, Madagascar gets multiple listings, ancient Lake Baikal gets one, and the North American Great Lakes get none.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests</span> Ecoregion in India

The North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of southwestern India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests</span> Ecoregion in India

The South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests is an ecoregion in the Western Ghats of southern India with tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests. This biome covers the Nilgiri Hills between elevation of 250 and 1,000 m in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upper Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests</span> Ecoregion in northern India

The Upper Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests is a tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests ecoregion of northern India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests</span> Ecoregion of India

The Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests, presently known as East Deccan moist deciduous forests, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests</span>

The Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests is an ecoregion that extends from the middle hills of central Nepal through Darjeeling into Bhutan and also into the Indian States of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. It represents the east–west-directed band of subtropical broadleaf forest at an altitude of between 500 and 1,000 m along the Outer Himalayan Range, and includes several forest types traversing an east to west moisture gradient.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indo-Burma</span> Biodiversity hotspot

Indo-Burma is a biodiversity hotspot designated by Conservation International.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests</span>

The Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests is a temperate broadleaf forest ecoregion found in the middle elevations of the eastern Himalayas, including parts of Nepal, India, Bhutan, Myanmar and China. These forests have an outstanding richness of wildlife.

The ecology of the Himalayas varies with climate, rainfall, altitude, and soils. The climate ranges from tropical at the base of the mountains to permanent ice and snow at the highest elevations. The amount of yearly rainfall increases from west to east along the southern front of the range. This diversity of climate, altitude, rainfall and soil conditions supports a variety of distinct plant and animal species, such as the Nepal gray langur

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biogeographic classification of India</span>

Biogeographic classification of India is the division of India according to biogeographic characteristics. Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species (biology), organisms, and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time. India has a rich heritage of natural diversity. India ranks fourth in Asia and tenth in the world amongst the top 17 mega-diverse countries in the world. India harbours nearly 11% of the world's floral diversity comprising over 17500 documented flowering plants, 6200 endemic species, 7500 medicinal plants and 246 globally threatened species in only 2.4% of world's land area. India is also home to four biodiversity hotspots—Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Eastern Himalaya, Indo-Burma region, and the Western Ghats. Hence the importance of biogeographical study of India's natural heritage.

Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife reserve in the Pakyong District of the state of Sikkim in India. It is about 28 kilometres (17 mi) east of Rorathang and about 40 kilometres (25 mi) by road from Rangpo city. The total notified area of the park is around 124 square kilometres (48 sq mi) while inside the wildlife sanctuary there are a few hamlets: Aritar, Dakline Lingtam, Phadamchen, Dzuluk, Gnathang Monastery Kupup. This wildlife sanctuary is linked to the forests of Neora Valley National Park of West Bengal as well as forests of Samtse, Bhutan and Haa district Bhutan. The area that comes under this biosphere has been declared in 1999 as a wildlife sanctuary under biogeographic province category 2C.

References

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  2. 1 2 Dinerstein, Eric; Olson, David; Joshi, Anup; Vynne, Carly; Burgess, Neil D.; Wikramanayake, Eric; Hahn, Nathan; Palminteri, Suzanne; Hedao, Prashant; Noss, Reed; Hansen, Matt (2017-06-01). "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.
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  4. 1 2 Spalding, Mark D.; Fox, Helen E.; Allen, Gerald R.; Davidson, Nick; Ferdaña, Zach A.; Finlayson, Max; Halpern, Benjamin S.; Jorge, Miguel A.; Lombana, Al; Lourie, Sara A.; Martin, Kirsten D. (2007-07-01). "Marine Ecoregions of the World: A Bioregionalization of Coastal and Shelf Areas". BioScience. 57 (7): 573–583. doi:10.1641/B570707. ISSN   0006-3568. S2CID   29150840.
  5. Olson, David M.; Dinerstein, Eric (2002). "The Global 200: Priority Ecoregions for Global Conservation" (PDF). Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 89 (2): 199–224. doi:10.2307/3298564. ISSN   0026-6493. JSTOR   3298564.