Thursday 5 December 2013
Description
Stretching like a mountainous spine down the western edge of India, the Western Ghats are a unique mountain range that harbours an incredible diversity of flora and fauna . Although most of the Western Ghats appear more like rolling hills than craggy snow-covered peaks , parts of it do reach over 2,000 metres and it contains the highest mountain in India, the Anaimudi, at 2,695 metres .The peaks of the Western Ghats intercept the south-western monsoon winds, which bring heavy rain between June and September. An astonishing 2 to 8 metres of rain drench the Western Ghats each year, most of it falling in the short monsoon period. These rains feed dozens of rivers that originate in the mountains, and flow down into India, providing drinking water, irrigation, and power for approximately 245 million people .
The rainfall patterns in the Western Ghats not only sustain the livelihoods of millions, but, coupled with the region’s complex geography and temperature gradient (from over 30 degrees Celsius at sea level to 0 degrees Celsius at the highest parts , produces a great variety of vegetation types.
Scrub forests on the low-lying, drier, eastern slopes give way to deciduousand tropical rainforests that occur up to about 1,500 metres. Above this elevation, a mosaic of rolling grasslands and montane cloud forests (locally called ‘shola’) blanket the Ghats. The Western Ghats also contain savannas; peat bogs, where grasses, sedges and mosses flourish in areas of high rainfall over 2,000 metres; and Myristica swamps, a freshwater wetland unique to the Western Ghats found between sea level and 600 metres .
This incredible variety in vegetation types gives rise to an astonishing diversity of fauna. Although the Western Ghats cover less than 6 percent of the land area of India, it contains more than 30 percent of the country’s mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian and fish species , and many animals are still being discovered.
Range
The Western Ghats run 1,600 kilometres from just north of Mumbai, south through the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala before petering out in Tamil Nadu, close to the southern tip of the Indian peninsula, Most of the Western Ghats run parallel to the coast, 50 to 80 kilometres inland from the Arabian Sea . This mountainous range covers an area of about 160,000 square kilometres, and is broken only by the Palghat Gap, a 302 kilometre wide gap in the Western Ghats.
Fauna
Mammals
Around 120 mammal species have been recorded in the Western Ghats . Most notably, they are home to both the world’s largest population of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) and to ten percent of the world’s tigers (Panthera tigris).
Prominent endemic mammals include the Nilgiri tahr (Hemitragus hylocrius), which can be observed on the cliffs and high, grassy plateaus, and the lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) which inhabits the evergreen forest.
Nearly 50 of the mammal species found in the Western Ghats are bats. This includes Salim Ali’s fruit bat (Latidens salimalii), remarkable for being the only species in its genus.
Birds
A great diversity of birds have been recorded in the Western Ghats , from the imposing Indian vulture (Gyps indicus) to the tiny blue Nilgiri flycatcher (Eumyias albicaudatus), and the stunning Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus).
Of the 500 bird species known from the Western Ghats, around 22 species occur nowhere else in the world. Many of these endemic species, such as the Nilgiri wood pigeon (Columba elphinstonii) and Nilgiri blue robin (Myiomela major), are considered threatened.
Reptiles and amphibians
The 225 species of reptiles recorded in the Western Ghats includes some fascinating and unique animals, such as the endemic Cochin forest cane turtle (Vijayachelys silvatica), the wonderfully named mugger (Crocodylus palustris), and the infamous king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah). A family of primitive burrowing snakes, the Uropeltidae, are also largely restricted to these mountain ranges .
Equally as intriguing are the 117 amphibian species found in the Western Ghats, of which 89 are endemic. This includes the peculiar-looking purple frog (Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis), which was only recently discovered in the southern Western Ghats, and represents an entirely new genus.
Fish and invertebrates
The numerous rivers and streams that originate in the Western Ghats are home to a remarkable variety of fish. Of the 288 species recorded, 118 are endemic. This includes the Denison bar (Puntius denisonii), a pretty, stream-dwelling fish that is a popular species in the ornamental fish trade.
While knowledge on the invertebrate fauna of the Western Ghats is relatively poor, the available information indicates that the Ghats harbour an abundance of diverse invertebrates, many of which are believed to be endemic. For example, of nearly 140 tiger beetle species known from the Western Ghats, more than 100 are found nowhere else .
An incredible 330 butterfly species have been recorded in the Western Ghats. One of these species, the Travencore evening brown (Parantirrhoea marshalli), can only be found in a small area of mid-elevation forest in the Ghats, where it flutters around reed patches at twilight.
Around 120 mammal species have been recorded in the Western Ghats . Most notably, they are home to both the world’s largest population of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) and to ten percent of the world’s tigers (Panthera tigris).
Prominent endemic mammals include the Nilgiri tahr (Hemitragus hylocrius), which can be observed on the cliffs and high, grassy plateaus, and the lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) which inhabits the evergreen forest.
Nearly 50 of the mammal species found in the Western Ghats are bats. This includes Salim Ali’s fruit bat (Latidens salimalii), remarkable for being the only species in its genus.
Birds
A great diversity of birds have been recorded in the Western Ghats , from the imposing Indian vulture (Gyps indicus) to the tiny blue Nilgiri flycatcher (Eumyias albicaudatus), and the stunning Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus).
Of the 500 bird species known from the Western Ghats, around 22 species occur nowhere else in the world. Many of these endemic species, such as the Nilgiri wood pigeon (Columba elphinstonii) and Nilgiri blue robin (Myiomela major), are considered threatened.
Reptiles and amphibians
The 225 species of reptiles recorded in the Western Ghats includes some fascinating and unique animals, such as the endemic Cochin forest cane turtle (Vijayachelys silvatica), the wonderfully named mugger (Crocodylus palustris), and the infamous king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah). A family of primitive burrowing snakes, the Uropeltidae, are also largely restricted to these mountain ranges .
Equally as intriguing are the 117 amphibian species found in the Western Ghats, of which 89 are endemic. This includes the peculiar-looking purple frog (Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis), which was only recently discovered in the southern Western Ghats, and represents an entirely new genus.
Fish and invertebrates
The numerous rivers and streams that originate in the Western Ghats are home to a remarkable variety of fish. Of the 288 species recorded, 118 are endemic. This includes the Denison bar (Puntius denisonii), a pretty, stream-dwelling fish that is a popular species in the ornamental fish trade.
While knowledge on the invertebrate fauna of the Western Ghats is relatively poor, the available information indicates that the Ghats harbour an abundance of diverse invertebrates, many of which are believed to be endemic. For example, of nearly 140 tiger beetle species known from the Western Ghats, more than 100 are found nowhere else .
An incredible 330 butterfly species have been recorded in the Western Ghats. One of these species, the Travencore evening brown (Parantirrhoea marshalli), can only be found in a small area of mid-elevation forest in the Ghats, where it flutters around reed patches at twilight.
Wednesday 4 December 2013
Flora
As early as 1904 Hooker had drawn attention to the distinct flora of the Western Ghats, which he called the “Malabar” floristic region. The presence of Bambusae, Dipterocarpaceae, Guttiferae, Myristicaceae and Palmae (Arecaceae) has contributed to its distinctness. The various major vegetation types are tropical evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests, dry deciduous forests, scrub jungles, sholas, savannas including high rainfall savannas, peat bogs and Myristica swamps.
Four thousand species of flowering plants are known from the Western Ghats. The gymnosperm flora is represented by Cycas circinalis (Cycadales), Decussocarpus wallichianus (Coniferales) and Gnetum ula and G. contractum (Gnetales). Western Ghats receives an average of 3000 mm rainfall per annum and is a treasure house of exotic varieties of plants, a God given blessing to humanity. Exotic products of Western Ghats is carried to outside India through the Silk Route and Arabian Sea from ancient time onwards.
Four thousand species of flowering plants are known from the Western Ghats. The gymnosperm flora is represented by Cycas circinalis (Cycadales), Decussocarpus wallichianus (Coniferales) and Gnetum ula and G. contractum (Gnetales). Western Ghats receives an average of 3000 mm rainfall per annum and is a treasure house of exotic varieties of plants, a God given blessing to humanity. Exotic products of Western Ghats is carried to outside India through the Silk Route and Arabian Sea from ancient time onwards.
Eungella rainforest
History
The Western Ghats or the Sahyādri constitute a mountain range along the western side of India. It is a UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE. and is one of the eight "hottest hotspots" of biological diversity in the world. It is sometimes called the Great Escarpment of India. The range runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain, called Konak, along the Arabian Sea .A total of thirty nine properties including national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserve forests were designated as world heritage sites - twenty in Kerla, ten in Karnataka, five in Tamil Nadu and four in Maharashtra.
The range starts near the border of Gujarat and Maharashtra, south of theTrapti river, and runs approximately 1,600 km (990 mi) through the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala ending at Kanyakumari, at the southern tip of India.
These hills cover 160,000 km2 (62,000 sq mi) and form the catchment area for complex riverine drainage systems that drain almost 40% of India. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan Plateau. The average elevation is around 1,200 m (3,900 ft).
The area is one of the world's ten "Hottest biodiversity hotspots" and has over 5000 species of flowering plants, 139 mammal species, 508 bird species and 179 amphibian species; it is likely that many undiscovered species live in the Western Ghats. At least 325 globally threatened species occur in the Western Ghats.
Anamudi, the highest point in India, south of the Himalayas
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