Narmada Valley dry deciduous forests
Encyclopedia
The Narmada Valley dry deciduous forests are a tropical dry forest
ecoregion of central India
. The ecoregion lies mostly in Madhya Pradesh
state, but extends into portions of Chhattisgarh
, Maharashtra
, and Uttar Pradesh
states.
Valley and the surrounding uplands of the Vindhya Range
to the north and the western end of the Satpura Range
to the south. The Narmada Valley is an east-west flat-bottomed valley, or graben
, that separates the two plateaus. The Vindhya Range separates the valley from the Malwa plateau and Bundelkhand
upland to the north. The Satpura Range
reaches a height of 1,300m and encloses the valley on the south separating it from the Deccan plateau. The ecoregion includes the western portion of the Satpuras, and also extends to the southeast along the eastern flank of the Western Ghats
range. The uplands of this ecoregion are the northern limits of the Indian peninsula.
Rainfall in the ecoregion is highly seasonal; a seven- to eight-month dry season is followed by the June-to-September southwest monsoon, which brings 1,200-1,500 mm of rainfall in an average year. Many trees lose their leaves during the long dry season to conserve moisture.
The ecoregion lies between moister forests to the northeast, southeast, and southwest, which receive greater rainfall from the southeast monsoon, and the drier forests and scrublands of the Deccan to the south and Malwa and Gujarat to the west and northwest. The lowland Upper Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests
lie to the northeast, on the alluvial plain of the Ganges River
and its tributaries below the eastern Vindhyas and the Bundelkhand upland. The Chota-Nagpur dry deciduous forests lie on the Chota Nagpur
plateau to the east. The Eastern highlands moist deciduous forests
, which receive more annual moisture from the Bay of Bengal
, lie to the southeast. To the southwest, along the spine of the Western Ghats range, lie the wetter North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests
, which receive more moisture from the southwest monsoon winds off the Arabian Sea
.
To the south, the Deccan Plateau of Maharashtra lies in the rain shadow
of the Western Ghats, and is home to the Central Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests
of Vidarbha
and the drier Deccan thorn scrub forests
of Kandesh. The Kathiarbar-Gir dry deciduous forests
cover most of Malwa to the northwest and the lowlands of Gujarat to the west.
(Tectona grandis) is the dominant canopy tree, in association with Coromandel Ebony
(Diospyros melanoxylon), Dhaora (Anogeissus latifolia
), Lagerstroemia parviflora, Terminalia tomentosa, Lannea coromandelica, Hardwickia binata, and Boswellia serrata
.
Riparian areas along the regions rivers and streams, which receive year-round water, are home to moist evergreen forests, whose dominant tree species are Terminalia arjuna, Syzygium cumini, Syzygium heyneanum, Salix tetrasperma, Homonoia riparia, and Vitex negundo.
s, none of which are endemic
, although several of which, including Asia's largest predator the tiger
(Panthera tigris) along with gaur
(Bos gaurus), packs of Dhole
or Asiatic wild dog (Cuon alpinus), sloth bear
(Melursus ursinus), chousingha (Tetracerus quadricornis), and blackbuck
(Antilope cervicapra), are threatened.
The ecoregion is home to 276 bird
species, none of which are endemic. Large threatened birds include the Lesser Florican
(Eupodotis indica) and Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps).
Tiger Reserve and Noradehi Sanctuary while others include Bandhavgarh
, Panna
, and Sanjay
national parks
. Plans to dam the Narmada river will impact on the wildlife of the ecoregion.
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
The tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest biome, also known as tropical dry forest, is located at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Though these forests occur in climates that are warm year-round, and may receive several hundred centimeters of rain per year, they have long dry seasons...
ecoregion of central India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The ecoregion lies mostly in Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
state, but extends into portions of Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh is a state in Central India, formed when the 16 Chhattisgarhi-speaking South-Eastern districts of Madhya Pradesh gained separate statehood on 1 November 2000....
, Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
, and Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
states.
Setting
The Narmada Valley dry deciduous forests cover an area of 169900 km² (65,598.8 sq mi) of the lower Narmada RiverNarmada River
The Narmada , also called Rewa is a river in central India and the fifth largest river in the Indian subcontinent. It is the third largest river that completely flows within India after Ganges and Godavari...
Valley and the surrounding uplands of the Vindhya Range
Vindhya Range
The Vindhya Range is a range of older rounded mountains and hills in the west-central Indian subcontinent, which geographically separates the Indian subcontinent into northern India and Southern India.- Introduction :...
to the north and the western end of the Satpura Range
Satpura Range
The Satpura Range is a range of hills in central India. The range rises in eastern Gujarat state near the Arabian Sea coast, running east through Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh to Chhattisgarh. The range parallels the Vindhya Range to the north, and these two east-west ranges divide the...
to the south. The Narmada Valley is an east-west flat-bottomed valley, or graben
Graben
In geology, a graben is a depressed block of land bordered by parallel faults. Graben is German for ditch. Graben is used for both the singular and plural....
, that separates the two plateaus. The Vindhya Range separates the valley from the Malwa plateau and Bundelkhand
Bundelkhand
Bundelkhand anciently known as Chedi Kingdom is a geographic region of central India...
upland to the north. The Satpura Range
Satpura Range
The Satpura Range is a range of hills in central India. The range rises in eastern Gujarat state near the Arabian Sea coast, running east through Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh to Chhattisgarh. The range parallels the Vindhya Range to the north, and these two east-west ranges divide the...
reaches a height of 1,300m and encloses the valley on the south separating it from the Deccan plateau. The ecoregion includes the western portion of the Satpuras, and also extends to the southeast along the eastern flank of the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
range. The uplands of this ecoregion are the northern limits of the Indian peninsula.
Rainfall in the ecoregion is highly seasonal; a seven- to eight-month dry season is followed by the June-to-September southwest monsoon, which brings 1,200-1,500 mm of rainfall in an average year. Many trees lose their leaves during the long dry season to conserve moisture.
The ecoregion lies between moister forests to the northeast, southeast, and southwest, which receive greater rainfall from the southeast monsoon, and the drier forests and scrublands of the Deccan to the south and Malwa and Gujarat to the west and northwest. The lowland Upper Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests
Upper Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests
The Upper Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of northern India. It lies on the alluvial plain of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, with an area of , covering most of the state of Uttar Pradesh and adjacent portions of Uttarakhand, Haryana, Madhya...
lie to the northeast, on the alluvial plain of the Ganges River
Ganges River
The Ganges or Ganga, , is a trans-boundary river of India and Bangladesh. The river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of North India into Bangladesh, where it empties into the Bay of Bengal. By discharge it...
and its tributaries below the eastern Vindhyas and the Bundelkhand upland. The Chota-Nagpur dry deciduous forests lie on the Chota Nagpur
Chota Nagpur
Chota Nagpur may refer to*Chota Nagpur Plateau*Chhotanagpur*Chota Nagpur Division, a division of British India *Chota Nagpur States, a collection of princely states of British India...
plateau to the east. The Eastern highlands moist deciduous forests
Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests
The Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of east-central India. The ecoregion covers an area of , extending across portions of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Orissa states.-Setting:The Eastern Highlands...
, which receive more annual moisture from the Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...
, lie to the southeast. To the southwest, along the spine of the Western Ghats range, lie the wetter North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests
North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests
The North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of southwestern India. It lies between 250 and 1000 meters elevation in the northern portion of the Western Ghats range, from their northern end in Maharashtra state, through Karnataka to the transitional...
, which receive more moisture from the southwest monsoon winds off the Arabian Sea
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui in northeastern Somalia and Kanyakumari in India...
.
To the south, the Deccan Plateau of Maharashtra lies in the rain shadow
Rain shadow
A rain shadow is a dry area on the lee side of a mountainous area. The mountains block the passage of rain-producing weather systems, casting a "shadow" of dryness behind them. As shown by the diagram to the right, the warm moist air is "pulled" by the prevailing winds over a mountain...
of the Western Ghats, and is home to the Central Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests
Central Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests
The Central Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests is a large Tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion of southern India, containing large protected areas of natural habitat of the tiger.-Setting:...
of Vidarbha
Vidarbha
Vidarbha is the eastern region of Maharashtra state made up of Nagpur Division and Amravati Division. Its former name is Berar . It occupies 31.6% of total area and holds 21.3% of total population of Maharashtra...
and the drier Deccan thorn scrub forests
Deccan thorn scrub forests
The Deccan thorn scrub forests is a xeric shrubland ecoregion of India and northernmost Sri Lanka, a large area that was once forest and home to large numbers of elephants and tigers.-Location and description:...
of Kandesh. The Kathiarbar-Gir dry deciduous forests
Kathiarbar-Gir dry deciduous forests
The Kathiawar-Gir dry deciduous forests are a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion of western India which is home to the last remaining populations of the Asiatic Lion in Gir Forest National Park in Gujarat.-Setting:...
cover most of Malwa to the northwest and the lowlands of Gujarat to the west.
Flora
The natural vegetation of the region is a three-tiered forest adapted to the monsoon and dry season climate. The forests typically have an upper canopy at 15–25 meters, a 10-15 meter understory of smaller trees and large shrubs, and a 3-4 meter undergrowth. TeakTeak
Teak is the common name for the tropical hardwood tree species Tectona grandis and its wood products. Tectona grandis is native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma, but is naturalized and cultivated in many countries, including those in Africa and the...
(Tectona grandis) is the dominant canopy tree, in association with Coromandel Ebony
Coromandel Ebony
Makassar Ebony , is a species of flowering tree in the family Ebenaceae that is endemic to the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. Its common name is derived from the main seaport on the island, Makassar....
(Diospyros melanoxylon), Dhaora (Anogeissus latifolia
Anogeissus
Anogeissus is a genus of trees native to South Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, and Africa, belonging to family Combretaceae. The genus has eight species, five native to South Asia, two endemic to the southern Arabian Peninsula, and one native to Africa. Anogeissus latifolia, known as dhaora, is one of...
), Lagerstroemia parviflora, Terminalia tomentosa, Lannea coromandelica, Hardwickia binata, and Boswellia serrata
Boswellia serrata
Boswellia serrata is Indian frankincense or Salai. It is found in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh & Andhara Pradesh in India.- Medical usage :...
.
Riparian areas along the regions rivers and streams, which receive year-round water, are home to moist evergreen forests, whose dominant tree species are Terminalia arjuna, Syzygium cumini, Syzygium heyneanum, Salix tetrasperma, Homonoia riparia, and Vitex negundo.
Fauna
The ecoregion is home to 76 species of mammalMammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s, none of which are endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
, although several of which, including Asia's largest predator the tiger
Tiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
(Panthera tigris) along with gaur
Gaur
The gaur , also called Indian bison, is a large bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. The species is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986 as the population decline in parts of the species' range is likely to be well over 70% over the last three generations...
(Bos gaurus), packs of Dhole
Dhole
The dhole is a species of canid native to South and Southeast Asia. It is the only extant member of the genus Cuon, which differs from Canis by the reduced number of molars and greater number of teats...
or Asiatic wild dog (Cuon alpinus), sloth bear
Sloth Bear
The sloth bear , also known as the labiated bear, is a nocturnal insectivorous species of bear found wild within the Indian subcontinent. The sloth bear evolved from ancestral brown bears during the Pleistocene and shares features found in insect-eating mammals through convergent evolution...
(Melursus ursinus), chousingha (Tetracerus quadricornis), and blackbuck
Blackbuck
Blackbuck is a species of antelope native to the Indian subcontinent. Their range decreased sharply during the 20th century. Since 2003, the IUCN lists the species as near threatened....
(Antilope cervicapra), are threatened.
The ecoregion is home to 276 bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
species, none of which are endemic. Large threatened birds include the Lesser Florican
Lesser Florican
The Lesser Florican , also known as the Likh, is a large bird in the bustard family and the only member of the genus Sypheotides. It is endemic to the Indian Subcontinent where it is found in tall grasslands and is best known for the leaping breeding displays made by the males during the Monsoon...
(Eupodotis indica) and Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps).
Conservation
This area is densely populated and only about 30% of the ecoregion is covered in relatively intact vegetation, but this does include some large blocks of habitat in the Vindhya and Satpura ranges which are important for the preservation of the tiger. About 5% of the ecoregion lies within protected areas, the largest of which are MelghatMelghat
Melghat was declared a Tiger Reserve and was among the first nine Tiger Reserves notified in 1973-74 under the Project Tiger. It is located in northern part of Amravati District of Maharashtra State in India. The Tapti River and the Gawilgadh ridge of the Satpura Range form the boundaries of the...
Tiger Reserve and Noradehi Sanctuary while others include Bandhavgarh
Bandhavgarh National Park
Bandhavgarh National Park is one of the popular national parks in India located in the Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh. Bandhavgarh was declared a national park in 1968 with an area of 105 km². The buffer is spread over the forest divisions of Umaria and Katni and totals 437 km²...
, Panna
Panna National Park
Panna National Park is a national park located in Panna and Chhatarpur districts of Madhya Pradesh in India. It has an area of about 543 square miles . The terrain in Panna National Park is undulating and heavily forested with many streams and waterfalls.Among the animals found here are the chital,...
, and Sanjay
Sanjay National Park
The Sanjay National Park is located in the Sidhi District of Madhya Pradesh state in India. It it a part of the Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve. The park covers 466.7 km2.-Wildlife:...
national parks
National parks of India
This is a list of all national parks of India. India's first national park was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park, now known as Jim Corbett National Park. By 1970, India only had five national parks...
. Plans to dam the Narmada river will impact on the wildlife of the ecoregion.