Orissa semi-evergreen forests
Encyclopedia
The Orissa semi-evergreen forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest
ecoregion
of eastern India
. The ecoregion covers an area of 22300 square kilometres (8,610.1 sq mi) on the coastal plain of Orissa
state, bounded on the north and west by the Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests
and on the south and west by the Bay of Bengal
.
The ecoregion has been extensively cleared for agriculture and urbanization. Several of Orissa's largest cities, including Bhubaneswar
, Cuttack
, Puri
, Chhatrapur
, Kendrapara
, and Bhadrak
, lie within the ecoregion. According to the WWF
, 96% of the ecoregion's area has been cleared, and only 4% remains in semi-evergreen rain forest. Much of the remaining forest has been degraded by grazing and fuelwood harvesting.
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests , also known as tropical moist forests, are a tropical and subtropical forest biome....
ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
of eastern 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 covers an area of 22300 square kilometres (8,610.1 sq mi) on the coastal plain of Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
state, bounded on the north and west by 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...
and on the south and west by 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...
.
The ecoregion has been extensively cleared for agriculture and urbanization. Several of Orissa's largest cities, including Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar is the capital of the Indian state of Orissa, officially Odisha. The city has a long history of over 2000 years starting with Chedi dynasty who had Sisupalgarh near present-day Bhubaneswar as their capital...
, Cuttack
Cuttack
Cuttack is the former capital of the state of Orissa, India. It is the headquarters of Cuttack district and is located about 20 km to the north east of Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa. The name of the city is an anglicised form of Kataka that literally means The Fort, a reference to the...
, Puri
Puri
Puri is district headquarter, a city situated about south of state capital Bhubaneswar, on the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal in the Indian state of Orissa. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the Jagannath Temple . It is a holy city of the Hindus as a part of the Char Dham pilgrimages...
, Chhatrapur
Chhatrapur
Chhatrapur is a town and a notified area committee in Ganjam District in the state of Orissa, India. It is the headquarter town of Ganjam District. There are two railway stations in Chhatrapur. They are Chhatrapur station and Chhatrapur court station.-Geography:Chhatrapur is located at...
, Kendrapara
Kendrapara
Kendrapara is a city and a municipality in Kendrapara district in the Indian state of Orissa. It is the headquarters of Kendrapara district.-Geography:Kendrapara is located at . It has an average elevation of...
, and Bhadrak
Bhadrak
Bhadrak is a city and a municipality in Bhadrak district in the state of Orissa, India.-Demographics: India census, Bhadrak had a population of 1,33,4000. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Bhadrak has an average literacy rate of 73.86, higher than the national average of...
, lie within the ecoregion. According to the WWF
World Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
, 96% of the ecoregion's area has been cleared, and only 4% remains in semi-evergreen rain forest. Much of the remaining forest has been degraded by grazing and fuelwood harvesting.