Western Himalayan broadleaf forests
Encyclopedia
The Western Himalayan broadleaf forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forest ecoregion which is found in the middle elevations of the western Himalayas
, including parts of Nepal
, India
, and Pakistan
.
and Himachal Pradesh
in northern India, into Jammu and Kashmir
and parts of Pakistan. This ecoregion is drier and the forest is more fragmented than its Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests
counterpart, which receive more moisture from the Bay of Bengal
monsoon but is still valuable habitat especially as part of the pattern of habitats found at different elevations on the Himalayan mountainsides. Many species of birds and animals migrate up and down the mountains seasonally from the grasslands of the plains below to the high peaks.
At lower elevations, this ecoregion grades into Himalayan subtropical pine forests
. At higher elevations, it grades into Western Himalayan subalpine conifer forests
as well as Northwestern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows
and Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows
.
The evergreen broadleaf forest is dominated by oaks, consisting of Quercus semecarpifolia, Quercus dilatata, Quercus lamellosa, and Quercus incana. This forest is typically found on moister southern slopes, which are more influenced by the monsoon
. Various Lauraceae
call this forest home, including Machilus odoratissima, Litsea umbrosa, Litsea lanuginosa, and Phoebe pulcherrima. The understory features a rich assemblage of ferns, mosses, and epiphyte
s. On northern slopes, drier areas, and higher elevations, Quercus ilex is found, along with conifers representing Abies, Picea, Cedrus, and Pinus.
The deciduous forest is found along rivers west of the Gandaki River. It includes Aesculus indica
, Juglans regia, Carpinus viminea, Alnus nepalensis, and several Acer species. In drier areas such as the valley of the upper Ghaghara River
it includes Populus ciliata
, Ulmus wallichiana, and Corylus colurna as well and the riverbanks are dominated by Himalayan Alder (Alnus nitida).
, leopard, the Himalayan tahr, and the threatened serow. There is one endemic mammal, the Kashmir Cave Bat
(Myotis longipes) while the threatened Peter's Tube-nosed Bat
(Murina grisea) is near-endemic.
About 315 species of birds have been recorded in this ecoregion from tiny warblers to large pheasants such as the Western Tragopan
(Tragopan melanocephalus), Satyr Tragopan
(Tragopan satyra), Koklass Pheasant (Pucrasia macrolopha), Himalayan Monal
(Lophophorus impejanus) and Cheer Pheasant
(Catreus wallichi). Near-endemic birds of the forests include the White-cheeked Tit
, White-throated Tit
, Spectacled Finch
, Kashmir Flycatcher
, Tytler's Leaf-warbler
, Orange Bullfinch
, and Kashmir Nuthatch
, while the Himalayan Quail
which used to be found here is now thought to be extinct.
or for agricultural land, a process which is ongoing. Only a third remains unspoilt, with the largest patches remaining in the west of the ecoregion and any forest clearance on these steep mountainsides quickly results in soil erosion and oversilting of the rivers below. Protected areas in this ecoregion include Askot Musk Deer Sanctuary
, and parts of the Govind Pashu Vihar Wildlife Sanctuary, Rupi Bhabha Sanctuary and the large Kishtwar National Park
.
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
, including parts of Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, 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...
, and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
Setting
The ecoregion forms an area of temperate broadleaf forest covering 55900 sqkm in a narrow band between 1500 to 2600 m (4,921.3 to 8,530.2 ft) elevation, extending from the Gandaki River gorge in Nepal, through Uttar PradeshUttar 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...
and Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...
in northern India, into Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
and parts of Pakistan. This ecoregion is drier and the forest is more fragmented than its Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests
Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests
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, and Bhutan...
counterpart, which receive more 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...
monsoon but is still valuable habitat especially as part of the pattern of habitats found at different elevations on the Himalayan mountainsides. Many species of birds and animals migrate up and down the mountains seasonally from the grasslands of the plains below to the high peaks.
At lower elevations, this ecoregion grades into Himalayan subtropical pine forests
Himalayan subtropical pine forests
The Himalayan subtropical pine forests are a large subtropical coniferous forest ecoregion covering portions of Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan....
. At higher elevations, it grades into Western Himalayan subalpine conifer forests
Western Himalayan subalpine conifer forests
The Western Himalayan subalpine conifer forests is a temperate coniferous forests ecoregion of the middle and upper elevations of the western Middle Himalayas of Nepal, India, and Pakistan.-Setting:...
as well as Northwestern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows
Northwestern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows
The Northwestern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion of the elevations of the northwestern Himalaya of China, India, and Pakistan.-Setting:...
and Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows
Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows
The Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows is an montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion of Nepal, India, and Tibet, which lies between the tree line and snow line in the western portion of the Himalaya Range.-Setting:...
.
Flora
The Western Himalayan broadleaf forests may be divided into forests of two types: evergreen and deciduous broadleaved forests.The evergreen broadleaf forest is dominated by oaks, consisting of Quercus semecarpifolia, Quercus dilatata, Quercus lamellosa, and Quercus incana. This forest is typically found on moister southern slopes, which are more influenced by the monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
. Various Lauraceae
Lauraceae
The Lauraceae or Laurel family comprises a group of flowering plants included in the order Laurales. The family contains about 55 genera and over 3500, perhaps as many as 4000, species world-wide, mostly from warm or tropical regions, especially Southeast Asia and South America...
call this forest home, including Machilus odoratissima, Litsea umbrosa, Litsea lanuginosa, and Phoebe pulcherrima. The understory features a rich assemblage of ferns, mosses, and epiphyte
Epiphyte
An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...
s. On northern slopes, drier areas, and higher elevations, Quercus ilex is found, along with conifers representing Abies, Picea, Cedrus, and Pinus.
The deciduous forest is found along rivers west of the Gandaki River. It includes Aesculus indica
Aesculus indica
-Description:Indian or Himalayan Horse Chestnut is an attractive tree growing to about 30 meters with a spread to about by 12 meters . It is hardy to -15°C , USDA zones 7-9 . It is in flower from Jun to July, and the seeds ripen in October...
, Juglans regia, Carpinus viminea, Alnus nepalensis, and several Acer species. In drier areas such as the valley of the upper Ghaghara River
Ghaghara River
Karnali or Ghaghara is a perennial trans-boundary river originating on the Tibetan Plateau near Lake Mansarovar. It cuts through the Himalayas in Nepal and joins the Sarda River at Brahmaghat in India. Together they form the Ghaghra River, a major left bank tributary of the Ganges. With a length of...
it includes Populus ciliata
Populus ciliata
-Common names:Bengali: bangikat,English: Himalayan poplar,Urdu: Safeda, and Pahari pilal,Hindi: bagnu, ban papal, chalaun, chalni, and chalun,Nepali: bangikat, and bhote pipal .-Botanic Description:...
, Ulmus wallichiana, and Corylus colurna as well and the riverbanks are dominated by Himalayan Alder (Alnus nitida).
Fauna
Although there is less wildlife here than in the wetter Eastern Himalayas, this ecoregion is home to seventy-six species of mammals. These include the Asiatic black bearAsiatic Black Bear
The Asian black bear , also known as the moon bear or white-chested bear is a medium-sized species of bear, largely adapted for arboreal life, which occurs through much of southern Asia, Korea, northeastern China, the Russian far east and Honshū and Shikoku islands of Japan...
, leopard, the Himalayan tahr, and the threatened serow. There is one endemic mammal, the Kashmir Cave Bat
Kashmir Cave Bat
The Kashmir Cave Bat is a species of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family.It is found in Afghanistan, India, Nepal, and possibly Vietnam.-References:* Chiroptera Specialist Group 2000. . Downloaded on 19 July 2007....
(Myotis longipes) while the threatened Peter's Tube-nosed Bat
Peter's Tube-nosed Bat
Peter's Tube-nosed Bat is a species of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family, found in South Asia. They have tube-shaped nostrils which assist them with their feeding. They are brown with white-yellow and underparts and have specks of orange around their neck...
(Murina grisea) is near-endemic.
About 315 species of birds have been recorded in this ecoregion from tiny warblers to large pheasants such as the Western Tragopan
Western Tragopan
The Western Tragopan or Western Horned Tragopan is a medium-sized brightly plumaged pheasant found along the Himalayas from Hazara in northern Pakistan in the west to Uttarakhand within India to the east...
(Tragopan melanocephalus), Satyr Tragopan
Satyr Tragopan
The Satyr Tragopan Tragopan satyra, also known as the Crimson Horned Pheasant, is a pheasant found in the Himalayan reaches of India, Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan. They reside in moist oak and rhododendron forests with dense undergrowth and bamboo clumps. Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, shrubland...
(Tragopan satyra), Koklass Pheasant (Pucrasia macrolopha), Himalayan Monal
Himalayan Monal
The Himalayan Monal, Lophophorus impejanus also known as the Impeyan Monal or Impeyan Pheasant or Danphe is a bird of genus Lophophorus of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. It is the national bird of Nepal, where it is known as the Danfe, and the state bird of Uttarakhand.Traditionally, the...
(Lophophorus impejanus) and Cheer Pheasant
Cheer Pheasant
The Cheer Pheasant, Catreus wallichii also known as Wallich's Pheasant is an endangered species of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. It is the only member in monotypic genus Catreus...
(Catreus wallichi). Near-endemic birds of the forests include the White-cheeked Tit
White-cheeked Tit
The White-cheeked Bushtit , also known as the White-cheeked Tit, is a species of bird in the Aegithalidae family. It is found in Afghanistan, Kashmir region, and Pakistan.-References:...
, White-throated Tit
White-throated Tit
The White-throated Bushtit , also known as the White-throated Tit, is a species of bird in the Aegithalidae family. It is found in India, Nepal, and Pakistan. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes....
, Spectacled Finch
Spectacled Finch
The Spectacled Finch is a species of finch in the Fringillidae family. It is found in Afghanistan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. Its natural habitat is temperate forests with a lush landscape.-References:...
, Kashmir Flycatcher
Kashmir Flycatcher
The Kashmir Flycatcher, Ficedula subrubra, is a small passerine bird in the flycatcher family Muscicapidae. At one time it was considered to be a subspecies of the Red-breasted Flycatcher, Ficedula parva....
, Tytler's Leaf-warbler
Tytler's Leaf-warbler
The Tytler's Leaf-warbler is a songbird species. Like all leaf-warblers, it was formerly placed in the "Old World warbler" assemblage, but now belongs to the new leaf-warbler family Phylloscopidae....
, Orange Bullfinch
Orange Bullfinch
The Orange Bullfinch is a species of finch in the Fringillidae family.It is found in India and Pakistan.Its natural habitat is temperate forests.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . ....
, and Kashmir Nuthatch
Kashmir Nuthatch
The Kashmir Nuthatch is a species of bird in the Sittidae family. It is found in Afghanistan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan....
, while the Himalayan Quail
Himalayan Quail
The Himalayan Quail is a medium-sized quail belonging to the pheasant family. It was last reported in 1876 and is feared extinct. This species was known from only 2 locations in the western Himalayas in Uttarakhand, north-west India...
which used to be found here is now thought to be extinct.
Threats and conservation
The Himalayas receive large numbers of visitors every year including religious pilgrims and trekkers. Although there a large number of protected areas each of them are quite small and most of original forest has been cleared for loggingLogging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
or for agricultural land, a process which is ongoing. Only a third remains unspoilt, with the largest patches remaining in the west of the ecoregion and any forest clearance on these steep mountainsides quickly results in soil erosion and oversilting of the rivers below. Protected areas in this ecoregion include Askot Musk Deer Sanctuary
Askot Musk Deer Sanctuary
Askot Musk Deer Sanctuary is located 54 km from Pithoragarh near Askot in Uttarakhand state of India. This sanctuary has been set up primarily with the object of conserving the musk deer and its habitat. Intensive efforts have been initiated to conserve this rare species...
, and parts of the Govind Pashu Vihar Wildlife Sanctuary, Rupi Bhabha Sanctuary and the large Kishtwar National Park
Kishtwar National Park
Kishtwar National Park is a national park located in the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. it is bounded to the north by Rinnay river, south by Kibar Nala catchment, east by main divide of Great Himalaya and west by Marwa river....
.
