TYPES OF FORESTS FOUND IN INDIA Tropical Rain

TYPES OF FORESTS FOUND IN INDIA • Tropical Rain Forests • Tropical Deciduous Forests • Tropical Thorn Forests and Scrubs • Montane Forests • Mangrove Forests

TROPICAL RAIN FORESTS • CLIMATIC CONDITIONS: Rainfall of more than 200 cm of rainfall with a short dry season. Temperature should be above 18° C even in the coldest months. Need a hot and humid environment to grow. • CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES: The trees reach great heights up to 60 metres or even above. Since the region is warm and wet throughout the year, it has a luxuriant vegetation of all kinds – trees, shrubs, and creepers giving it a multilayered structure. Canopy formation is a characteristic feature of these forests. There is no definite time for trees to shed their leaves. As such, these forests appear green all the year round. • FLORA AND FAUNA: Some of the commercially important trees of this forest are ebony, mahogany, rosewood, rubber and cinchona. The common animals found in these forests are elephants, monkey, lemur and deer. The one horned rhinoceros are found in the jungles of Assam and West Bengal. Besides these animals plenty of birds, bats, sloth, scorpions and snails are also found in these jungles. • LOCATION: These forests are restricted to heavy rainfall areas of the Western Ghats and the island groups of Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar, upper parts of Assam and Tamil Nadu coast.

TROPICAL DECIDUOUS FORESTS CLIMATIC CONDITIONS: They are also called the monsoon forests and spread over the region receiving rainfall between 200 cm and 70 cm. On the basis of the availability of water, these forests are further divided into moist and dry deciduous. The moist deciduous forests are found in areas receiving rainfall between 200 and 100 cm. The dry deciduous forests are found in areas having rainfall between 100 cm and 70 cm. CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES: These are the most widespread forests of India. Trees of this forest-type shed their leaves for about six to eight weeks in dry summer FLORA AND FAUNA: Moist Deciduous Forests: These forests Teak is the most dominant species of this forest. Bamboos, sal, shisham, sandalwood, khair, kusum, arjun, mulberry are other commercially important species. Dry Deciduous Forests: There are open stretches in which Teak, Sal, Peepal, Neem grow. A large part of this region has been cleared for cultivation and some parts are used for grazing. In these forests, the common animals found are lion, tiger, pig, deer and elephant. A huge variety of birds, lizards, snakes, and tortoises are also found here. LOCATION: Moist Deciduous Forests: These forests exist mostly in the eastern part of the country – northeastern states, along the foothills of the Himalayas, Jharkhand, West Orissa and Chhattisgarh, and on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats. Dry Deciduous Forests: These forests are found in the rainier parts of the peninsular plateau and the plains of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh

THE THORN FORESTS AND SCRUBS CLIMATIC CONDITIONS: The Thorn Forests and Scrubs are found in regions where the rainfall is less than 70 cm. CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES: Trees are scattered and have long roots penetrating deep into the soil in order to get moisture. The stems are succulent to conserve water Leaves are modified into spines (thorns) and are small to minimize transpiration. FLORA AND FAUNA: The vegetation in these forests are thorny trees and bushes. Acacias, palms, euphorbias and cacti are the main plants found in these forests. In these forests, the common animals are rats, mice, rabbits, fox, wolf, tiger, lion, wild ass, horses and camels. Most of the animals are nocturnal in nature. LOCATION: The Thorn Forests are found in the semi-arid areas of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

MONTANE FORESTS CLIMATIC CONDITIONS: Occurring in the temperate zone of the Himalayas between 1500 and 3300 mts where the annual rainfall varies from 150 cm to 250 cm. CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES: The decrease in temperature with increasing altitude leads to the corresponding change in natural vegetation. As such, there is a succession of natural vegetation belts. These are used extensively for grazing by nomadic tribes like the Gujjars and the Bakarwals. FLORA AND FAUNA: The Wet Temperate Forests: Evergreen broad-leaf trees such as oaks and chestnuts predominate Temperate Forests: Contain coniferous trees like pine, deodar, silver fir, spruce and cedar, Temperate Grasslands: Mainly grasslands Alpine Vegetation: Silver fir, junipers, pines and birches are the common trees of these forests. However, they get progressively stunted as they approach the snow-line. At higher altitudes, mosses and lichens form part of tundra vegetation. The common animals found in these forests are Kashmir stag, spotted dear, wild sheep, jack rabbit, Tibetan antelope, yak, snow leopard, squirrels, Shaggy horn wild ibex, bear and rare red panda, sheep and goats with thick hair. LOCATION: the Himalayan moist temperate forests cover the entire length of this mountain range in Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Darjeeling and Sikkim.

MANGROVE FORESTS CLIMATIC CONDITIONS: Rainfall and temperature varies with the location of the forests. CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES: A mangrove is a shrub or small tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. Mangrove Forests are very helpful at times such as these because they prevent the erosion of coastlines with their anaerobic roots supporting the sandbars. They have special roots called pneumatophores which rise out of water to help the plant breath. Mangroves are defined as assemblages of salt tolerant trees and shrubs that grow in the intertidal regions. They grow luxuriantly in the places where freshwater mixes with seawater and where sediment is composed of accumulated deposits of mud. They are also known as littorals. FLORA AND FAUNA: In the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta, Sundari trees are found, which provide durable hard timber. Palm, Coconut, keora, agar, also grow in some parts of the delta. India's mangrove forests are known to serve as a habitat for turtles, crocodiles, gharials, and snakes. The Sundarbans National Park is a National Park, Tiger Reserve, and a Biosphere Reserve. It is one of the largest reserves for the Bengal tiger LOCATION: The deltas of the Ganga-Brahmaputra, the Mahanadi, the Krishana, the Godavari and the Kaveri are covered by such vegetation.

WHY ARE FORESTS IMPORTANT ? • We depend on forests for our survival, from the air we breathe to the wood we use. • Besides providing habitats for animals and livelihoods for humans, forests also offer watershed protection, prevent soil erosion and mitigate climate change. • Forests provide us with shelter, livelihoods, water, food and fuel security. All these activities directly or indirectly involve forests. • Forests provide habitat for thousands of species and support the lives of 1. 6 billion people , they are home to 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity. • They also form the source of livelihood for many different human settlements, including 60 million indigenous people. • They absorb harmful greenhouse gasses that produce climate change. • They providing clean water for drinking, bathing, and other household needs • Forests protect watersheds and reduce or slow the amount of erosion and chemicals that reach waterways • They providing food and medicine • Forests serve as a buffer in natural disasters like flood and rainfalls.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO CONSERVE OUR NATURAL VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE? • Forests provide a natural habitat for many species of animals. Change in climate and human activities has led to the loss of forest cover which is affecting the inhabiting animals. Several species of animals have become endangered or extinct due to the loss of their natural habitat and indiscriminate killing. • Deforestation, soil erosion, construction activities, forest fires, tsunami and landslides are the major factors that impact forest cover natural or man-made. • Poaching refers to the killing of animals for collecting and trading their hides, skins, nails, teeth, horns and feathers. Animals like the tiger, lion, elephant, deer, black buck, crocodile, rhinoceros, snow leopard, ostrich and peacock are the most vulnerable to poaching. • The best way to conserve the different species of animals is by educating people about how important animals are to our ecosystem. • Creation of national parks and biosphere reserves is another measure to protect our natural vegetation and wildlife. • A national park is a natural area protected against human development and pollution having the aim of protecting and conserving specific ecosystems for the present and future generations. • Biosphere reserves are protected areas created to maintain a balance relationship between conservation and development of flora and fauna. • Natural habitats like creeks, wetlands and lakes also need to be conserved to protect the natural resources and ecosystems in those areas for which adequate measures need to be implemented by the governments of various countries. • This convention has been set up to make sure that wildlife and plant species do not become endangered or extinct because of their trade.

Why should community be a part of conservation projects? • All too often, communities that live around wildlife reserves are ostracized from conservation areas. • When rural communities are not helped to sustain themselves, or given adequate conservation education, we cannot expect these communities to do anything but look to protected areas for resources as a means of survival. • Poverty is also a driving force behind poaching. Poachers are almost always unemployed men who do it for the money. Communities need to see the economic benefit of conservation. • When communities are partners in conservation with their local authorities and reserves, snaring rates go down and poachers find no local support. This process has been validated in National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries and Biosphere Reserves around the world.