The Mizoram–Manipur–Kachin rain forests is a subtropical moist broadleaf forest

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of ...

which occupies the lower hillsides of the mountainous border region joining

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

, and

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

(Myanmar). The ecoregion covers an area of . Located where the biotas of the

Indian Subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

and

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...

meet, and in the transition between subtropical and tropical regions of Asia, the Mizoram–Manipur–Kachin rain forests are home to great biodiversity. The WWF rates the ecoregion as "Globally Outstanding" in biological distinctiveness.Wikramanayake, Eric; Eric Dinerstein; Colby J. Loucks; et al. (2002). ''Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: a Conservation Assessment.'' Island Press; Washington, DC. pp. 377–379

Geography and neighbouring ecoregions

The ecoregion is characterised by semi-evergreen rain forest, covering the lower elevations of the

Chin Hills The Chin Hills are a range of mountains in Chin State, northwestern Burma (Myanmar), that extends northward into India's Manipur state. Geography The highest peak in the Chin Hills is Khonu Msung, or Mount Victoria, in southern Chin State, whic ...

and Arakan Mountains in Myanmar's

Arakan State Rakhine State (; , , ; formerly known as Arakan State) is a state in Myanmar (Burma). Situated on the western coast, it is bordered by Chin State to the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Region to the east, the Bay of Beng ...

, India's

Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of ...

state, the adjacent

Chittagong Hills The Chittagong Hill Tracts ( bn, পার্বত্য চট্টগ্রাম, Parbotto Chottogram), often shortened to simply the Hill Tracts and abbreviated to CHT, are group of districts within the Chittagong Division in southeas ...

of Bangladesh, and then extending northwards along the Naga Hills and

Mizo Hills The Lushai (Pron: ˌlʊˈʃaɪ) Hills (or Mizo Hills) are a mountain range in Mizoram and Manipur, India. The range is part of the Patkai range system and its highest point is 2,157 m high Phawngpui, also known as 'Blue Mountain'. Flora and fau ...

to cover most of India's

Nagaland Nagaland () is a landlocked state in the northeastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south and the Sagaing Region of Myanmar to the east. Its capital cit ...

and

Mizoram Mizoram () is a state in Northeast India, with Aizawl as its seat of government and capital city. The name of the state is derived from "Mizo", the self-described name of the native inhabitants, and "Ram", which in the Mizo language means "lan ...

states, and also eastwards across Myanmar's

Sagaing Division Sagaing Region ( my, စစ်ကိုင်းတိုင်းဒေသကြီး, ; formerly Sagaing Division) is an administrative region of Myanmar, located in the north-western part of the country between latitude 21° 30' north and lo ...

and Kachin State to the China–Myanmar border. The Myanmar coastal rain forests occupy the coastal lowlands of Myanmar south and southwest of this ecoregion. To the west, the ecoregion borders the

Meghalaya subtropical forests The Meghalaya subtropical forests is an ecoregion of Northeast India. The ecoregion covers an area of , and despite its name, comprise not only the state of Meghalaya, but also parts of southern Assam, and a tiny bit of Nagaland around Dimapur ...

ecoregion in the Khasi and

Garo Hills The Garo Hills (Pron: ˈgɑ:rəʊ) are part of the Garo-Khasi range in Meghalaya, India. They are inhabited by the Garo people. It is one of the wettest places in the world. The range is part of the Meghalaya subtropical forests ecoregion. De ...

, and the

Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests The Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of Northeastern India and southern Bhutan. Location and description The ecoregion covers and encompasses the alluvial plain of the upper Brahmaputra Ri ...

in the

Brahmaputra The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, northeast India, and Bangladesh. It is also known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan, the Siang/Dihang River in Arunachali, Luit in Assamese, and Jamuna River in Bangla. I ...

lowlands. The Mizoram–Manipur–Kachin rain forests extends up to the elevation of the Chin Hills–Arakan Yoma range, and the Chin Hills–Arakan Yoma montane forests occupy the portion of the range above . As the Mizoram–Manipur–Kachin forests extend east across Myanmar, they are bounded by the Irrawaddy moist deciduous forests of the Irrawaddy River basin in the south, the higher-elevation Northern Triangle subtropical forests in the north, and the Northern Indochina subtropical forests in the east. The Northeast India–Myanmar pine forests occupy the higher elevations of the Naga Hills along the Nagaland–Myanmar border, and are surrounded by the Mizoram–Manipur–Kachin rain forests west, south and east.

Climate

The climate of the ecoregion is

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

and humid, although somewhat cooler than the adjacent lowlands. Rainfall comes mostly from the

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally 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 annual latitudinal osci ...

winds from the

Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line betwee ...

, and parts of the ecoregion can receive up to of rain per year.

Flora

Forest around Pangti Village and Doyang Dam region Nagaland JEG4312

In the Mizoram–Manipur–Kachin rain forest, the predominant plant community is semi-evergreen rain forest, which covers the vast majority of the ecoregion's intact area, a total of 36% of the ecoregion. Other plant communities include tropical wet evergreen forest (5% of the ecoregion's total area), tropical moist deciduous forest (2%), montane wet temperate forest (2%), and subtropical montane forest (1%). 19% of the ecoregion's area has been cleared, primarily for agriculture and grazing, and 34% of the ecoregion consists of degraded areas. The semi-evergreen rain forest is dominated by trees of the dipterocarp family, including ''

Dipterocarpus alatus ''Dipterocarpus alatus'' ( th, ยางนา, , ; Khmer: ''chhë tiël ba:y, chhë tiël tük, chhë tiël thom''DY PHON Pauline, 2000, Plants Used In Cambodia, self-published, printed by Imprimerie Olympic, Phnom Penh or ឈើទាល (''ch ...

'', '' D. turbinatus'', '' D. griffithii'', ''

Parashorea stellata ''Parashorea stellata'' (also called white seraya) is a species of tree in the family Dipterocarpaceae. It grows naturally in Laos, Peninsular Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (a ...

'', ''

Hopea odorata ''Hopea odorata'', or ta-khian ( th, ตะเคียน), is a species of plant in the family Dipterocarpaceae. It is found in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is a large tree reaching up to 45 m ...

'', '' Shorea burmanica'', and ''

Anisoptera scaphula ''Anisoptera scaphula'' is a species of plant in the family Dipterocarpaceae. It is native to Bangladesh, Peninsular Malaysia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand. Description ''Anisoptera scaphula'' is a tall tree, reaching a height of and a girth of . ...

''. Trees of other families include '' Swintonia floribunda'', '' Eugenia grandis'', ''

Xylia xylocarpa ''Xylia xylocarpa'' is a species of tree in the mimosoid clade of the subfamily Caesalpinioideae of the family Fabaceae. Description and properties This perennial tree is very conspicuous in the flowering season owing to its bright yellow flow ...

Gmelina arborea ''Gmelina arborea'', (in English beechwood, gmelina, goomar teak, Kashmir tree, Malay beechwood, white teak, yamane ), locally known as gamhar, is a fast-growing deciduous tree in the family Lamiaceae. Distribution and habitat ''Gmelina arbore ...

, Bombax insignis,

Bombax ceiba ''Bombax ceiba'', like other trees of the genus ''Bombax'', is commonly known as cotton tree. More specifically, it is sometimes known as Malabar silk-cotton tree; red silk-cotton; red cotton tree; or ambiguously as silk-cotton or kapok, both of ...

, Albizia procera'', and ''

Castanopsis ''Castanopsis'', commonly called chinquapin or chinkapin, is a genus of evergreen trees belonging to the beech family, Fagaceae. The genus contains about 140 species, which are today restricted to tropical and subtropical eastern Asia. A total o ...

'' spp. File:The ever green jungle.jpg, Inside the rainforests File:Dampa Tiger Reserve Forest.jpg, Rainforests in the Dampa Tiger Reserve Forest File:Starr 071024-0098 Congea tomentosa.jpg,

Vines A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselv ...

like the Shower Orchid are common File:Citrus macroptera.jpg, Wild orange (''

citrus macroptera ''Citrus macroptera'', also known as Shatkora or hatkhora ( syl, ꠢꠣꠔꠇꠞꠣ, ) cabuyao,Peter Hanelt (ed.) 2001 ''Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops (except ornamentals), first English edition''. Springerin Goo ...

'') is native to this ecoregion (

Sylhet region The 1947 Sylhet referendum was held in the Sylhet District of the Assam Province of British India to decide whether the district would remain in Undivided Assam and therefore within the post-independence Dominion of India, or leave Assam for E ...

) File:Unidentified Musa from Nagaland JEG5458.JPG, Trees of the banana-genus grows wild. This particular tree is unidentified. File:Amlaki (Bengali- আমলকী) (4937858995).jpg, Amla trees grows wild File:Silk cotton tree, Bhagamandla Range AJT Johnsingh.JPG, Silk-cotton tree (''bombax ceiba'') is one of many common tree types. In the forests, this tree can grow very large.

Fauna

The ecoregion is home to 149 known species of mammals. This includes two near-

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

species, a bat '' Pipistrellus joffrei'', and a

murid In Sufism, a ''murīd'' (Arabic مُرِيد 'one who seeks') is a novice committed to spiritual enlightenment by ''sulūk'' (traversing a path) under a spiritual guide, who may take the title murshid, '' pir'' or ''shaykh''. A ''sālik'' or Su ...

rodent '' Hadromys humei''. The ecoregion is home to several endangered and threatened mammal species, including the tiger (''Panthera tigris''), clouded leopard (''Pardofelis nebulosa''),

Asian elephant The Asian elephant (''Elephas maximus''), also known as the Asiatic elephant, is the only living species of the genus ''Elephas'' and is distributed throughout the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, from India in the west, Nepal in the no ...

(''Elephas maximus''),

Eld's deer Eld's deer (''Rucervus eldii'' or ''Panolia eldii''Pitraa, Fickela, Meijaard, Groves (2004). ''Evolution and phylogeny of old world deer.'' Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 33: 880–895.), also known as the thamin or brow-antlered deer, is ...

(''Cervus eldii''),

gaur The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ), also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 m ...

(''Bos gaurus''),

Himalayan goral The Himalayan goral (''Naemorhedus goral'') or the gray goral, is a bovid species native to the Himalayas. It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List because the population is thought to be declining significantly due to habitat loss an ...

(''Nemorhaedus goral''),

red panda The red panda (''Ailurus fulgens''), also known as the lesser panda, is a small mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It has dense reddish-brown fur with a black belly and legs, white-lined ears, a mostly white muzzle ...

(''Ailurus fulgens''),

smooth-coated otter The smooth-coated otter (''Lutrogale perspicillata'') is an otter species occurring in most of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with a disjunct population in Iraq. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1996 and is threa ...

(''Lutrogale perspicillata''),

Indian civet The large Indian civet (''Viverra zibetha'') is a viverrid native to South and Southeast Asia. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The global population is considered decreasing mainly because of trapping-driven declines in heavi ...

(''Viverra zibetha''),

back-striped weasel The back-striped weasel (''Mustela strigidorsa''), also called the stripe-backed weasel, is a weasel widely distributed in Southeastern Asia. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List in view of its presumed large population, occurrence ...

(''Mustela strigidorsa''),

Assamese macaque The Assam macaque (''Macaca assamensis'') or Assamese macaque is a macaque of the Old World monkey family native to South and Southeast Asia. Since 2008, it has been listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, as it is experiencing significan ...

(''Macaca assamensis''), bear macaque (''Macaca arctoides''),

southern pig-tailed macaque The southern pig-tailed macaque (''Macaca nemestrina''), also known as the Sundaland pig-tailed macaque and Sunda pig-tailed macaque, is a medium-sized macaque that lives in southern Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. It is known locally as ber ...

(''Macaca nemestrina''),

capped leaf monkey The capped langur (''Trachypithecus pileatus'') is a species of primate in the family Cercopithecidae. It is native to Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Myanmar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. It is threatened by habitat ...

(''Semnopithecus pileatus''), and

hoolock gibbon The hoolock gibbons are three primate species of genus ''Hoolock'' in the gibbon family, Hylobatidae, native to eastern Bangladesh, Northeast India, Myanmar, and Southwest China. Description Hoolocks are the second-largest of the gibbons, after ...

(''Hylobates hoolock''). The ecoregion harbours 580 bird species, of which 6 are near-endemics:

Manipur bush quail The Manipur bush quail (''Perdicula manipurensis'') is a species of quail found in northeastern India and Bangladesh inhabiting damp grassland, particularly stands of tall grass. It was first collected and described by Allan Octavian Hume on an o ...

(''Perdicula manipurensis''),

striped laughingthrush The striped laughingthrush (''Trochalopteron virgatum'') is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is found in the Patkai range, where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest Montane ecosystems are fo ...

(''Garrulax virgatus''), brown-capped laughingthrush (''Garrulax austeni''), marsh babbler (''Pellorneum palustre''), tawny-breasted wren-babbler (''Spelaeornis longicaudatus''), and wedge-billed wren-babbler (''Sphenocichla humei'').Wikramanayake, Eric; Eric Dinerstein; Colby J. Loucks; et al. (2002). ''Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: a Conservation Assessment.'' Island Press; Washington, DC. pp. 257–258

Protected areas

5.9% of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas include: * Barail Sanctuary *

Dampa Tiger Reserve Dampa Tiger Reserve or Dampha Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve of western Mizoram, India. It covers an area of about in the Lushai Hills at an altitude range of . It was declared a tiger reserve in 1994 and is part of Project Tiger. The tropic ...

* Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary * Hukaung Valley Wildlife Sanctuary (extension) * Indawgyi Wildlife Sanctuary * Intanki Sanctuary * Intanki National Park *

Keibul Lamjao National Park The Keibul Lamjao National Park ( mni, Keibul Lamjao Leipakki Lampak) is a national park in the Bishnupur district of the state of Manipur in India. It is in area, the only floating park in the world, located in North East India, and an integ ...

* Khawnglung Sanctuary * Kyauk Pan Taung Wildlife Sanctuary *

Loktak Lake , image = , caption = Different scenes of the Loktak lake of Manipur , alt = View of Loktak Lake and Phumdis , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Manipur , coords ...

Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance * Murlen National Park * Ngengpui Sanctuary * Pablakhali Wildlife Sanctuary * Phawngpui Blue Mountain National Park * Pidaung Wildlife Sanctuary * Puliebadze Sanctuary *

Rakhine Yoma Elephant Range Rakhine Yoma Elephant Range is a protected area in Myanmar's Rakhine Yoma mountains, covering about of evergreen and mixed deciduous forest at an elevation of . Rakhine Yoma Elephant Range was established for the protection of the Asian elepha ...

Yangoupokpi-Lokchao Wildlife Sanctuary ) , iucn_category = , coordinates = , map = India Manipur#India , relief = yes , photo = Purple Sapphire Heliophorus epicles UP by Dr. Raju Kasambe DSC 8697 (5).jpg , photo_caption = Purple Sapphire ('' Heliophorus epicles'') in the Yang ...

References

External links

* *
Geographical ecoregion maps and basic info. Indomalayan ecoregions Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Ecoregions of Asia Ecoregions of Bangladesh Ecoregions of India Ecoregions of Myanmar Rainforests of Southeast Asia Tropical rainforests of India Forests of Bangladesh Forests of Myanmar * * * Environment of Manipur Geography of Mizoram Geography of Manipur Geography of Kachin State {{DEFAULTSORT:Mizoram-Manipur-Kachin rain forests