The Northeast India-Myanmar pine forests is a montane subtropical coniferous 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 l ...

in the mountains of

Northeastern India , native_name_lang = mni , settlement_type = , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , motto = , image_map = Northeast india.png , ...

and adjacent portions of

Myanmar 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 C. Wells, Joh ...

(also known as Burma).

Setting

The ecoregion covers an area of of the Naga Hills that with the

Patkai The Pat-kai (Pron:pʌtˌkaɪ) or Patkai Bum ( Burmese: ''Kumon Taungdan'') are a series of mountains in the Indo-Myanmar border falling in the north-eastern Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Upper Burma region of Myanmar. They ...

(including the

Lushai 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 ...

) and the

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 Myanm ...

Hills form part of the Burmese-Java arc of folded mountains that run south-east of the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

and make up the India-Myanmar border region. The pine forests are found between in elevation, and occur in three separate enclaves. The largest enclave straddles the boundary between 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 ...

state and Myanmar, and the two smaller enclaves grows in the southern part of India's

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 people, Mizo", the endonym, self-described name of the native inhabitants, and "Ram", which in the Mizo ...

state, also along the Myanmar border. The pine forests are surrounded at lower elevations by the predominantly broadleaf

Mizoram–Manipur–Kachin rain forests The Mizoram–Manipur–Kachin rain forests is a subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion which occupies the lower hillsides of the mountainous border region joining India, Bangladesh, and Burma (Myanmar). The ecoregion covers an area of . ...

and are part of the huge Burma Monsoon Forest transition zone between the

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

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 ...

regions.

Flora

The

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...

forests forms a habitat that is rare in the

Indomalayan realm The Indomalayan realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms. It extends across most of South and Southeast Asia and into the southern parts of East Asia. Also called the Oriental realm by biogeographers, Indomalaya spreads all over the Indi ...

Tenasserim pine ''Pinus latteri'', or Tenasserim pine, is a pine native to Mainland Southeast Asia. Description ''Pinus latteri'' is a medium-sized to large tree, reaching tall and with a trunk diameter of up to . The bark is orange-red, thick and deeply fis ...

''(Pinus latteri)'' is the dominant

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

at lower elevations, sometimes associated with

dipterocarp Dipterocarpaceae is a family of 16 genera and about 695 known species of mainly tropical lowland rainforest trees. The family name, from the type genus ''Dipterocarpus'', is derived from Greek (''di'' = two, ''pteron'' = wing and ''karpos'' = fru ...

s. At higher elevations, Khasi pine ''(P. kesiya)'' and

blue pine ''Pinus wallichiana'' is a coniferous evergreen tree native to the Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountains, from eastern Afghanistan east across northern Pakistan and north west India to Yunnan in southwest China. It grows in mountain val ...

''(P. wallichiana)'' are the predominant species, associated with other evergreens including hemlocks ''(Tsuga)'' and

fir Firs (''Abies'') are a genus of 48–56 species of evergreen coniferous trees in the family (biology), family Pinaceae. They are found on mountains throughout much of North America, North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The ...

s ''(Abies)'', and broadleaf trees, including

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

s ''(Quercus)'' and

maple ''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since http ...

s ''(Acer)'', while ''

Rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nati ...

'', ''

Ilex ''Ilex'' (), or holly, is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family (biology), family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. ''Ilex'' has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus. The speci ...

'', ''

Prunus ''Prunus'' is a genus of trees and shrubs, which includes (among many others) the fruits plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, and almonds. Native to the North American temperate regions, the neotropics of South America, and the p ...

'', and

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...

''(

Arundinaria ''Arundinaria'' is a genus of bamboo in the grass family the members of which are referred to generally as cane. ''Arundinaria'' is the only bamboo native to south and southeastern North America, with a native range from Maryland south to Florid ...

)'' are common

understory In forestry and ecology, understory (American English), or understorey (Commonwealth English), also known as underbrush or undergrowth, includes plant life growing beneath the forest canopy without penetrating it to any great extent, but abov ...

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

Fauna

Although home to a smaller variety of wildlife than the surrounding

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

these pine forests are relatively unspoilt and therefore still important habitat for a number of species adapted to the rocky heights. When the area was surveyed by the

Wildlife Conservation Society The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a non-governmental organization headquartered at the Bronx Zoo in New York City, that aims to conserve the world's largest wild places in 14 priority regions. Founded in 1895 as the New York Zoological ...

in the 1950s mammals of the pine forest included

Red serow The red serow (''Capricornis rubidus''), also called the Burmese red serow is a goat-antelope thought to be native to southern Bangladesh and northern Myanmar. It has been sometimes been considered a subspecies of '' C. sumatraensis''. In the nor ...

''(Capricornis rubidus)'', sambar ''(rusa unicolor)'',

Indian muntjac The Indian muntjac or the common muntjac (''Muntiacus muntjak''), also called the southern red muntjac and barking deer, is a deer species native to South and Southeast Asia. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. In popular local l ...

''(Muntiacus muntjac)'',

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

''(Sus scrofa)'', and

Asian black bear The Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), also known as the Asiatic black bear, moon bear and white-chested bear, is a medium-sized bear species native to Asia that is largely adapted to an arboreal lifestyle. It lives in the Himalayas, sout ...

''(ursus thibetanus)'' while smaller mammals include Oriental giant squirrels,

Indian giant flying squirrel The Indian giant flying squirrel (''Petaurista philippensis''), also called the large brown flying squirrel or the common giant flying squirrel, is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is capable of gliding flight using a skin membrane ...

and

civet A civet () is a small, lean, mostly nocturnal mammal native to tropical Asia and Africa, especially the tropical forests. The term civet applies to over a dozen different species, mostly from the family Viverridae. Most of the species diversity ...

s. None of these mammals are endemic to this ecoregion. Birds reported in the survey include the

silver-breasted broadbill The silver-breasted broadbill (''Serilophus lunatus'') is a species of bird in the broadbill family, Eurylaimidae. It is monotypic (the only species) within the genus ''Serilophus''. There are ten currently recognised subspecies, one of which, '' ...

''(Serilophus lunatus)'',

white-naped yuhina The white-naped yuhina (''Yuhina bakeri'') is a bird species in the white-eye family Zosteropidae. It is found from the Himalayas to northern Myanmar. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. ...

''(Yuhina bakeri)'', rufous-vented tit ''(Periparus rubidiventris)'', stripe-throated yuhina ''(Yuhina gularis)'', a number of

Old World babbler The Old World babblers or Timaliidae are a family of mostly Old World passerine birds. They are rather diverse in size and coloration, but are characterised by soft fluffy plumage. These are birds of tropical areas, with the greatest variety in S ...

grey-sided laughingthrush The grey-sided laughingthrush (''Pterorhinus caerulatus'') is a species of passerine bird in the family (biology), family Leiothrichidae. This species was formerly placed in the genus ''Garrulax'' but following the publication of a comprehensive ...

''(Garrulax caerulatus)'', rufous-chinned laughingthrush ''(Garrulax rufogularis)'',

striated laughingthrush The striated laughingthrush (''Grammatoptila striatus'') is a passerine bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It was at one time placed in the genus ''Garrulax'' but following the publication of a comprehensive molecular phylogenetic study in 2018, ...

''(Garrulax striatus)'', purple and green

cochoa The cochoas (from ''cocho'', Nepali for '' Cochoa purpurea'') are medium-sized frugivorous, insectivorous and molluscivorous birds in the genus ''Cochoa''. Their bright contrasting plumage patterns, sexual dimorphism and feeding habits made thei ...

beautiful nuthatch The beautiful nuthatch (''Sitta formosa'') is a bird species in the family Sittidae, collectively known as nuthatches. It is a large nuthatch, measuring in length, that is not sexually dimorphic. Its coloration and markings are dramatic, the up ...

''(Sitta formosa)'',

sultan tit The sultan tit (''Melanochlora sultanea'') is an Asian forest bird with a yellow crest, dark bill, black upperparts plumage and yellow underparts. The sexes are similar. The female has greenish-black upperparts and a yellowish throat. The young ...

''(Melanochlora sultana)'', some

leafbird The leafbirds (Chloropseidae) are a family of small passerine bird species found in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. They were formerly grouped with the ioras and fairy-bluebirds in the family Irenidae. As presently defined, the lea ...

s and

white-browed fulvetta The white-browed fulvetta (''Fulvetta vinipectus'') is a bird species in the family Paradoxornithidae. Like the other typical fulvettas, it was long included in the Timaliidae genus '' Alcippe'' or in the Sylviidae. Ranging across the Indian s ...

''(fulvetta vinipectus)'' while large numbers of

shelduck The shelducks, most species of which are found in the genus ''Tadorna'' (except for the Radjah shelduck, which is now found in its own monotypic genus ''Radjah''), are a group of large birds in the Tadorninae subfamily of the Anatidae, the biologi ...

and

bar-headed goose The bar-headed goose (''Anser indicus'') is a goose that breeds in Central Asia in colonies of thousands near mountain lakes and winters in South Asia, as far south as peninsular India. It lays three to eight eggs at a time in a ground nest. It ...

were seen on the

Chindwin River , , image = Homalin aerial.jpg , image_size = , image_caption = The Chindwin at Homalin. The smaller, meandering Uyu River can be seen joining the Chindwin. , map = Irrawaddyrivermap.jpg , map_size = , map_alt = , map_caption ...

. Two more species of laughingthrush are thought to be endemic to these mountains: brown-capped laughingthrush ''(Garrulax austeni)'' and

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)''.

Threats and preservation

Clearings for Jhum cultivation, Nagaland

These mountains have been poorly researched since the 1950s, when it was noted that patches were being systematically cleared for farming and this

shifting cultivation Shifting cultivation is an agricultural system in which plots of land are cultivated temporarily, then abandoned while post-disturbance fallow vegetation is allowed to freely grow while the cultivator moves on to another plot. The period of cul ...

continues today resulting in

soil erosion Soil erosion is the denudation or wearing away of the upper layer of soil. It is a form of soil degradation. This natural process is caused by the dynamic activity of erosive agents, that is, water, ice (glaciers), snow, air (wind), plants, and ...

and loss of habitat for wildlife.

References

*Wikramanayake, Eric; Eric Dinerstein; Colby Loucks; et al. (2002). ''Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: a Conservation Assessment''. Island Press; Washington, D.C. (U.S.) {{DEFAULTSORT:Northeast India-Myanmar pine forests Ecoregions of India Ecoregions of Myanmar Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests Forests of India Forests of Myanmar Montane forests Indomalayan ecoregions * *

Setting

Flora

Fauna

Threats and preservation

See also

References