The Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests, presently known as East Deccan moist deciduous forests, is a

tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (TSMF), also known as tropical moist forest, is a subtropical and tropical forest habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Description TSMF is generally found in large, discont ...

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 east-central

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 ...

. The ecoregion covers an area of , extending across portions of

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (, ) is a landlocked state in Central India. It is the ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the seventeenth most populous. It borders seven states – Uttar Pradesh to the north, Madhya Prade ...

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . It ...

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

, and

Telangana Telangana (; , ) is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian subcontinent, Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India b ...

states.

Setting

The Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests extend 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 between ...

coast in northern Andhra Pradesh and southern Orissa, across the northern portion of the

Eastern Ghats The Eastern Ghats are a discontinuous range of mountains along India's eastern coast. The Eastern Ghats pass through Odisha, Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in the south passing some parts of Karnataka as well as Telangana. They are eroded and cut ...

range and the northeastern

Deccan Plateau The large Deccan Plateau in southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bounded by the ...

, to the eastern

Satpura Range The Satpura Range is a range of hills in central India. The range rises in eastern Gujarat running east through the border of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and ends in Chhattisgarh. The range parallels the Vindhya Range to the north, and these ...

and the upper Narmada River valley. The forests of the ecoregion are sustained by the moisture-bearing

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 oscil ...

winds from the

. The ecoregion is bounded on the north and west by tropical dry deciduous forest ecoregions, including the

Central Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests The Central Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests in Western and Southern India, containing large protected areas of natural tiger habitat. Distribution The Deccan Plateau is a large triangular plateau in southern India, bounded by the Western ...

to the southwest and west, the

Narmada valley dry deciduous forests The Narmada Valley dry deciduous forests are a tropical dry forest ecoregion of central India. The ecoregion lies mostly in Madhya Pradesh state, but extends into portions of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh states. Se ...

to the northwest, and the

Chota Nagpur dry deciduous forests Chota may refer to: * Chota (Cherokee town), which once existed in present-day Monroe County, Tennessee * Chota, Ecuador * Chota, Peru, a city in Chota District, the capital of Chota Province, Peru. * Chota District, a district in Chota Province, P ...

to the north and northeast. The drier

Northern dry deciduous forests The Northern dry deciduous forests, presently known as the North Deccan dry deciduous forests, is a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion of east-central India. Geography It covers an area of , mostly in western Odisha state, with portions in ...

ecoregion, lying west of the Eastern Ghats range, is completely surrounded by the Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests, in the

rain shadow A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side. Evaporated moisture from water bodies (such as oceans and large lakes) is carrie ...

of the Ghats, which partially block the moisture-laden monsoon winds off the Bay of Bengal. The humid

Orissa semi-evergreen forests The Odisha semi-evergreen forests (also Orissa semi-evergreen forests) are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of eastern India. The ecoregion covers an area of on the coastal plain of Odisha state, bounded by the Eastern Highlands mo ...

ecoregion lies to the northeast in the coastal lowlands of Orissa.

Flora

The ecoregion's forests are dominated by

Sal Sal, SAL, or S.A.L. may refer to: Personal name * Sal (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname Places * Sal, Cape Verde, an island and municipality * Sal, Iran, a village in East Azerbaijan Province * Ca ...

''(Shorea robusta)'', in association with ''

Terminalia Terminalia may refer to: * Terminalia (festival), a Roman festival to the god of boundaries Terminus * ''Terminalia'' (plant), a tree genus * Terminalia (insect anatomy), the terminal region of the abdomen in insects * ''Polyscias terminalia'', a ...

Adina ADINA is a commercial engineering simulation software program that is developed and distributed worldwide by ADINA R & D, Inc. The company was founded in 1986 by Dr. Klaus-Jürgen Bathe, and is headquartered in Watertown, Massachusetts, United St ...

Toona ''Toona'', commonly known as redcedar, toon (also spelled tun) or toona, tooni (in India) is a genus in the mahogany family, Meliaceae, native from Afghanistan south to India, and east to North Korea, Papua New Guinea and eastern Australia. In ol ...

, Syzygium, Buchanania,

Cleistanthus ''Cleistanthus'' is a plant genus of the family Phyllanthaceae Phyllanthaceae is a family of flowering plants in the eudicot order Malpighiales. It is most closely related to the family Picrodendraceae.Kenneth J. Wurdack and Charles C. Davi ...

,'' and ''

Anogeissus ''Anogeissus'' is a genus of trees in the family Combretaceae. The 10''Anogeissus''.
Fl ...

'', according to soil variations. The flora of the ecoregion shares many species with the moist forests of the Western Ghats and the

Eastern Himalaya ] The Eastern Himalayas extend from eastern Nepal across Northeast India, Bhutan, the Tibet Autonomous Region to Yunnan in China and northern Myanmar. The climate of this region is influenced by the monsoon of South Asia from June to September. It ...

s. From the Western Ghats this includes plants like

jackfruit The jackfruit (''Artocarpus heterophyllus''), also known as jack tree, is a species of tree in the fig, mulberry, and breadfruit family (Moraceae). Its origin is in the region between the Western Ghats of southern India, all of Bangladesh, ...

and several hu lianas such as ''

Schefflera ''Schefflera'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araliaceae. With an estimated 600–900 species, the genus represents about half of its family. The plants are trees, shrubs or lianas, growing tall, with woody stems, the absence of ...

'' vine ('' Heptapleurum venulosum''), joint fir (''

Gnetum edule ''Gnetum'' is a genus of gymnosperms, the sole genus in the family Gnetaceae within the Gnetophyta. They are tropical evergreen trees, shrubs and lianas. Unlike other gymnosperms, they possess vessel elements in the xylem. Some species have been ...

''), and common rattan. From the Eastern Himalayas this includes the peculiar Indian pepper tree and several shrubs, herbs and flowers such as yellow Himalayan raspberry, false nettle (''Boehmeria macrophylla''), and whipcord cobra lily among others. Several globally threatened plant species are found in this ecoregion, including the two endemic plants '' Leucas mukerjiana'' and '' Phlebophyllum jeyporensis''. File:A mud way in Kanha National Park (2012).jpg, Inside a tropical moist deciduous forest File:Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden - Howrah 2011-01-08 9797.JPG, Sal trees are common in these forests File:A branch laden with Sal flowers.jpg, Characteristic yellow-white sal-flowers in winter coincides with leaffall File:Sambar stag leaves of Terminalia tomentosa Kanha TR AJT Johnsingh IMG 0871.JPG, ''Terminalia'', and especially asna trees (Indian laurel), are also common. File:Bamboo leaves1.JPG, Bamboo, especially calcutta bamboo, is prominent in many parts of this ecoregion File:Gnetum ula-3-bsi-yercaud-salem-India.jpg, Plants in common with the Western Ghats includes several types of lianas (Joint Fir). File:Zanthoxylum rhetsa 6662.jpg, Plants in common with the Eastern Himalayas spans a wide range of species ( Indian pepper tree)

Fauna

The ecoregion still harbours large intact areas of tropical moist deciduous forest and is an important refuge for healthy populations of most of the original large

vertebrates Vertebrates () comprise all animal taxa within the subphylum Vertebrata () ( chordates with backbones), including all mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Vertebrates represent the overwhelming majority of the phylum Chordata, ...

associated with this habitat. Large mammals include the predators Indian tiger,

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

, dhole, and

sloth bear The sloth bear (''Melursus ursinus'') is a myrmecophagous bear species native to the Indian subcontinent. It feeds on fruits, ants and termites. It is listed as Vulnerable species, vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, mainly because of habitat loss ...

, and the herbivores gaur, chousingha, blackbuck, and

chinkara The chinkara (''Gazella bennettii''), also known as the Indian gazelle, is a gazelle species native to Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Taxonomy The following six subspecies are considered valid: * Deccan chinkara (''G. b. bennettii'') ...

. The Asian elephants that once lived were extirpated long ago. The only

endemic species 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 elsew ...

found in the ecoregion is the cave-dwelling

Khajuria's leaf-nosed bat The Khajuria's leaf-nosed bat, also known as Durga Das's leaf-nosed bat (''Hipposideros durgadasi''), is a species of bat in the family Hipposideridae. It is endemic to India. Its natural habitat is caves. It is threatened by habitat loss. Taxon ...

. File:SlothBear DSC 0721.jpg, Sloth bears are here File:Gaur (Bos gaurus) MH India.jpg, Indian bison (gaur) is present in parts of this ecoregion File:Four-horned Antelope.jpg, Several kinds of antilope and deer species live in this ecoregion (Chousingha) File:Pallas's Fish-eagle Haliaeetus leucoryphus by Dr. Raju Kasambe IMG 0582 (10).CR2.JPG, Pallas's fish-eagle, a globally threatened species, is living here File:Green Munia pair.jpg,

Green avadavat The green avadavat or green munia (''Amandava formosa'') is a species of Estrildid finch with green and yellow on the body, a bright red bill and black "zebra stripes" on the flanks. They are endemic to the Indian subcontinent and were formerly ...

, a globally threatened species, has found a refuge in this ecoregion

Conservation

View from a dam in Kinnarsani WS, AP W IMG 5776

Palpala River near lulung, Similipal National Park

Approximately 25% of the original habitat remains, much of it in blocks of 5000 km² or larger. 31 protected areas, totaling 13,540 km², preserve about 4% of the ecoregion's intact habitat. The largest protected area in the ecoregion is Simlipal National Park in

state.Wikramanayake, Eric; Eric Dinerstein; Colby J. Loucks; et al. (2002). ''Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: a Conservation Assessment.'' Island Press;

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

. pp. 306-308 *

Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary The Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary is a sanctuary in Mungeli district of Chhattisgarh and in the Anuppur and Dindori districts of Madhya Pradesh in India. It had been established in 1975, under the provisions of the ''Indian Wildlife Protection ...

(550 km²) * Badalkhol Wildlife Sanctuary, Chhattisgarh (120 km²) *

Baisipalli Wildlife Sanctuary Baisipalli Wildlife Sanctuary was created on 6 May 1981 and is located in Nayagarh, Odisha, India, adjacent to the Satkosia Gorge Wildlife Sanctuary. It is of sanctuary land, home to bear, elephant, leopard, sambar deer and spotted deer. The san ...

, Odisha (170 km²) *

Balimela Wildlife Sanctuary Balimela Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary in Malkangiri district, Odisha, India. It covers an area of 160 km². The terrain is hilly, and covered with mixed deciduous forests.Negi, Sharad Singh (1993). ''Biodiversity and Its Conserv ...

, Odisha (130 km²) * Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary, Chhattisgarh (240 km²) * Bhairamgarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Bijapur district, Chhattisgarh (160 km²) *

Bori Wildlife Sanctuary The Bori Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary in Hoshangabad District of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The sanctuary covers an area of , located in the northern foothills of the Satpura Range. It is bounded by the Satpura Nationa ...

, Hoshangabad district, Madhya Pradesh (460 km²) * Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary, Warangal district, Telangana (120 km²) *

Hadgarh Wildlife Sanctuary Hadgarh Wildlife Sanctuary wildlife sanctuary situated Keonjhar district in Odisha, India, covering an area of 191 km2 was established in 1978. Hadgarh Wildlife Sanctuary was declared vide F.F.A.H. notification dated the 6th December 1978 S.R.O. ...

, Odisha (140 km²) * Indravati National Park, Bijapur district, Chhattisgarh (1,150 km²) *

Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary The Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary is a forest located near Visakhapatnam. It has been under the control of Andhra Pradesh Forest Department since 10 March 1970. Earlier the land was under the control of Maharajah of Vizianagaram. ...

Visakhapatnam , image_alt = , image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura (S20), INS ...

(70 km²) *

Kanha National Park Kanha Tiger Reserve, also known as Kanha–Kisli National Park, is one of the tiger reserves of India and the largest national park of the state of Madhya Pradesh. The present-day Kanha area is divided into two protected areas, Hallon and Banja ...

, Mandla and Balaghat districts, Madhya Pradesh (900 km²) * Karlapat Wildlife Sanctuary, Odisha (150 km²) *

Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary Kawal Tiger Reserve is a nature preserve located at Jannaram mandal of Mancherial District (Old Adilabad district) in the Telangana state of India. The government of India declared Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary to be a Tiger Reserve in 2012. The rese ...

, Adilabad district,

(1,080 km²) *

Kinnerasani Wildlife Sanctuary Kinnerasani Wildlife Sanctuary is a forest located in Bhadradri Kothagudem district, Telangana state of India. The wildlife sanctuary is spread over an area of with the picturesque Kinnerasani Lake with densely forested islands in the middle ...

, Khammam district, Telangana (290 km²) * Kolleru Wildlife Sanctuary (480 km², partially in the

ecoregion). *

Kondakameru Wildlife Sanctuary Kondakameru Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary in Malkangiri district, Odisha, India. It covers an area of 430 km², mostly small hills and valleys. It is in the Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests The Eastern Highlands mo ...

, Odisha (400 km²) * Kotgarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Odisha (400 km²) * Lakhari Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Ganjam district, Odisha (180 km²) * Lanjamadugu Wildlife Sanctuary, Karimnagar district, Telangana (80 km²) * Mahuadaur Wildlife Sanctuary, Jharkhand (60 km²) *

Pachmarhi Wildlife Sanctuary Pachmarhi is a hill station in Narmadapuram district of Madhya Pradesh state of central India. It has been the location of a cantonment (Pachmarhi Cantonment) since British Raj. It is widely known as ''Satpura ki Rani'' ("Queen of Satpura"), ...

, Madhya Pradesh (500 km²) * Pakhal Wildlife Sanctuary, Warangal district, Telangana (120 km²) * Pamed Wildlife Sanctuary, Chhattisgarh (60 km²) *

Papikonda Wildlife Sanctuary Papikonda National Park is a national park in India, located near Rajamahendravaram in the Papi Hills of the Alluri Sitharama Raju and Eluru districts of Andhra Pradesh, and covering an area of . It is an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area an ...

, East and West Godavari districts, Andhra Pradesh (530 km²) * Phen Wildlife Sanctuary, Mandla district, Madhya Pradesh (100 km²) *

Pranahita Wildlife Sanctuary Pranahita wildlife sanctuary is a protected area located in Mancherial district (Old Adilabad District) of Telangana State, India. This sanctuary is on the bank of Pranahita River, 35 km away from Mancherial town. It is famous for Blackbuc ...

, Adilabad district, Telangana (130 km²) *

Satkosia Gorge Wildlife Sanctuary Satkosia Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve located in the Nayagarh district of Odisha, India covering an area of 988.30 km². History Satkosia Gorge Wildlife Sanctuary was created in 1976, with an area of 796 km². Satkosia Tiger Reserve was de ...

, Odisha (790 km²) *

Satpura National Park Satpura Tiger Reserve (STR) also known as Satpura National Park is located in the Hoshangabad District (newly named Narmadapuram ) of Madhya Pradesh in India. Its name is derived from the Satpura range. It covers an area of . Satpura National Pa ...

, Madhya Pradesh (490 km²) * Simlipal National Park,

Mayurbhanj district Mayurbhanj district is one of the 30 districts in Odisha state in eastern India. It is the largest district of Odisha by area. Its headquarters are at Baripada. Other major towns are Rairangpur, Karanjia and Udala. , it is the third-most-popu ...

, Odisha (2,550 km²)) * Sitanadi Wildlife Sanctuary, Chhattisgarh (670 km²) * Udanti Wildlife Sanctuary, Chhattisgarh (340 km²)

References

External links