North Western Ghats montane rain forests

The North Western Ghats montane rain forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of southwestern India. It covers an area of 30,900 square kilometers (11,900 sq mi), extending down the spine of the Western Ghats range, from southernmost Gujarat through Maharashtra, Goa, and Karnataka. The montane rain forests are found above 1000 meters elevation, and are surrounded at lower elevations by the North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests.

Unlike the lowland forests, which are composed largely of deciduous trees, the montane rain forests are predominantly evergreen laurel forest, dominated by trees of the laurel family (Lauraceae), including Litsea, Phoebe, and Cinnamomum.

Protected areas

As of 1997, 13 protected areas had been designated, covering an area of 3,990 km², 13% of the ecoregion's area.^[1]

Anshi National Park, Karnataka (80 km², partly in the North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests)
Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka (200 km², partly in the North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests)
Chandoli National Park, Maharashtra (80 km², partly in the North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests)
Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka (1,060 km²)
Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary, Maharashtra (160 km², partly in the North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests)
Kudremukh National Park, Karnataka (820 km²)
Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka (160 km², partly in the North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests)
Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka (70 km², partly in the South Western Ghats montane rain forests)
Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary, Maharashtra (350 km²)
Sharavati Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka (370 km², partly in the North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests)
Shettihalli Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka (470 km²)
Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka (40 km²)
Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary, Maharashtra (130 km², partly in the North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests)

A chain of reserved forests – Kiribag, Subrahmanya, Bisle, Bhagimaldi, Kagneri, Kanchankumari, Kempuhole, Moorkannugudda, Kabbinale, Shiradi Shisla, and Miyar – extend along the spine of the Western Ghats, connecting Kudremukh National Park to Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary. On December 15, 2012, the Karnataka Wildlife Board recommended that Bisle, Kaginahare, and Kanchankumari reserve forests north of Pushpagiri be included in Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary. The Ministry of Environment and Forests also supported the proposal. In May 2014 wildlife biologist Sanjay Gubbi reiterated the call to include these reserve forests in the protected area, and said that "a conspiracy to make money in the name of mini-hydel projects" was the reason for the Karnataka state government's refusal to redesignate these reserve forests as a wildlife sanctuary or national park.^[2]

References

↑ Wikramanayake, Eric; Eric Dinerstein; Colby J. Loucks; et al. (2002). Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: a Conservation Assessment. Island Press; Washington, DC. pp 281-284.
↑ "Include more forest areas under Pushpagiri sanctuary." Deccan Herald May 10, 2014. Accessed 22 September 2015.

Ecoregions of India
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests	Andaman Islands rain forests Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests Chin Hills-Arakan Yoma montane forests Eastern highlands moist deciduous forests Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests Lower Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests Malabar Coast moist forests Maldives-Lakshadweep-Chagos Archipelago tropical moist forests Meghalaya subtropical forests Mizoram-Manipur-Kachin rain forests Nicobar Islands rain forests North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests North Western Ghats montane rain forests Orissa semi-evergreen forests South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests South Western Ghats montane rain forests Sundarbans freshwater swamp forests Upper Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests	Central Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests Chota-Nagpur dry deciduous forests East Deccan dry evergreen forests Kathiarbar-Gir dry deciduous forests Narmada Valley dry deciduous forests Northern dry deciduous forests South Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests
Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests	Himalayan subtropical pine forests Northeast India-Myanmar pine forests
Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests	Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests Western Himalayan broadleaf forests
Temperate coniferous forests	Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests Western Himalayan subalpine conifer forests
Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands	Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands
Montane grasslands and shrublands	Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows Karakoram-West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe Northwestern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows
Flooded grasslands and savannas	Rann of Kutch seasonal salt marsh
Deserts and xeric shrublands	Deccan thorn scrub forests Indus Valley desert Northwestern thorn scrub forests Thar desert
Mangrove	Godavari-Krishna mangroves Indus River Delta-Arabian Sea mangroves Myanmar coast mangroves Sundarbans mangroves
Ecoregions of India

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