Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests

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Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests
Manas National Park
Ecology
RealmIndomalayan realm
Biometropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Borders
List
Bird species370[1]
Mammal species122[1]
Geography
Area56,700 km2 (21,900 sq mi)
Countries
States
Conservation
Protected5%[1]

The Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests is a

Northeastern India, southern Bhutan and adjacent Bangladesh
.

Location and description

The ecoregion covers 56,700 square kilometers (21,900 sq mi) and encompasses the

Lushai hills to the south and when the river floods during the June to September monsoon it brings up to 300 cm of water onto the plain carrying rich soils to create a fertile environment which has been extensively farmed for thousands of years. Other rivers that water the plains as well as the Brahmaputra include the Manas and the Subansiri.[1]

Flora/plants

The extensive farming has meant that the original semi-evergreen forest now exists only in patches. Typical canopy trees include the evergreen

Melocanna bambusoides
.

Fauna/animals

Despite the centuries of human clearance and exploitation, the forests and grasslands along the river remain a habitat for a variety of wildlife including

golden langur, stump-tailed macaque, western hoolock gibbon
live on one side of the river only. The area is a meeting point of species of Indian and Malayan origin. The endemic mammals of the valley are the pygmy hog and the hispid hare, both of which inhabit the grasslands of the riverbanks.

The valley is home to rich bird life with 370 species of which two are endemic, the

peacock pheasant and tragopan
are quite common.

Threats and preservation

This area has been densely populated for centuries and most of the valley has been and still are used for agriculture. Some blocks of natural habitat do remain, however, mainly in national parks the largest of which are Manas, Dibru-Saikhowa and Kaziranga National Parks in India. In Bhutan, these areas are part of Royal Manas National Park.

Protected areas

In 1997, the

World Wildlife Fund identified twelve protected areas in the ecoregion, with a combined area of approximately 2,560 km2, that include 5% of the ecoregion's area.[2]

Vulture breeding

Rani Vulture Breeding Centre was established in 2008 inside Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests at Rani in Kamprup district with the help of Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre, Pinjore, which now houses 90 vultures as of December 2018. 40 million vultures have died in last 20 years.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  2. Washington, DC
    . pp. 298-301
  3. ^ Haryana may host 6-nation vulture meet next Nov., Times of India, 21 Dec 2018.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests ecoregion.
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