Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows

Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows
Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows
	Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows in Valley of Flowers National Park in Uttarakhand, India
Ecology
Realm	Palearctic
Biome	Montane grasslands and shrublands
Borders	List Karakoram-West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe; Central Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe; Yarlung Tsangpo arid steppe; Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows; Western Himalayan subalpine conifer forests; Western Himalayan broadleaf forests;
Bird species	389
Mammal species	61
Geography
Area	70,200 km2 (27,100 sq mi)
Countries	China; India; Nepal;
Conservation
Habitat loss	17.291%
Protected	19.18%

The Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows is a

Himalaya

Range.

Setting

The Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows covers an area of 70,200 square kilometres (27,100 sq mi), extending from the

Sutlej River, and into southwestern Tibet

. The alpine shrub and meadows lie between approximately 3,000 and 5,000 metres (9,800 and 16,400 ft) elevation.

The

Karakoram-West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe

lies to the southwest.

Flora

Alpine shrublands, dominated by rhododendrons, predominate at lower elevations close to the treeline.

Above the shrublands are alpine meadows, known as

bugyals or bughiyals, which support a variety of herbaceous plants, including species of Anaphalis, Cyananthus, Jurinea, Morina, Potentilla, Gentiana, Delphinium, Meconopsis, Pedicularis, Anemone, Aster, Polygonum, Primula, and Saussurea

. In the spring and summer, the alpine meadows are covered with brightly colored flowers.

On the upper slopes, low plants of genera Saxifraga, Allium, Corydalis, Eriophyton, Stellaria, Soroseris, and Cremanthodium grow among the boulders and scree.

An alpine steppe of Caragana pygma, C. gerardiana, Lonicera spinosa, Juniperus squamata, Juniperus indica, Ephedra gerardiana, Hippophae tibetana, Myricaria rosea, Lonicera spinulosa, and Berberis can be found in drier parts of the ecoregion.

Fauna

Large mammals include the

Himalayan musk deer (Moschus chrysogaster), and mainland serow

(Capricornis sumatraensis). Smaller mammals include weasels and pikas.

Conservation

Several protected areas lie within or partly within the ecoregion, including:

Royal Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve (Nepal)
Govind Pashu Vihar Wildlife Sanctuary
(Uttarakhand, India)
Lippa Asrang Wildlife Sanctuary (Himachal Pradesh, India)
Sangla Wildlife Sanctuary (Raksham Chitkul) (Himachal Pradesh, India)
Gangotri National Park (Uttarakhand, India)
Kedarnath Wild Life Sanctuary
(Uttarakhand, India)
Valley of Flowers National Park (Uttarakhand, India)
Nanda Devi National Park (Uttarakhand, India)
Shey-Phoksundo National Park
(Nepal)
Annapurna Conservation Area (Nepal)

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Hoekstra, J. M.; Molnar, J. L.; Jennings, M.; Revenga, C.; Spalding, M. D.; Boucher, T. M.; Robertson, J. C.; Heibel, T. J.; Ellison, K. (2010). Molnar, J. L. (ed.). The Atlas of Global Conservation: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities to Make a Difference.
ISBN 978-0-520-26256-0
.

"Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
World Wildlife Fund, ed. (2001). "Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows". WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08.

[Atlas-1] Hoekstra, J. M.; Molnar, J. L.; Jennings, M.; Revenga, C.; Spalding, M. D.; Boucher, T. M.; Robertson, J. C.; Heibel, T. J.; Ellison, K. (2010). Molnar, J. L. (ed.). The Atlas of Global Conservation: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities to Make a Difference.
ISBN 978-0-520-26256-0
.

[1]

Setting

Flora

Fauna

Conservation

See also

References