Gadgils western ghats western ghats landscape across 1,29,037 sq km. The rainforest of india runs parallel to the arabian sea along with west coast of india and form one of the top ten hottest biodiversity hotspots in the world. Vegetation and phytogeography of the western ghats springerlink. Nov 04, 2016 the book titled flora of the southern western ghats and palnis. Pdf being one of the 25 hotspots of the world, western ghats is a storehouse of endemic flora and fauna, whose endemicity increases with decreasing. Eastern and western ghats of india read eastern and western ghats facts. Read about important facts of western ghats sahyadri for ias exam and download western ghats pdf for upsc 2020.
Download difference between western ghats and eastern ghats notes pdf for upsc 2020. A field guide, written by environment enthusiast pippa mukherjee, is one of the first books of its kind, helping the readers to identify the wildflowers of the western ghats, from southern western ghats covering karnataka, kerala and tamil nadu to. The globally threatened flora and fauna in the western ghats are represented by 229 plant species, 31 mammal species, 15 bird species, 43 amphibian species, 5 reptile species and 1 fish species. The western ghats of india are a series of mountain ranges extending for more than 16,000 km 2 on the western coast of peninsular india, harbouring one of the finest tropical forests in the world. The western ghats wg, also known by the name sahyadri, constitute a 1600km long, about 4565 million years old, mountain chain along the west coast of india, originating from south of tapti river near the border of gujarat and maharashtra, and extending up to kanyakumari, at the southernmost tip of the indian peninsula. Species name common name common hindi name habitat details. Malabar torrent toad ansonia ornata, indirana gundia and micrixalus kottigeharensis. Documentation of the shrub flora in the evergreen forests. The western ghats is the home for about 50 million people belonging to the six states of the country.
The western side of the western ghats is on the threshold of southwest monsoon and receives a rainfall of 203254 cm, and the eastern side lies in the rainshadow area of the peninsula. The amazing wildlife in the rainforests of western ghats. Like other biodiversity hotspots, the western ghats has a high proportion of endemic species. They lie at a distance of about 50 to 80 om the coast. With the help of over 7,000 of the worlds best wildlife filmmakers and photographers, conservationists and scientists, arkive. It is a unesco world heritage site and is one of the eight. Tourism in forest areas of western ghatsjanuary 2011. Almost the entire western border of the state is occupied by the western ghats with kerala. Western ghats are an important geographical feature of india. Norman myers included the western ghats amongst the 25 biodiversity hotspots identified in the world the western ghats extend from the satpura range in the north, go south past goa, through karnataka and into kerala and tamil nadu end at kanyakumari embracing indian ocean. The western ghats, also known as sahyadri benevolent mountains, are a mountain range that covers an area of 140,000 square kilometres 54,000 sq mi in a stretch of 1,600 kilometres 990 mi parallel to the western coast of the indian peninsula, traversing the states of kerala, tamil nadu, karnataka, goa, maharashtra and gujarat. It is mostly covered with equatorial tropical evergreen forests.
Wikimedia commons has media related to flora of the western ghats. Very often, the differences in plot dimensions, plot shapes. Sep 27, 2017 list of mountains in india pdf covers the important mountains in india list and their locations. Western ghats is a magnificent mountain range next only to himalayas and is a biological treasure trove with a high degree of endemism 11% to 78% and scenic beauty. Also read difference between western ghats and eastern ghats for upsc exam. Another unique feature of the endemic flora of western ghats is the. The life supporting and biodiversity rich ecosystems of western ghats are threatened today due to habitat pressures. A checklist of endemic flowering plant species of the northern western ghats sahyadri ranges of india is provided along with their iucn threatened. Analysis of threatened endemic trees of the western ghats of india.
The western ghats are the mountain groups running parallel to the western coast of the indian peninsula. This flora can support decisions to protect the plants, ecosystems, and. Agasthyamalai hills are known to shelter 2000 of the 4000 known plant species of the western ghats 36,37 and the flora documented in this study represents. Forest trees of the western ghats authored by neginhal s. Totally, 125 endemic orchids of the western ghats were assessed at the 5day workshop of which 98 species were endemic only to the western ghats and 27 had their range extending to eastern ghats also. The western ghats, owing to its richness in biodiversity, nurtures more the 5,000 species of plants, 1,700 of which are endemic. The western ghats endemic birds are the most beautiful malabar parakeet, nilgiri woodpigeon, malabar grey horn bill, greyheaded bulbul, nilgiri flycatcher and other giant flying predators. Assessment of liverwort and hornwort flora of nilgiri hills, western ghats india.
An example is the road that connects pune from the deccan plateau to mahad on the coast via the western ghats in mulshi taluka of pune district, effectively fragmenting the forests of the western ghats in this region. The western ghats again find a place in the news after the announcement of the unesco world heritage site. A total of 22 plants in the brahma database are found in eastern ghats. Pdf floristic diversity in western ghats researchgate. A species is endangered when it is threatened with extinction. This mountains and hill stations in india list is arranged state wise. The western ghats, also known as the sahyadri hills, are well known for their rich and unique assemblage of flora and fauna. The western ghats are a chain of highlands running along the western edge of the indian subcontinent, from bombay south to the southern tip of the. It has rich and unique assemblage of flora and fauna mi ttermeier et al. Ghats shows close affinity with the flora of s ri lanka, supporting the view that s ri lanka was connected to south india durin g the geologic past. View of western ghatsattappadisilent valley hills from mannarkkad. The western ghats is a mega biodiversity region, with varied flora, fauna and landscapes. The worlds most biodiversity hotspot is home to 508 species of bird,which are also found in the nilgiri biosphere reserve.
Gadgil report marked out 60 percent of the western ghats as the highestpriority ecologically sensitive zone esz 1. There are at least 16 species of birds endemic to the western ghats including the endangered nilgiri laughingthrush, the vulnerable nilgiri woodpigeon. The western ghats, one of the 34 globally recognized biodiversity hotspots also forms a significant part of the state 11, 26. The distribution and magnitude of the biodiversity that exists today is a product of over 3. It grows in permanent water bodies,small ponds and shallow areas of lakes and rivers, upto altitudes of 400m. Many are endemic species, especially in the avian, amphibian and reptilian classes. Gadgil report and kasturirangan report on western ghats. In fact, tamil nadu is the only state with both hill ranges, western ghats and eastern ghats, both meet at the nilgiri hills. Ethnnomedicinal plants of gopalswamy hills, western ghats. Western ghats the pride of india flora biotech articles. Some endemic species of western ghats ocyceres griseus grey horn bill habitat dense forest of western ghats, arecanut or coffee plantation.
Tourism in forest areas of western ghatsjanuary 2011equations. This book is a valuable field guide for identifying forest trees in the western and eastern ghats, deccan plateau and mangroves in. Plant diversity, structure and regeneration potential in. Larval host plants of the buterfies of the western ghats, india. Flora of the western ghats a major mountain range in western south india subcategories. This list of mountains in india pdf is important for banking and other competitive exams as we can see from the sbi clerk previous solved papers. List of mountains in india pdf covers the important mountains in india list and their locations. What is the location of the western ghats in india. The western ghats, known in india as the sahyadri hills, are a 160,000 sq. General introduction biodiversity of western ghats india is recognized as one of the worlds 12 megabiodiversity nations.
Pdf flowering plants of the western ghats, india vol. This book contains description of all forest trees in peninsular india and most of srilanka too. The western ghats covers 6% of the land area of total indian land, the western ghats lies parallel to the western coast of the indian peninsula. The western ghats contains numerous medicinal plants and important. A total of 28 plants in the brahma database are found in western ghats. These are one of the worlds eight hottest biodiversity hotspots along with sri lanka myers et al. The western ghats are home to thousands of animal species including at least 325 globally threatened species. A field guide, written by environment enthusiast pippa mukherjee, is one of the first books of its kind, helping the readers to identify the wildflowers of the western ghats, from southern western ghats covering karnataka, kerala and tamil nadu to palni hills in tamil nadu. What are some interesting facts about the western ghats of. The ghats is well known for its biodiversity, where we can find a variety of flora and fauna. All birds seen in maharashtra, gujarat, goa, karnataka, tamilnadu and kerala states are eligible for this mission. At least 325 globally threatened plant species occur there. It also provides solid substrate and shade for its.
We provide a list of species that are likely to be threatened, yet are not listed. Since time began, countless species have gone extinct from natural. Heavy migration took place to western ghats region from the plains of kerala since 1960s and the forest flora and fauna are under severe threat and extinction. Breeding season january to may food figs and forest fruits general features unlike. Mar 01, 2016 the region the western ghats, is a mountain range that runs along the western side of india. A total of 38 orchid specialists, botanists, conservationists and ecologists participated in the workshop. Keeping in view, the threats ope rating in this region and a lso the importance attached to the. Rare, endangered and threatened ret climbers of southern.
The region the western ghats, is a mountain range that runs along the western side of india. The book titled flora of the southern western ghats and palnis. Among the 25 hot spots of the world, two are found in india extending into neighboring countries the western ghatssri lanka and the indoburma region covering the eastern himalayas. They are more or less parallel to the western coast of india. Flowering plants of the western ghats efloraofindia. Among the 25 hot spots of the world, two are found in india extending into neighboring countries the western ghats sri lanka and the indoburma region covering the eastern himalayas. Western ghats also known as the great escarpment of india is home to wide ranges of wild animal and bird species. It is the source of water for the entire peninsular india, and also influences the monsoons. The main types of soils met with in the western ghats are red soils, laterites, black soils and humid soils. The western ghats is a mega biodiversity region, with varied flora, fauna and. Welcome to worlds first website on flora of western ghats. Location is to be accurately selected in map, this will help others to know where the birds are located.
This category has the following 4 subcategories, out of 4 total. It runs, about 1600 km, north to south, along the western edge of the deccan plateau. Wildscreen s arkive project was launched in 2003 and grew to become the worlds biggest encyclopaedia of life on earth. Flora of the western ghats a major mountain range in western south india. The plant adds to the dissolved oxygen in water and thus is important for the health of the flora and fauna in the water bodies. The mountains of the western ghats are the second most important shelter in the world for threatened species. Chec list endemic flowering plants of northern western ghats. Hill ranges of south east india, volume 1 volume 1 of flora of eastern ghats, thammineni pullaiah flora of eastern ghats. The western ghats of kerala region is thickly populated and famous for exotic food crops, spices, herbs and medicinal plants. International journal of plant, animal and environmental sciences 9 2019. Flora of western ghats, india welcome to worlds first website on flora of western ghats. The western ghats is one amongst the 25 biodiversity hotspots in the world. Spread over ten days, this tour takes you through rural india into the hills that make up the high biodiversity zone called the western ghats. The flora is very much relevant because 44% of the flowering plants of india are represented in the western ghats.
Vegetation and phytogeography of the western ghats. Media in category flora of the western ghats the following 3 files are in this category, out of 3 total. It also provides solid substrate and shade for its cohabitants. India birding tour western ghats endemics this india birding tour is for birders who would like to target the elusive endemics of the western ghats in south india. The western ghats also known as sahyadri stretches from gujarat, maharashtra, goa, karnataka, kerala and tamil nadu covering an area of 159,000 sq km m yers et al. Ethnnomedicinal plants of gopalswamy hills, western ghats, coimbatore district, tamilnadu. The western ghats are located in the western part of peninsular india. This unique ecosystem has been threatened by continuously. The eastern ghats are a discontinuous range of mountains that run in a northsouth alignment more or less east of the deccan plateau and pass through odisha state in the north and telanganaandhra pradesh to tamil nadu state in the south, traversing some parts of karnataka state, namely, bellary, kolar and chamarajnagar districts. A nature lovers delight to explore the western ghats and palni hills in india the book titled flora of the southern western ghats and palnis. Of the total 325 globally threatened species in the western ghats, 129 are classified as vulnerable, 145 as endangered and 51 as critically endangered. The western ghats is biologically rich and biogeographically unique the western ghats is covering an area of 180,000 square kilometres. Western ghats form an important topic in environment and geography.
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