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NATURAL VEGETATION 45 The Himalayan ranges show a succession The southern mountain forests include the of vegetation from the tropical to the tundra, forests found in three distinct areas of which change in with the altitude. Deciduous Peninsular India viz; the Western Ghats, the forests are found in the foothills of the Vindhyas and the Nilgiris. As they are closer Himalayas. It is succeeded by the wet to the tropics, and only 1,500 m above the temperate type of forests between an altitude sea level, vegetation is temperate in the higher of 1,000-2,000 m. In the higher hill ranges of regions, and subtropical on the lower regions northeastern India, hilly areas of West Bengal of the Western Ghats, especially in Kerala, and Uttaranchal, evergreen broad leaf trees Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The temperate such as oak and chestnut are predominant. forests are called Sholas in the Nilgiris, Between 1,500-1,750 m, pine forests are also Anaimalai and Palani hills. Some of the other well-developed in this zone, with Chir Pine as trees of this forest of economic significance a very useful commercial tree. Deodar, a highly include, magnolia, laurel, cinchona and valued endemic species grows mainly in the wattle. Such forests are also found in the western part of the Himalayan range. Deodar Satpura and the Maikal ranges. is a durable wood mainly used in construction activity. Similarly, the chinar and the walnut, Littoral and Swamp Forests which sustain the famous Kashmir India has a rich variety of wetland habitats. handicrafts, belong to this zone. Blue pine and About 70 per cent of this comprises areas spruce appear at altitudes of 2,225-3,048 m. under paddy cultivation. The total area of wet At many places in this zone, temperate grasslands are also found. But in the higher land is 3.9 million hectares. Two sites — Chilika Lake (Odisha) and Keoladeo National reaches there is a transition to Alpine forests Park (Bharatpur) are protected as water-fowl and pastures. Silver firs, junipers, pines, birchhabitats under the Convention of Wetlands of and rhododendrons, etc. occur between InternationalImportance(RamsarConvention). 3,000-4,000 m. However, these pastures are used extensively for transhumance by tribes An international convention is an like the Gujjars, the Bakarwals, the Bhotiyas agreement among member states of and the Gaddis. The southern slopes of the the United Nations. Himalayas carry a thicker vegetation cover because of relatively higher precipitation than The country’s wetlands have been grouped the drier north-facing slopes. At higher intoeightcategories,viz. (i)thereservoirsofthe altitudes, mosses and lichens form part of the Deccan Plateau in the south together with the tundra vegetation. lagoons and other wetlands of the southern west coast; (ii) the vast saline expanses of Rajasthan, Gujarat and the Gulf of Kachchh; (iii)freshwaterlakesandreservoirsfromGujarat eastwards through Rajasthan (Keoladeo National Park) and Madhya Pradesh; (iv) the deltawetlandsandlagoonsofIndia’seastcoast (ChilikaLake);(v)thefreshwatermarshesofthe Gangetic Plain; (vi) the floodplains of the Brahmaputra; the marshes and swamps in the hills of northeast India and the Himalayan foothills;(vii)thelakesandriversofthemontane region of Kashmir and Ladakh; and (viii) the mangroveforestandotherwetlandsoftheisland arcs of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Mangroves grow along the coasts in the salt marshes, tidal creeks, mud flats and estuaries. Figure 5.5 : Montane Forests Reprint 2026-27