Montane Forest Zones: Changing Landscapes from Tropics to Tundra

These Montane Forests are characterized by the decrease in temperature with increasing altitude that leads to a corresponding change in natural vegetation.

As such, there is a succession of natural vegetation belts in the same order as observed from the tropical to the tundra region.

Types of Montane Forests: Tropics to Tundra Heights

• Northern Mountain Forests: These ranges show a succession of vegetation from the tropical to the tundra, which change with the altitude.
• Deciduous Forests: are found in the foothills of the Himalayas, which is succeeded by the wet temperate type of forests between an altitude of 1,000-2,000 m. 
• Evergreen Broadleaf Trees: Found in the higher hill ranges of northeastern India, hilly areas of West Bengal and Uttaranchal.
  • Example:  oak and chestnut are predominant.
• Temperate Forests: Found between 1500 and 3000 meters, containing coniferous trees, like pine, deodar, silver fir, spruce and cedar, are found. 
  • These Montane Forests cover mostly the southern slopes of the Himalayas, places having high altitude in southern and north-east India. 
  • At higher elevations, temperate grasslands are common.
• Alpine vegetation: At elevations between 3,000 to 4,000 meters, there is a shift to Alpine Montane Forests and meadows. 
  • Predominant species in this region include silver firs, junipers, pines, birch, and rhododendrons. 
  • These meadows are widely used for seasonal nomadic grazing by tribes such as the Gujjars, Bakarwals, Bhotiyas, and Gaddis.
• Tundra Vegetation: At even higher altitudes surpassing 4,000 meters.
  • The vegetation consists of mosses and lichens as part of the tundra landscape.

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• Fauna: The common animals found in these Montane Forests are Kashmir stag, spotted deer, wild sheep, jack rabbit, Tibetan antelope, yak, snow leopard, squirrels, Shaggy horned wild ibex, bear and rare red panda, sheep and goats with thick hair.
• Southern Mountain Forests: Biodiversity in Tropics to Temperate
• Location: Found in three distinct areas of Peninsular India i.e.; the Western Ghats, the Vindhyas and the Nilgiris.
• Type of Montane Forests: As they are closer to the tropics, and only 1,500 m above the sea level, vegetation is 
  • Temperate in the higher regions, and 
  • Subtropical in the lower regions of the Western Ghats, especially in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
• Shola Forests: These temperate forests are also called Sholas in the Nilgiris, Anaimalai and Palani hills.
• Example: Some trees of economic significance found in these Montane Forests include, magnolia, laurel, cinchona and wattle.

Littoral and Swamp Forests: India’s Diverse Mangroves and Swamps

• India has a rich variety of wetland habitats with a total area of 3.9 million hectares. 70 percent of this comprises areas under paddy cultivation, indicating its importance.
• India’s wetlands are categorized into eight groups as follows:

1. 1. Reservoirs in the Deccan Plateau in the southern part of the country, along with lagoons and other wetlands along the southwestern coast.
   2. Extensive saline areas in Rajasthan, Gujarat, and the Gulf of Kachchh.
   3. Freshwater lakes and reservoirs stretch from Gujarat eastward through Rajasthan (including Keoladeo National Park) and into Madhya Pradesh.
   4. Delta wetlands and lagoons along the eastern coast of India, exemplified by Chilika Lake.
   5. Freshwater marshes in the Gangetic Plain.
   6. Floodplains along the Brahmaputra River.
   7. Lakes and rivers in the mountainous region of Kashmir and Ladakh.
   8. Mangrove forests and other wetlands in the island chains of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

• Mangroves Montane Forests: India’s Coastal Biodiversity Haven
• The mangrove Montane Forests spread over 6,740 sq. km which is 7 percent of the world’s mangrove forests.

Mangrove Forests

• These grow along the coasts in the salt marshes, tidal creeks, mud flats and estuaries (Refer Figure).
• They consist of a number of salt-tolerant species of plants.
• The deltas of the Ganga, the Mahanadi, the Krishna, the Godavari and the Kaveri are covered by such vegetation.
• In the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta, sundari trees are found, which provide durable hard timber. 
  • Palm, coconut, keora, agar, etc., also grow in some parts of the delta.
• Fauna: The Royal Bengal Tiger is a famous animal in these Montane Forests. Turtles, crocodiles, gharials and snakes are also found in these Montane Forests.