View source for Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows

{{Infobox ecoregion
| name                        = Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows
| image                       = Barun Valley - Nghe.jpg
| image_size                  =    
| image_alt                   = 
| image_caption               = Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows in the [[Barun Valley]] of [[Nepal]]
| map                         = File:Ecoregion PA1003.png
| map_size                    = 300
| map_alt                     = Ecoregion territory (in purple)
| map_caption                 = Ecoregion territory (in purple)
| country                     = [[Bhutan]]
| country1                    = [[China]]
| country2                    = [[India]]
| country3                    = [[Myanmar]]
| country4                    = [[Nepal]]
| border                      = [[Yarlung Tsangpo arid steppe]]
| border1                     = [[Central Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe]]
| border2                     = [[Northeastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests]]
| border3                     = [[Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests]]
| border4                     = [[Nujiang Langcang Gorge alpine conifer and mixed forests]]
| border5                     = [[Northern Triangle temperate forests]]
| border6                     = [[Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests]]
| border7                     = [[Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows]]
| bird_species                = 496<ref name = "Atlas">
{{cite book |last1 = Hoekstra |first1 = J. M. |last2 = Molnar |first2 = J. L. |last3 = Jennings |first3 = M. |last4 = Revenga |first4 = C. |last5 = Spalding |first5 = M. D. |last6 = Boucher |first6 = T. M. |last7 = Robertson |first7 = J. C. |last8 = Heibel |first8 = T. J. |last9 = Ellison |first9 = K. |title = The Atlas of Global Conservation: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities to Make a Difference |publisher = [[University of California Press]] |editor1-last = Molnar |editor1-first = J. L. |year = 2010 |isbn = 978-0-520-26256-0 |url = https://archive.org/details/atlasofglobalcon0000unse |url-access = registration }}</ref>
| mammal_species              = 117<ref name = "Atlas"/>
| habitat_loss                = 9.2095
| habitat_loss_ref = <ref name = "Atlas"/>
| protected                   = 32.9
| protected_ref = <ref name = "Atlas"/>
| area                        = 121200 
| biome                       = [[Montane grasslands and shrublands]]
}}

The '''Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows''' is a [[montane grasslands and shrublands]] [[ecoregion]] of [[Bhutan]], [[China]], [[India]], [[Myanmar]], and [[Nepal]], which lies between the [[tree line]] and [[snow line]] in the eastern portion of the [[Himalaya]] Range.

==Setting==
The Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows covers an area of {{convert|121300|sqkm|mi2}}, extending along the north and south faces of the Himalaya Range from the [[Kali Gandaki Gorge]] in central Nepal eastwards through [[Tibet]] and India's [[Sikkim]] state, [[Bhutan]], India's [[Arunachal Pradesh]] state, and northernmost [[Myanmar]].

The alpine shrub and meadows lie between approximately {{convert|4000|and|5500|m|ft}} elevation. Permanent ice and snow lies above {{convert|5500|m|ft}}. The [[Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests]] lie below {{convert|3000|m|ft}} along the southern slopes of the range, from Central Nepal to Bhutan. The [[Northeastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests]] lie south of the range in Arunachal Pradesh, extending north of the range into the lower valley of the [[Brahmaputra River]] and its tributaries. The [[Northern Triangle temperate forests]] lie to the south of the alpine shrub and meadows in northern Myanmar, and the [[Nujiang Langcang Gorge alpine conifer and mixed forests]] lie to the east in the gorges of the upper [[Irrawaddy River|Irrawaddy]] and [[Salween River|Salween]] rivers.

The [[Yarlung Tsangpo arid steppe]] lies in the upper Brahmaputra Valley of Tibet, north of the Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows.

==Flora==
Alpine shrublands, characterized by [[rhododendron]]s, predominate at lower elevations, close to the treeline. The rhododendron flora of the ecoregion is quite varied, with species composition changing as one moves from west to east along the range.

Above the shrublands are alpine meadows which support a variety of herbaceous plants, including species of ''[[Alchemilla]], [[Androsace]], [[Anemone]], [[Diapensia]], [[Draba]], [[Gentiana]], [[Impatiens]], [[Leontopodium]], [[Meconopsis]], [[Pedicularis]], [[Potentilla]], [[Primula]], [[Rhododendron]], [[Saussurea]], [[Saxifraga]], [[Sedum]]'', and ''[[Viola (plant)|Viola]]''. In the spring and summer, the alpine meadows are covered with brightly colored flowers.

On the upper slopes, low grasses and cushion plants grow among the boulders and scree.

==Fauna==
Large mammals include the [[snow leopard]] (''Uncia uncia''), [[bharal]] or Himalayan blue sheep (''Pseudois nayaur''), [[Himalayan tahr]] (''Hemitragus jemlahicus''), [[takin]] (''Budorcas taxicolor''), [[Himalayan musk deer]] (''Moschus chrysogaster''), [[Himalayan goral]] (''Nemorhaedus baileyi''), and [[Himalayan serow]] (''Capricornis thar''). Smaller mammals include [[Himalayan marmot]]s (''Marmota himalayana''), weasels, and pikas.

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

* [[Valley of Flowers National Park]], India
* [[Annapurna Conservation Area]], Nepal
* [[Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary]], Bhutan
* [[Dihang-Dibang Biosphere Reserve]], India
* [[Dongjiu Nature Reserve]], China
* [[Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park]], Bhutan
* [[Jigme Dorji National Park]], Bhutan
* [[Langtang National Park]], Nepal
* [[Makalu-Barun National Park and Conservation Area]], Nepal
* [[Motuo Nature Reserve]], China
* [[Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary]], Bhutan
* [[Sagarmatha National Park]], Nepal
* [[Thrumshingla National Park]], Bhutan
* [[Torsa Strict Nature Reserve]], Bhutan
* [[Walong National Park]], India
* [[Nanda Devi National Park]], India

==See also==
*[[List of ecoregions in India]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{WWF ecoregion|id=pa1003|name=Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows}}
* [http://assets.panda.org/img/original/ecoregion.jpg WWF: ''Map of ecoregions in Nepal and China'', showing the Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows]
* {{NatGeo ecoregion|id=pa1003|name=Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows}}


[[Category:Ecoregions of Asia]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of Bhutan]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of China]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of the Himalayas]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of India]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of Myanmar]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of Nepal]]
[[Category:Montane grasslands and shrublands]]
[[Category:Palearctic ecoregions]]