View source for Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests

{{Infobox ecoregion
| name = Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests
| image = GangkharPuensum3.jpg
| image_size = 
| image_alt = 
| image_caption = Gangkhar Puensum from Ura La, Bhutan
| map = Ecoregion IM0501.png
| map_size = 
| map_alt = 
| map_caption = Ecoregion territory (in purple)
| biogeographic_realm = [[Indomalayan realm|Indomalayan]]
| biome = [[Temperate coniferous forests]]
| border = [[Northeastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests]]
| border1 = [[Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows]]
| border2 = [[Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests]]
| border3 = [[Himalayan subtropical pine forests]]
| bird_species = 202<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 = 130<ref name = "Atlas"/>
| area = 27500
| country = [[Bhutan]]
| country1 = [[India]]
| country2 = [[Nepal]]
| habitat_loss = 28.324
| habitat_loss_ref = <ref name = "Atlas"/>
| conservation = Vulnerable<ref name = wwf>{{WWF ecoregion|name=Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests|id=im0501}}</ref>
| protected = 34.69
| protected_ref = <ref name = dopa>"Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests". DOPA Explorer. Accessed 24 August 2021. [https://dopa-explorer.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ecoregion/40501[</ref> 
}}

The '''Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests''' is a [[temperate coniferous forests]] [[terrestrial ecoregion|ecoregion]] which is found in the middle and upper elevations of the eastern Middle [[Himalayas]], in western [[Nepal]], [[Bhutan]], and northern [[India]]n states including [[Arunachal Pradesh]] and [[Sikkim]].

==Setting==
The ecoregion forms a belt of coniferous forest covering {{convert|27500|sqkm|mi2}} from {{convert|3000|to|4000|m|ft}} elevation extending from the [[Gandaki River]] in Nepal east through Bhutan and into [[Arunachal Pradesh]]. It is part of a transition zone from [[Indomalayan realm]] in the south, to the [[Palearctic realm]] in the north, and is the last habitat below the treeline of the Himalayas. The Himalayas are lined with belts of habitat from the grassy foothills to the high peaks and are home to a number of birds and animals that migrate seasonally through these zones, including these conifer forests, each of which provides crucial habitat at different times of the year. Furthermore the streams and rivers of the steep mountainsides will flood if not held in place by woodland.

The Eastern Himalayas are watered by the [[Bay of Bengal]] monsoon so are wetter than in the west and have a higher treeline (4,500m compared to 3,000m in the western Himalayas).<ref name = wwf/>

==Flora==
These forests are typically found on steep, rocky, north-facing slopes. The most common trees are ''[[Abies spectabilis]], [[Larix griffithii]], [[Juniperus recurva]], [[Juniperus indica]], [[Betula utilis]]'', ''[[Acer (genus)|Acer]]'' spp., and ''[[Sorbus]]'' spp. The understory features a rich community of colourful [[rhododendron]]s, including ''[[Rhododendron hodgsonii]]'', ''[[Rhododendron barbatum]]'', ''[[Rhododendron campylocarpum]]'', ''[[Rhododendron campanulatum]], [[Rhododendron fulgens]]'', and ''[[Rhododendron thomsonii]]''. Other shrubs include ''[[Viburnum grandiflorum]]'' and ''[[Lonicera angustifolia]]''.<ref name = wwf/>

''[[Tsuga dumosa]]'' occurs in wetter areas and lower elevations. ''[[Pinus wallichiana]]'' occurs in drier areas around [[Tibet]]. It is particularly common in the [[Khumbu]] region. ''[[Taxus baccata]]'' is important but uncommon.<ref name = wwf/>

Juniper woodlands grow in flat, inner river valleys, mixed with various species of ''[[Salix]]'' and ''[[Prunus]]''. Those in the [[Tsarijathang Valley]] in Bhutan's [[Jigme Dorji National Park]] are an important summer habitat for takin (''[[Budorcas taxicolor]]'').<ref name = wwf/>

==Fauna==
This ecoregion is home to some eighty-nine species of mammals originally from both [[Indomalayan realm|Indomalayan]] and [[Palearctic realm]]s, including [[civet]]s, [[marten]]s, [[Himalayan tahr]] and [[muntjac]]. The [[white-bellied musk deer]], hunted for its [[musk]]-glands, and the endangered [[red panda]] are important inhabitants for whom the conifer forests are typical habitat with the red panda living between 3,000m and 4,000m where there is an undercover of bamboo beneath the fir trees. Other endangered species found here are the takin, [[Himalayan serow]] (''Capricornis thar''), and [[particolored flying squirrel]] (''Hylopetes alboniger'') while [[Mandelli's mouse-eared bat]], the [[Cuon alpinus|Asiatic wild dog]], the [[Asiatic black bear]] and the Himalayan tahr are considered vulnerable. There are two near-endemic squirrels, [[Hodgson's giant flying squirrel]] (''Petaurista magnificus'') and the [[Bhutan giant flying squirrel]] (''Petaurista nobilis'') along with a pure endemic rodent, the [[Himalayan field mouse]] (''Apodemus gurkha'').<ref name = wwf/>

About 200 species of birds have been recorded in this ecoregion of which six are endemic; [[chestnut-breasted partridge]] (''Arborophila mandellii''), [[hoary-throated barwing]] (''Actinodura nipalensis''), [[brown-throated fulvetta]] (''Alcippe ludlowi''), [[Nepal cupwing]] (''Pnoepyga immaculata''), [[buff-throated partridge]] (''Tetraophasis szechenyii''), and [[Lord Derby's parakeet]] (''Psittacula derbiana''). The last two are limited to an area of conifer forest in Arunachal Pradesh. Threatened or endangered birds of the ecoregion include [[Tibetan eared pheasant]] (''Crossoptilon harmani'') and [[Sclater's monal]] (''Lophophorus sclateri''). A number of other birds are sensitive to habitat change and therefore potentially vulnerable, including the [[blood pheasant]] (''Ithaginis cruentus''), [[Blyth's tragopan]] (''Tragopan blythii''), [[satyr tragopan]] (''Tragopan satyra''), [[Ward's trogon]] (''Harpactes wardi'') and chestnut-breasted partridge. Indeed this ecoregion forms part of two [[BirdLife International]] [[Endemic Bird Area]]s because of the number of birds for which the conifers are important for breeding.<ref name = wwf/>

==Threats and conservation==
The human population of these heights is very low and most of the natural conifer forest remains with a considerable portion in protected areas. Damage is caused as trees are cut to provide firewood for local inhabitants and for trekking parties or to clear land for grazing.<ref name = wwf/>

34.69% of the encoregion is in protected areas. Large protected areas that contain areas of conifer forest include [[Annapurna]] Conservation Area, [[Langtang National Park|Langtang]] and [[Makalu Barun National Park]]s in Nepal, [[Khangchendzonga National Park|Khangchendzonga]], [[Namdapha National Park|Namdapha]] and [[Singalila National Park]]s in India, and [[Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary]], [[Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park|Jigme Singye Wangchuck]], and [[Jigme Dorji National Park]]s in Bhutan.<ref name = dopa/>

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

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Temperate coniferous forests]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of the Himalayas]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of Bhutan]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of India]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of Nepal]]
[[Category:Biota of Bhutan]]
[[Category:Biota of India]]
[[Category:Biota of Nepal]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of Asia]]
[[Category:Himalayan forests]]
[[Category:Indomalayan ecoregions]]
[[Category:Forests of Nepal]]