>JHunterJ at 13:06, 22 December 2020

2020-12-22T13:06:27Z

New page

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2017}}

{{Infobox ecoregion
|name = East Deccan dry evergreen forests
|image = Blackbuck antelope.jpg
|image_size =
|image_alt =
|caption = [[Blackbuck]] at [[Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary]]
|map = Ecoregion IM0204.png
|map_size =
|map_alt =
|map_caption = Ecoregion territory (in purple)
|ecozone = [[Indomalayan realm|Indomalayan]]
|biome = [[tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests]]
|animals =
|bird_species =
|mammal_species =
|border1 = [[Deccan thorn scrub forests]]
|border2 = [[Godavari-Krishna mangroves]]
|area = 25,084
|country = [[India]]
|state1 = [[Andhra Pradesh]]
|state2 = [[Tamil Nadu]],
|state3 = [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]] (union territory)
|region_type = States
|elevation =
|geology =
|seas =
|rivers =
|climate =
|soil =
|conservation = critical/endangered
|global200 =
|habitat_loss =
|habitat_loss_ref =
|coordinates =
|protected = 572 km² (2
|protected_ref = )<ref>Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b. [https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/bix014]</ref>
|embedded =
}}

The '''East Deccan dry evergreen forests''' is an [[ecoregion]] of southeastern [[India]]. The ecoregion includes the coastal region behind the [[Coromandel Coast]] on the [[Bay of Bengal]], between the [[Eastern Ghats]] and the sea. It covers eastern [[Tamil Nadu]], part of [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]] and south eastern [[Andhra Pradesh]].

==Setting==
The East Deccan dry evergreen forests lie in the rain shadow of the [[Western Ghats]] and [[Eastern Ghats]], which block the rain-bearing summer [[southwest monsoon]].

The ecoregion covers an area of {{convert|25,500|km2|sqmi|sp=us}}, extending from [[Ramanathapuram District]] of Tamil Nadu to [[Nellore District]] of Andhra Pradesh. Much of the ecoregion is densely settled, and has been substantially altered by human activity, including agriculture, grazing, and forestry, over the centuries. The ecoregion is home to the metropolis of [[Chennai]] (Madras), and a number of other cities, including [[Pondicherry (city)|Pondicherry]], [[Thanjavur]], [[Kanchipuram]] and [[Nellore]]. It is estimated that 95% of the original forest cover has been cleared, and the species composition of the remaining forests have been altered by intensive human use including the removal of all the taller trees.

Rainfall averages 800 mm/year, and mostly falls during the highly variable [[northeast monsoon]] between October and December. Unlike most of the world's tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, whose trees tend to lose their leaves during the dry season to conserve moisture, the East Deccan dry evergreen forests retain their leaves year round. Only two other ecoregions exhibit a similar pattern, the [[Sri Lanka dry-zone dry evergreen forests]] and the [[Southeastern Indochina dry evergreen forests]].

The ecoregion is home to two important wetlands, [[Kaliveli Lake]] in [[Viluppuram District]] of Tamil Nadu, and [[Pulicat Lake]] north of Chennai. Kaliveli Lake is one of the largest wetlands in peninsular India, and is deemed a wetland of national and international importance by the [[IUCN]]. It is a seasonal wetland, with a gradient from freshwater to brackish water, and is an important feeding and breeding ground on migratory bird flyway. It is currently threatened by encroachment by agricultural fields, wildlife poaching, loss of the surrounding forests, and increases in [[Freshwater prawn farm|commercial prawn farming]].

==Flora==
The original vegetation of the ecoregion consisted of forests with an understory of evergreen trees and an emergent canopy of taller [[deciduous]] trees, including Sal (''[[Shorea robusta]]''), ''[[Albizia amara]]'', and ''[[Chloroxylon swietenia]]''. Intensive human use of the forests over the centuries has mostly eliminated the deciduous canopy species, and the ecoregion's remaining forests are now characterized by areas of leathery-leaved evergreen forest, with a relatively low (10-meter) closed canopy. Predominant species are ''[[Manilkara hexandra]]'', ''[[Mimusops elengi]]'', Ceylon ebony (''[[Diospyros ebenum]]''), strychnine tree (''[[Strychnos nux-vomica]]''), ''[[Eugenia]]'' spp., ''[[Drypetes sepiaria]]'', and ''[[Flacourtia indica]]''. A few small enclaves of deciduous Sal forest exist, but are under intensive human pressure.<ref>{{WWF ecoregion|name=East Deccan dry-deciduous forests|id=im0204}}</ref>

Puthupet forest (12°05’702”N – 79° 87’ 148” E) is predominantly ''[[Memecylon umbellatum]]'', with ''[[Pterospermum canescens]], Diospyros ebenum, Drypetes sepiaria, [[Aglaia elaeagnoidea]], [[Pongamia pinnata]], [[Azadirachta indica]], [[Walsura trifoliolata]], [[Calophyllum inophyllum]]'', and ''Albizia amara''.<ref>Sundarapandian, Somaiah & L, Gowsalaya & P, Kayathri & M, Thamizharasi & Dar, Javid & Srinivas, Kantipudi & Gandhi.D, Sanjay. (2013). Estimation of Biomass and Carbon Stock of Woody Plants in Different Land-Uses. 3. 3-5.</ref>

6-8 percent of the ecoregion remains in forest, which is found in isolated pockets. Most of the ecoregion's forests have been degraded into tropical dry evergreen scrublands, characterized by thorny species such as ''[[Ziziphus glaberrima]]'', ''[[Dichrostachys cinerea]]'', ''[[Catunaregam spinosa]]'', and ''[[Carissa spinarum]]''.

==Fauna==
Mammals found in this ecoregion include the [[dhole]] (''Cuon alpinus''), [[sloth bear]] (''Melursus ursinus'') and [[Indian spotted chevrotain]] (''Moschiola indica'').

==Protected areas==
Two percent of the ecoregion lies in reserves and protected areas. Another 6% is forested but unprotected.<ref>Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b. [https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/bix014]</ref> Many forest areas are very small, and include temple groves and reserved forests.

Protected areas include [[Guindy National Park]] in [[Chennai District]], and [[Nanmangalam Reserve Forest|Nanmangalam]], and [[Vandalur Reserve Forest|Vandalur]] reserve forests in [[Kanchipuram District]]. In Villupuram District, the [[Marakkanam]] reserve forest includes the three forest areas of Marakkanam, Kurumpuram, and Agaram. The sacred grove of Marakkanam preserves a section of evergreen closed canopy forest. Kurumpuram forest (12º4’N-79º44’E) was designated a reserve forest in 1960, but has suffered degradation from timber poaching, firewood harvesting, and hunting wild animals.<ref>Silambarasan, K., Sujatha, K., Anitha Joice, A. et al. A Preliminary Report on the Butterfly Diversity of Kurumpuram Reserve Forest, Marakkanam, Tamil Nadu. Proc Zool Soc 69, 255–258 (2016). [https://doi.org/10.1007/s12595-015-0151-x]</ref> Several other temple groves in the area around Puducherry, including [[Puthupet]], Pillaichavadi, Mudaliarchavadi, and [[Kottakarai]], preserve small enclaves of forest.<ref>Auroasha (2014). "Natural regeneration of vegetation". Auroville Foundation. 12 August 2014. Accessed 3 May 2020. [https://www.auroville.org/contents/777]</ref>

The [[Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary]] protects a 17.26 km2 enclave of dry evergreen forest, as well as tidal wetlands and [[mangrove]]s. Other coastal preserves in the region include [[Vettangudi Bird Sanctuary]] (30 km2) in [[Sivaganga district]] of Tamil Nadu, [[Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary]] (160 km2) on [[Pulicat Lake]] in [[Nellore district]] of [[Andhra Pradesh]], and [[Pichavaram]] reserve in [[Cuddalore district]].

Since the 1973, the [[Auroville Foundation]] has undertaken restoration of dry evergreen forest at Pitchandikulam in [[Auroville]], near [[Pondicherry]]. The forest covers 28 ha (70 acres), and includes many native plants collected from nearby remnant forests and propagated in their nursery. In 2003 the foundation established a 14 ha (35 acre) forest and resource centre at Nadukuppam, near Marakkanam, with both dry evergreen forest species and various [[agro-forestry]] crops.<ref>"The Pitchandikulam Story". ''Pitchandikulam Forest''. Accessed 3 May 2020. [http://www.pitchandikulamforest.org/PF/about-pitchandikulam-forest-auroville/]</ref>

==External links==
{{commons category|East Deccan dry evergreen forests}}
*{{WWF ecoregion|name=East Deccan dry-deciduous forests|id=im0204}}
* [https://earthjournalism.net/stories/changing-climate-threatens-sacred-groves Changing climate threatens sacred groves], Earth Journalism Network.

==References==
{{reflist}}
* Ramanujam, M.P. and Kadamban, D. Plant biodiversity of two tropical dry evergreen forests in the Pondicherry region of South India and the role of belief systems in their conservation. ''Biodiversity and Conservation'', 10 (7): 1203-1217, July 2001
* Ramanujam M.P. and Praveen Kumar, Cyril K. Woody species diversity of four sacred groves in the Pondicherry region of South India. ''Biodiversity and Conservation'', February 2003, vol. 12 no. 2, pp. 289–299(11)
* Blasco, F. and Legris, P. Dry Evergreen Forest of Calimere and Marakanam. ''Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society'', Vol. 70 (2), August 1973, p. 278.
* Ramanujam M.P. and Praveen Kumar, Cyril K. Woody species diversity of four sacred groves in the Pondicherry region of South India. ''Biodiversity and Conservation'', February 2003, vol. 12 no. 2, pp. 289–299(11)

[[Category:East Deccan dry evergreen forests| ]]
[[Category:Coromandel Coast]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of India]]
[[Category:Environment of Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Flora of Tamil Nadu|.]]
[[Category:Indomalayan ecoregions]]
[[Category:Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests]]

East Deccan dry evergreen forests - Revision history

>JHunterJ at 13:06, 22 December 2020