>CAPTAIN MEDUSA at 15:34, 23 March 2021

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{{Infobox ecoregion
| name = Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests
| image = Densely forested mountains of Jigme Dorji NP AJTJ IMG 1394.jpg
| image_size =
| image_alt =
| image_caption = Broadleaf forests in [[Jigme Dorji National Park]], Bhutan
| map = Ecoregion IM0401.png
| map_size =
| map_alt =
| map_caption = Ecoregion territory (in purple)
| biogeographic_realm = [[Indomalayan realm|Indomalayan]]
| biome = [[temperate broadleaf and mixed forests]]
| area = 83100
| country = [[Bhutan]]
| country1 = [[India]]
| country2 = [[Nepal]]
| border = [[Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests]]
| border1 = [[Northeastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests]]
| border2 = [[Northern Triangle temperate forests]]
| border3 = [[Mizoram–Manipur–Kachin rain forests]]
| border4 = [[Northeast India–Myanmar pine forests]]
| border5 = [[Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests]]
| border6 = [[Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests]]
| border7 = [[Himalayan subtropical pine forests]]
| bird_species = 490<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 = 183<ref name = "Atlas"/>
| habitat_loss = 20.809
| habitat_loss_ref = <ref name = "Atlas"/>
| protected = 8.97
| protected_ref = <ref name = "Atlas"/>
}}
The '''Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests''' is a [[temperate broadleaf and mixed forests|temperate broadleaf forest]] [[terrestrial ecoregion|ecoregion]] found in the middle elevations of the eastern [[Himalayas]], including parts of [[Nepal]], [[India]], and [[Bhutan]]. These forests have an outstanding richness of wildlife.

==Setting==
This ecoregion covers an area of {{convert|83100|sqkm|mi2|abbr=on}} and constitutes a band of temperate broadleaf forests lying on steep mountain slopes of the Himalayas between approximately {{convert|2000|and|3000|m|ft|abbr=on}}. It extends from the [[Kali Gandaki River]] in [[Nepal]] across [[Sikkim]] and [[West Bengal]] in India, [[Bhutan]], and the Indian state of [[Arunachal Pradesh]].{{citation needed|date=July 2013}}

The temperate broadleaf forests transition into the [[Himalayan subtropical pine forests]] and the [[Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests]] at lower elevations, and into the [[Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests]] at higher elevations. This area receives over 2000 mm of rainfall per year, mostly falling from May to September during the [[monsoon]].{{citation needed|date=July 2013}}

==Flora==
The Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests are diverse and species-rich, with a great diversity (of [[oak]]s and [[rhododendron]]s in particular) and many endemic species including plants of [[Indomalayan realm|Indomalayan]], [[Indochina|Indochinese]], Himalayan, [[Eastern Asiatic Region|Eastern Asiatic]] and even [[Gondwana]]n origin.

The ecoregion has two broad forest types: evergreen and deciduous. Evergreen forests are characterized by oaks ''(Quercus'' spp.), chiefly ''[[Quercus lamellosa]],'' together with ''[[Lithocarpus pachyphylla]], [[Rhododendron arboreum]], [[Rhododendron falconeri]], [[Rhododendron thomsonii]], [[Magnolia doltsopa]], [[Magnolia cathcartii]], [[Exbucklandia populnea]], [[Symplocos cochinchinensis]], [[Magnolia]]'' spp., ''[[Cinnamomum]]'' spp., and ''[[Machilus]]'' spp. The many rhododendron species include more than fifty in Sikkim and another sixty in Bhutan.

In the deciduous forests meanwhile the predominant tree species are Himalayan maple (''[[Acer campbellii]]''), ''[[Juglans regia]]'', ''[[Alnus nepalensis]]'', ''[[Betula alnoides]]'', ''[[Betula utilis]]'', and ''[[Echinocarpus dasycarpus]]''.

Finally in Eastern Nepal there are wetter areas dominated by a mixture of ''[[Magnolia campbellii]]'', ''Acer campbellii'' and ''[[Osmanthus suavis]]'' along with Himalayan hazel (''[[Corylus ferox]]'').

==Fauna==
The forests are home to over 500 species of bird some of which migrate to the higher Himalayas in the hot summer. There are twelve near-endemic bird species as well as the strictly endemic [[rufous-throated wren-babbler]]. A number of bird species especially [[pheasant]], [[tragopan]] and [[hornbill]] are easily threatened by changes to their habitat and those found here include the globally threatened [[rufous-necked hornbill]] (''Aceros nipalensis''), [[Sclater's monal]] (''Lophophorus sclateri''), [[white-bellied heron]] (''Ardea insignis''), [[Blyth's tragopan]] (''Tragopan blythii'') and [[Ward's trogon]] (''Harpactes wardi'').

There are four endemic or near-endemic mammals including Gee's golden langur (''[[Trachypithecus geei]]'') which is found north of the [[Brahmaputra River]] between the [[Sankosh River|Sankosh]] and [[Manas River]]s. Other endemic mammals are Hodgson's giant flying squirrel (''[[Petaurista magnificus]]''), Namdapha flying squirrel (''[[Biswamoyopterus biswasi]]'') and Brahma white-bellied rat (''[[Niviventer brahma]]''), while [[endangered species]] found here include a population of [[Bengal tiger]]s adapted to higher mountain slopes and having a high conservation priority. Other endangered species include [[takin]] (''Budorcas taxicolor'') and [[Himalayan serow]] (a subspecies of ''Capricornis sumatraensis'') as well as the [[Vulnerable species|vulnerable]] Mandelli's mouse-eared bat (''[[Myotis sicarius]]''), [[Assam macaque]] (''Macaca assamensis''), [[stump-tailed macaque]] (''Macaca arctoides''), [[dhole]] (''Cuon alpinus''), [[back-striped weasel]] (''Mustela strigidorsa''), [[clouded leopard]] (''Neofelis nebulosa''), and [[Irrawaddy squirrel]] (''Callosciurus pygerythrus''). The area also includes patches of [[fir]] forest with a bamboo undergrowth that are home to the endangered [[red panda]] (''Ailurus fulgens'').

==Conservation==
Most of the forest is intact as these are steep inaccessible slopes, although the ''[[Quercus lanata]]'' forests of the lower elevations are vulnerable to clearance, while the upper slopes are liable to be used for livestock grazing, especially in more densely populated Nepal. Protected areas include [[Namdapha National Park]] and Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh, [[Makalu Barun National Park]] in Nepal, and parts of [[Thrumshingla National Park|Thrumshingla]], [[Jigme Dorji National Park|Jigme Dorji]], and [[Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park]]s and [[Kulong Chu Wildlife Sanctuary]] in Bhutan. There are plans to create corridors of protection linking some of these areas in Bhutan and in India. The area around Namdapha National Park has been increasingly settled by [[Chakma people|Chakma]] refugees from Bangladesh. Another threat is the plan to build a dam on the [[Dihing River]].<ref>{{WWF ecoregion|name=Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests|id=im0401}}</ref> One area of importance that is currently unprotected is [[Mount Phulchowki]] in the [[Kathmandu valley]].

===Protected areas===
In 1997, 15 protected areas were identified in this ecoregion, with a combined area of approximately {{convert|5800|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} that includes 7% of the ecoregion's area:<ref>{{cite book |author1=Wikramanayake, E. |author2=Dinerstein, E. |author3=Loucks, C. J. |name-list-style=amp |date=2002 |title=Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: a Conservation Assessment |publisher=Island Press |location=[[Washington, DC]] |chapter=26. Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests |pages=335–338 }}</ref>
* [[Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary]], [[Arunachal Pradesh]] (also extends into the [[Himalayan subtropical pine forests]]) ({{convert|120|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}})
* [[Mouling National Park]], Arunachal Pradesh (also extends into the Himalayan subtropical pine forests) ({{convert|200|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}})
* Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh (also extends into the Himalayan subtropical pine forests and [[Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests]]) (({{convert|110|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}})
* [[Royal Manas National Park]], Bhutan (also extends into the Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests) ({{convert|410|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}})
* [[Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park]], Nepal ({{convert|159|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}})<ref name=nbrb07>Bhuju, U. R., Shakya, P. R., Basnet, T. B., Shrestha, S. (2007). Nepal Biodiversity Resource Book. Protected Areas, Ramsar Sites, and World Heritage Sites. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology, in cooperation with United Nations Environment Programme, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. Kathmandu, {{ISBN|978-92-9115-033-5}}</ref>
* [[Makalu-Barun National Park]], Nepal ({{convert|1500|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}});<ref name=nbrb07/> also extends into the [[Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests]] and [[Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows]]
* [[Neora Valley National Park]], West Bengal ({{convert|88|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}})<ref name=Shakya2008>Shakya, B., Joshi, R. M. (2008). Protected Areas and Biodiversity Conservation in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan Region with Special Reference to the Kangchenjunga Landscape. In: N. Chettri, B. Shakya, E. Sharma (eds.) Biodiversity Conservation in the Kangchenjunga Landscape. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Kathmandu. Pp. 13–20.</ref>
* [[Torsa Strict Nature Reserve]], Bhutan ({{convert|651|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}});<ref name=Shakya2008/> also extends into the Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests and Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows
* [[Jigme Dorji National Park]], Bhutan (also extends into the Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests and Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows) ({{convert|560|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}})
* [[Thrumshingla National Park]], Bhutan (also extends into the Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows) ({{convert|310|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}})
* [[Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary]], Bhutan (also extends into the Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests) ({{convert|390|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}})
* [[Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park]], Bhutan (also extends into the Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests and Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows) ({{convert|600|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}})
* [[Namdapha National Park]], Bhutan ({{convert|1,580|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}})
* [[Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary]], Arunachal Pradesh ({{convert|780|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}})
* [[Chayu Nature Reserve]], Tibet (also extends into the Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests) ({{convert|320|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}})

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

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
*[http://assets.panda.org/img/original/ecoregion.jpg WWF: ''Map of ecoregions in Nepal'', showing the Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests]

{{-}}
{{Indomalaya temperate broadleaf and mixed forests}}

{{ecoregions of India}}

[[Category:Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests| ]]
[[Category:Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of the Himalayas]]
[[Category:Himalayan forests]]
[[Category:Flora of East Himalaya|.]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of Bhutan]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of India]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of Nepal]]
[[Category:Forests of India]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of Asia]]
[[Category:Indomalayan ecoregions]]
[[Category:Forests of Nepal]]

Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests - Revision history

>CAPTAIN MEDUSA at 15:34, 23 March 2021