Meherhospital at 04:04, 6 October 2025

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{{Short description|Ecoregion in India}}
{{Infobox ecoregion
|name = Malabar Coast moist forests
|image = File:Ceylon Spotted Deer in india.jpg
|image_size =
|image_alt =
|caption = [[Chital]] (''Axis axis'') in [[Sanjay Gandhi National Park]]
|map = Ecoregion IM0124.png
|map_size =
|map_alt =
|map_caption = Map of the Malabar Coast moist forests ecoregion
|ecozone = [[Indomalayan realm|Indomalayan]]
|biome = [[tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests]]
|animals =
|bird_species =
|mammal_species =
|border1 = [[Deccan thorn scrub forests]]
|border2 = [[North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests]]
|border3 = [[North Western Ghats montane rain forests]]
|border4 = [[South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests]]
|border5 = [[South Western Ghats montane rain forests]]
|area = 34219
|country = [[India]]
|state1 = [[Goa]]
|state2 = [[Karnataka]]
|state3 = [[Kerala]]
|state4 = [[Maharashtra]]
|state5 = [[Tamil Nadu]]
|region_type = States
|elevation =
|geology =
|seas =
|rivers =
|climate =
|soil =
|conservation = critical/endangered<ref name = wwf>{{WWF ecoregion|name=Malabar Coast moist forests|id=im0124}}</ref>

|global200 =
|habitat_loss =
|habitat_loss_ref =
|coordinates =
|protected = 1,251 km² (4
|protected_ref = )<ref name = dinerstein>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 '''Malabar Coast moist forests''' are a [[tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests|tropical moist broadleaf forest]] ecoregion of southwestern [[India]].

==Geography==
The ecoregion lies along India's [[Konkan]] and [[Malabar coast]]s, in a narrow strip between the [[Arabian Sea]] and the [[Western Ghats]] range, which runs parallel to the coast. It has an area of {{convert|35,500|km2|sqmi|sp=us}}, and extends from northern [[Maharashtra]] through [[Goa]], [[Karnataka]] and [[Kerala]] to [[Kanyakumari district|Kanniyakumari]] in southernmost [[Tamil Nadu]].

The ecoregion extends from sea level to the 250 meter contour of the Western Ghats. It is bounded on the east by the [[North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests]] in Maharashtra and Karnataka, and the [[South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests]] in Kerala.

Much of the ecoregion is densely populated, and it includes several large cities, including [[Mumbai]] in Maharashtra, [[Mormugao]] and [[Margao]] in Goa, [[Mangalore]] in Karnataka, and [[Thiruvananthapuram]], [[Kochi]], and [[Kozhikode]] in Kerala.

==Climate==
The climate is tropical and humid. Rainfall varies seasonally, falling mostly with the southwest monsoon between June and September. Rainfall is generally higher in the south, decreasing and becoming more seasonal as one moves north.<ref name = wikramanayake>Wikramanayake, Eric; Eric Dinerstein; Colby J. Loucks; et al. (2002). ''Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: a Conservation Assessment.'' Island Press; [[Washington, DC]]. pp. 311-313</ref>

==Flora==
The original vegetation in the ecoregion was tropical evergreen rainforest, with some deciduous trees particularly in drier areas. The original forests have mostly been replaced with or interspersed with [[teak]] (''Tectona grandis''), a mostly deciduous tree that drops its leaves during the winter dry season.<ref name = wwf/>

Characteristic canopy trees include ''[[Tetrameles nudiflora]], [[Stereospermum personatum]], [[Dysoxylum binectariferum]], [[Ficus nervosa]], [[Ficus glomerata]], [[Pterocarpus marsupium]], [[Salmalia malabarica]], [[Terminalia bellerica]], [[Terminalia tomentosa]], [[Anogeissus latifolia]], [[Dalbergia latifolia]], [[Lannea coromandelica]], [[Madhuca indica]], [[Garuga pinnata]], [[Syzygium cumini]], [[Olea dioica]], [[Pouteria tomentosa]], [[Bridelia retusa]], [[Mangifera]]'' spp., and ''[[Actinodaphne angustifolia]]''. There is an understorey of low trees (''[[Erythrina variegata]], [[Butea monosperma]], [[Wrightia tinctoria]], [[Bauhinia racemosa]]'', and ''[[Zizyphus rugosa]]'') and shrubs (''[[Flacourtia]] spp., [[Woodfordia fruticosa]], [[Meyna laxiflora]]'', and ''[[Carissa congesta]]'').<ref name = wwf/>

In drier areas along Karnataka's northern coast, the deciduous trees ''[[Lagerstroemia microcarpa]]'', teak (''Tectona grandis''), and ''[[Dillenia pentagyna]]'' are predominant.<ref name = wwf/>

[[Myristica swamp|Swamp forests]] of ''[[Myristica]]'' spp. are found in low-lying coastal areas, but are now endangered.<ref name = wwf/> The [[Kerala Backwaters]] are an extensive coastal lagoon system in the southern portion of the ecoregion.

==Fauna==
There are 97 native mammal species in the ecoregion. The ecoregion's remaining habitat is too limited and fragmented to support viable populations of most larger mammals, including [[Asian elephant]] (''Elephas maximus''), [[tiger]] (''Panthera tigris)'' [[sloth bear]] (''Melursus ursinus''), [[gaur]] (''Bos gaurus''), and [[dhole]] (''Cuon alpinus''). Wild tigers and Asian elephants are locally extinct, but still found in adjacent portions of the Western Ghats. The other large mammals are locally threatened.<ref name = wwf/>

Several smaller mammals are threatened by habitat loss, including the [[gray slender loris]] (''Loris lydekkerianus''), [[Jerdon's palm civet]] (''Paradoxurus jerdoni''), and [[grizzled giant squirrel]] (''Ratufa macroura'').<ref name = wwf/>

The ecoregion has one strictly endemic species, the [[Kerala rat]] (''Rattus ranjiniae''). [[Day's shrew]] (''Suncus dayi'') is found in both the Malabar Coast forests and the adjacent [[South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests]]. The Nilgiri langur (''Semnopithecus johnii''), Jerdon's civet, and the [[Malabar large-spotted civet]] (''Viverra civettina'') also inhabit the South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests and South Western Ghats montane forests. The [[Travancore flying squirrel]] (''Petinomys fuscocapillus'') is found in the ecoregion and on [[Sri Lanka]].<ref name = wwf/>

There are 280 native species of birds, including the [[Malabar grey hornbill]] (''Ocyceros griseus''), [[Indian grey hornbill]] (''Ocyceros birostris''), [[great hornbill]] (''Buceros bicornis''), [[lesser florican]] (''Sypheotides indicus''), and [[greater flamingo]] (''Phoenicopterus roseus'').<ref name = wwf/>

==Conservation and threats==
Very little of the natural vegetation of the ecoregion remains; it has largely been cleared for [[agriculture]], grazing, and teak plantations.<ref name = wwf/>

==Protected areas==
A 2017 assessment found that 1,251 km², or 4%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas.<ref name = dinerstein/> Protected areas include:<ref name = wikramanayake/><ref>"Malabar Coast moist forests". Digital Observatory for Protected Areas Explorer 4. Accessed 13 November 2020. [https://dopa-explorer.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ecoregion/40124]</ref>

* [[Sanjay Gandhi National Park]], [[Maharashtra]] (50 km²)
* [[Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park]], [[Goa]] (150 km²)
* [[Peechi-Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary]], [[Kerala]] (100 km²)
* [[Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary]], Maharashtra
* [[Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary]], Kerala

* [[Idamalayar]] Reserve Forest (partly in the [[South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests]] and the [[South Western Ghats montane rain forests]])

==See also==
* [[List of ecoregions in India]]
* [[South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests]]
* [[South Western Ghats montane rain forests]]
* [[Malabar rainforests]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{commons-inline}}
* {{WWF ecoregion|name=Malabar Coast moist forests|id=im0124}}
* {{NatGeo ecoregion|id=im0124|name=Malabar Coast moist forests}}

{{coord missing|Kerala}}

{{Ecoregions of India}}

[[Category:Malabar Coast moist forests| ]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of India]]
[[Category:Indomalayan ecoregions]]
[[Category:Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests]]
[[Category: Environment of Goa]]

Malabar Coast moist forests - Revision history

Meherhospital at 04:04, 6 October 2025