Ajay Kumar at 20:03, 30 August 2023

2023-08-30T20:03:50Z

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{{Short description|Ecoregion of India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}

{{Infobox ecoregion
| name = Meghalaya subtropical forests
| image = File:East Khasi Hills.jpg
| image_size =
| image_alt =
| image_caption =
| map = Ecoregion IM0126.png
| map_size =
| map_alt =
| map_caption = Ecoregion territory (in purple)
| biogeographic_realm = [[Indomalayan realm|Indomalayan]]
| biome = [[tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests]]
| border = [[Mizoram–Manipur–Kachin rain forests]]
| border1 = [[Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests]]
| border2 = [[Lower Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests]]
| bird_species = 659
| mammal_species = 110
| area = 41,700
| country = [[India]]
| country1 = [[Bangladesh]]
| state = [[Meghalaya]]
| state1 = [[Assam]]
| state2 = [[Nagaland]]
| elevation =
| geology = Limestone formations ([[Karbi-Meghalaya plateau]] and westward arm of the [[Patkai Range]])
| conservation = Vulnerable
| habitat_loss =
| habitat_loss_ref =
| protected = 1.07 (2.78) 
| protected_ref = <ref>Note: The figure in parentheses also includes reserved forest areas.</ref>
}}

The '''Meghalaya subtropical forests''' is an [[ecoregion]] of [[Northeast India]]. The ecoregion covers an area of {{convert|41,700|km2|sqmi|sp=us}}, and despite its name, comprise not only the state of [[Meghalaya]], but also parts of southern [[Assam]], and a tiny bit of [[Nagaland]] around [[Dimapur]] and adjacent [[Bangladesh]]. It also contains many other habitats than subtropical forests, but the montane subtropical forests found in Meghalaya is an important [[biome]], and was once much more widespread in the region, and for these reasons chosen as the most suitable name.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/im0126|title=Southern Asia: Eastern India|publisher=[[World Wildlife Fund]] (WWF)|access-date=22 July 2019}}</ref><ref>Note: The Meghalaya subtropical forests [IM0126] ecoregion was chosen by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to be almost identical to the previous biogeographical unit North-East Hills (19b) from {{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/protectedareassy97mack/page/n229|title=Protected Areas Systems Review of the Indo-Malayan Realm|author=MacKinnon|publisher=The Asian Bureau for Conservation Limited|date=March 1997|isbn=9789628515219 }}</ref> The scientific designation is IM0126.

The Meghalaya subtropical forests are part of the larger [[Indo-Burma biological hotspot]] with many [[endemic species]] not found anywhere else in the world. Together with the [[Western Ghats]], [[Northeast India]] are the only two regions of India endowed with rainforest. For these and other reasons, protection and conservation of the Meghalaya subtropical forests are important on a local, national, regional and even global level.

The ecoregion is one of the most [[biodiversity|species-rich]] areas in India, with a rich diversity of birds, mammals, and plants in particular. The lowlands holds mostly tropical forests, while the hills and mountains, that comprise most of the area, are covered in grasslands and several distinct types of forest habitats, including [[subtropical moist broadleaf forest]]s in some of the montane areas above 1,000 metres. The region is one of the wettest areas in the world, with some places, notably [[Mawsynram]] and [[Cherrapunji]] in the south of Meghalaya, receiving up to eleven meters of rain in a year.

The [[Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests]] ecoregion lies to the north, the [[Mizoram–Manipur–Kachin rain forests]] ecoregion lies to the east, and the [[Lower Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests]] ecoregion lies to the west and south in [[Bangladesh]].

==Flora==
[[File:Nature Scenic Landscape Meghalaya Laitmawsiang India July 2011.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Fog and mist are persistent in these continuously moist forests]]
The elevated and damp forest ecoregion is a center of diversity for the tree genera ''[[Magnolia]]'' and ''[[Michelia]]'', and the families [[Elaeocarpaceae]] and [[Elaeagnaceae]]. Over 320 species of [[orchid]]s are native to Meghalaya. The endemic [[pitcher plant]] (''[[Nepenthes khasiana]]'') is now an endangered species. About 3,128 flowering plant species have been reported from the state, of which 1,236 are [[endemic]].<ref>Khan et al., 1997</ref> In the later half of the 1800s, [[Joseph Dalton Hooker]], a British botanist and explorer, made a huge taxonomic collection for the [[Kew Herbarium]] from Khasi and Jaintia Hills and remarked the place as one of the richest [[biodiversity]] spots in India, perhaps in all of Asia as well.<ref>Hooker, 1872-97</ref> Meghalaya state is rich in [[medicinal plant]] species, but the natural occurrence of most medicinal plants has decreased due to [[habitat]] loss. A total of 131 RET (Rare, Endemic and Threatened) medicinal plant species, including 36 [[endemic]] and 113 species under different threat categories, are found within Meghalaya.<ref>Mir et al., 2014</ref>

As in other rural areas of India, Meghalaya villages have an ancient tradition of nurturing [[Sacred groves of India|sacred groves]]. These are sacred spots within the forest where medicinal and other valued plants are grown and harvested sustainably, and they present a very high biodiversity. In Meghalaya these sacred groves are known as ''Law Kyntang'' or ''Law Lyngdoh''.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1023/A:1022401012824|year=2003|last1=Upadhaya|first1=K.|title=Tree diversity in sacred groves of the Jaintia hills in Meghalaya, northeast India|journal=Biodiversity and Conservation|volume=12|issue=3|pages=583–597|last2=Pandey|first2=H.N.|last3=Law|first3=P.S.|last4=Tripathi|first4=R.S.|s2cid=9581334 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |jstor = 23616662|title = Forest Management Practices of the Tribal People of Meghalaya, North-East India|journal = Journal of Tropical Forest Science|volume = 22|issue = 3|pages = 329–342|last1 = Tiwari|first1 = BK|last2 = Tynsong|first2 = H.|last3 = Lynser|first3 = MB|year = 2010}}</ref>
{{clear}}
<gallery>
File:Ind-BD border at Piyain River.JPG|The Meghalaya forests near the border with Bangladesh
File:Khrangsuri waterfall, Meghalaya 01.jpg|Streams and waterfalls are plentiful
File:Flaura and Fauna in Shillong,Meghalaya.jpg|
File:Forest in East Khashi hills district JEG7535.jpg|In the seasonal streams, heavy rain flushes all soil away, leaving only rocks and boulders.
File:Sonerila maculata 2906x2518.jpg|Spotted-Leaf [[Sonerila]] (''Sonerila maculata''), an undershrub species, is thriving in the wet conditions of the ecoregion.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Spotted-Leaf%20Sonerila.html|title=Spotted-Leaf Sonerila|publisher=Flowers of India (FOI)|access-date=19 July 2019}}</ref>
File:Sohra Orchid.jpg|Orchids (unidentified) growing wild in the forests
File:Cherrapunjee Rain Forests (7158996145).jpg|A forest path near Cherrapunji.
File:Jhum cultivation in Nokrek Biosphere Reserve Meghalaya India Northeast India 2004.jpg|Jhum cultivation, a [[slash-and-burn]] technique, is practised by the hill tribes as an ancient tradition.
</gallery>

==Fauna==
[[File:Rufous Necked Hornbill.jpg|thumb|There is a rich diversity of birds in these forests. Several types of [[Hornbills]] are here ([[Rufous-necked hornbill]]).]]
[[File:Gibbon Hoolock de l'ouest.JPG|thumb|The Western hoolock gibbon is the only [[ape]] in India, and they are dependent on these forests.]]
The montane ecoregion is home to a diverse mix of birds, with a total of 659 species recorded as of 2017. Some of the birds living here are endemic to the [[Indo-Burma|Indo-Burma ecoregion]], and quite a few species are threatened or near threatened on a global scale. Of these, two kinds of vultures, the [[Gyps bengalensis|Oriental White-backed Vulture]] and the [[Gyps tenuirostris|Slender-billed Vulture]], are both in need of extra protection as critically endangered species near extinction. The Meghalaya forests are not only important as a wildlife refuge for birds, it is also important to migratory birds on their long-distance flights.<ref name=MBB1>{{cite web|url=http://megbiodiversity.nic.in/threatened-faunal-species-meghalaya|title=Threatened Faunal Species in Meghalaya|publisher=Meghalaya Biodiversity Board|date=6 December 2017|access-date=21 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=http://ibcn.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Meghalaya.pdf|title=Important Bird Areas In India|chapter=Meghalaya|publisher=Government of India, Ministry of Environment & Forests|date=7 October 2004|pages=754–76|access-date=21 July 2019}}</ref>

The subtropical forests presents a diverse range of [[reptiles]], with as much as 56 species of known snakes, in addition to several lizards and turtles. The [[Tokay Gecko]], among the largest geckos in the world, are here, as are three different kinds of [[monitor lizard]]s, all of them to be protected since 1972, and a new species of [[skink]] (''sphenomorphus apalpebratus'') was discovered in the forests as late as 2013. Both [[Indotyphlops braminus|Brahminy Blind snake]] and [[Coelognathus radiatus|Copperhead Rat Head]] are among the more common snakes encountered in the forests, but there are several venomous and deadly serpents too, such as the [[Trimeresurus albolabris|Green Pit viper]] and the [[King Cobra]], the longest venomous snake in the world. Many of the snake species here are elusive (and rare), such as the [[Amphiesma xenura|Cherrapunji keelback]], [[Khasi keelback]] or [[Stoliczkaia khasiensis|Khasi earth snake]].<ref name=MBB1 />

The damp and moist environment of the Meghalaya forests also supports what is the most diverse range of [[amphibian]]s in North-east India, with a total of 33 recorded species living here. The two frog species [[Bufoides meghalayanus|Shillong bush frog]] and [[Khasi Hill toad]] are endemic, and both rare and threatened.<ref name=MBB1 />

[[Molluscs]] thrive in the moist conditions and are abundant throughout, both on land and in the water, As much as 223 species has been recorded by science, and many of the land-dwelling molluscs are endemic to Meghalaya. Fresh water molluscs are generally considered a good [[indicator species]] of clean waters, and Meghalaya's waterways are home to 35 species, with a lot of ''[[paludomus]]''-snails in the hill streams. Several types of fresh water snails are part of the hill tribes diet, including the large ''[[bellamya bengalensis]]'' snails.<ref name=MBB1 />

Situated between the mighty [[Brahmaputra]] in the north and the [[Barak River]] to the south, Meghalaya's many waterways are also home to a diverse range of fish species. 152 known species has been observed as of 2017. Two types of [[mahseer]] (''neolissochilus'' and ''tor'') are fished for sport.<ref name=MBB1 />

The subtropical forests are home to 110 species of mammals, none of which are endemic. By far, most of these species comprise smaller mammals, in particular [[bats]] and small carnivores, and the population of large mammals is comparatively sparse.<ref name=MBB1 /> The [[Western hoolock gibbon]]s in the forests of Meghalaya are globally endangered, and also threatened in this particular habitat, but they have a special place among the local tribes who cherish their song.<ref name=Hoolock /> Other large mammals important to conservation here includes the [[tiger]] (''Panthera tigris''), [[clouded leopard]] (''Pardofelis nebulosa''), [[Asian elephant]] (''Elephas maximus''), [[dhole]] or Asiatic wild dog (''Cuon alpinus''), [[sun bear]] (''Ursus malayanus''), [[sloth bear]] (''Melursus ursinus''), [[smooth-coated otter]] (''Lutrogale perspicillata''), [[Indian civet]] (''Viverra zibetha''), [[Chinese pangolin]] (''Manis pentadactyla''), [[Indian pangolin]] (''Manis crassicaudata''), [[Assamese macaque]] (''Macaca assamensis''), [[bear macaque]] (''Macaca arctoides''), and [[capped leaf monkey]] (''Semnopithecus pileatus'').

<gallery>
File:Blue Peacock (Papilio arcturus) (8364842473).jpg|Blue Peacock butterfly (''[[papilio arcturus]]''). Several species of butterflies and moths are living in the forests here.
File:Ampelophaga khasiana, female, underside. India, Jaintia Hills.jpg|Scarce vine hawkmoth (''[[Ampelophaga khasiana]]'', underside). This species can have a wingspan of more than 10 cm.
File:Marbelled map form natta.jpg|Marbled map (''[[Cyrestis cocles]]'')
File:Jerdon's Red Spotted Pit Viper (Protobothrops jerdonii).jpg|The woodlands are home to several kinds of snakes, including some large poisonous types. (here [[Yellow-speckled pit viper]])
File:A Capped Langur, Manas National Park.jpg|Capped leaf monkeys
File:Dhole or Wild dog (6).jpg|Asiatic wild dogs (dholes)
File:Clouded Leopard b d.jpg|Clouded leopards are the state animal of Meghalaya
File:Davidraju img3.jpg|Sloth bear. The forests are also home to several species of large (and dangerous) mammals.
File:Debarking DSC 0914.jpg|Asian elephants has found a refuge in the Meghalaya subtropical forests
</gallery>

== Protected areas ==
The ecoregion has several national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, but they are all of relatively small size.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pincodeindia.net/list-of-wildlife-sanctuary-and-national-park-in-meghalaya.php|title=List of Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks in Meghalaya|publisher=[[Pin Code India]]|date=2018|access-date=21 July 2019}}</ref> In addition, Meghalaya holds a total of 712.74 km2 reserved forest and 12.39 km2 protected forest.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.megforest.gov.in/megfor_list_resvprot_forest.html|title=Reserved and Protected Forests in Meghalaya|publisher=Forest and Environment Department, Meghalaya Government|access-date=20 July 2019}}</ref>

* [[Balphakram National Park]], a large national park in south Garo Hills
* [[Nokrek National Park]], in east Garo Hills
* [[Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary]]
* [[Siju Wildlife Sanctuary]], a bird sanctuary
* [[Narpuh Wildlife Sanctuary]]<ref>Note: Narpuh Wildlife Sanctuary was created in 2015 but is rarely presented as a wildlife sanctuary, perhaps because of local opposition.</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.highlandpost.org/?p=2721|title=Villagers to move SC against Narpuh eco-sensitive zone|publisher=Highland Post|date=5 November 2018|access-date=21 July 2019}}</ref>
* [[Baghmara Pitcher Plant Sanctuary]], a small sanctuary park of 2 hectares

Some of the reserved forest is used by locals for voluntary wildlife reserves, in particular to help save the threatened [[Hoolock Gibbon]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://e-pao.net/epSubPageExtractor.asp?src=news_section.Top_Stories.Press_Release.Meghalaya_declares_wildlife_reserve_village|title=Tribesmen in Sebalgre in Meghalaya declare their first notified Village Wildlife Reserve|author=Irina Ningthoujam|publisher=E-Pao|date=20 April 2007|access-date=21 July 2019}}</ref><ref name=Hoolock>{{cite web|url=https://news.mongabay.com/2019/05/for-indias-imperiled-apes-thinking-locally-matters/|title=For India's imperiled apes, thinking locally matters|author=Bikash Kumar Bhattacharya|publisher=[[Mongabay]]|date=23 May 2019|access-date=21 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/meghalaya-s-community-managed-forests-protect-endangered-western-hoolock-gibbon/story-Q4RQXcYYkvamxOwRXZMeOP.html|title=Meghalaya's community-managed forests protect endangered Western Hoolock Gibbon|author=Sibi Arasu|work=[[Hindustan Times]]|date=25 March 2019|access-date=21 July 2019}}</ref> Other parts of the reserved forest are maintained as [[wildlife corridors]], for elephants for example, and to safeguard against damaging [[habitat fragmentation]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldlandtrust.org/news/2013/12/rewak-emangre-corridor-declared-village-reserve-forest/|title=Rewak-Emangre Corridor is declared a Village Reserve Forest|publisher=[[World Land Trust]]|date=19 December 2013|access-date=21 July 2019}}</ref>

===Related parks and gardens ===
The nature and wildlife of Meghalaya, and the montane rainforests of the ecoregion in particular, is of interest to the tourist industry in the area, and to cater for these interests, an Eco Park has been created in [[Cherrapunjee]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cherrapunjee.net/Eco-Park-Cherrapunjee%7CEco-Tourism-Park.php|title=Cherrapunji - Eco Park|publisher=India Beacons|date=2012|access-date=20 July 2019}}</ref> Several waterfalls and caves of the region are also of interest to nature loving tourists.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://megtourism.gov.in/wildlife.html|title=Wild Life|publisher=Meghalaya Tourism|date=5 October 2017|access-date=20 July 2019}}</ref>

The state of Meghalaya maintains a total of three [[botanical garden]]s, all three are in the capital of [[Shillong]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://megbiodiversity.nic.in/botanical-gardens-meghalaya|title=Botanical Gardens in Meghalaya|publisher=Meghalaya Biodiversity Board|date=4 September 2012|access-date=20 July 2019}}</ref>

== Conservation status ==
The Meghalaya subtropical forest ecoregion is part of the larger [[Indo-Burma biological hotspot]] with many [[endemic species]] not found anywhere else in the world. Together with the [[Western Ghats]], [[Northeast India]] are the only two regions of India, endowed with rainforest. For these, and other, reasons, protection and conservation of the Meghalaya subtropical forests are important on a local, national, regional and even global level.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://megbiodiversity.nic.in/biodiversity-meghalaya|title=Biodiversity in Meghalaya|publisher=Meghalaya Biodiversity Board|date=18 December 2017|access-date=20 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Plant Diversity in the Himalaya Hotspot Region|chapter=Floristic diversity of Northeast India and its conservation|author=Saikia, Purabi & Khan, Mohammed|department=[[Central University of Jharkhand]], [[Dr. Hari Singh Gour University]]|publisher=Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh |date=2017|pages=1023–1036}}</ref>

As seen in other rainforests of the world, [[deforestation]] occurs on an alarming scale in Meghalaya too, with accelerated [[clearcutting]] for agriculture, industry, mining and infrastructure projects since the 1990s. Apart from the obvious loss of [[primary forest]], this has also caused local problems with [[soil erosion]] and [[habitat fragmentation|fragmentation of habitats]]. The clearcut areas in Meghalaya are sometimes allowed to regrow, but the [[second-growth forest]]s are much less species-rich (both flora and fauna), than the original forest. In addition to these problematic issues, the dense forest habitats of Meghalaya are also dwindling because of tree [[thinning]]. This [[forestry]] practise puts extra pressure on species that can only thrive in dense forests.{{cn|date=December 2019}} The root motivation for the increase in these environmentally changing practises are thought to be a high population growth and increased industrial activity in Meghalaya.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sanctuaryasia.com/component/content/article/81-news/2206-meghalayas-vanishing-wilderness.html|title=Meghalaya's Vanishing Wilderness|author=Anwaruddin Choudhury|publisher=[[Sanctuary Asia]]|date=October 2003|access-date=20 July 2019}}</ref>

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

== Sources ==
*Wikramanayake, Eric; Eric Dinerstein; Colby J. Loucks; et al. (2002). ''Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: a Conservation Assessment'', Island Press; [[Washington, DC]].
*Aabid Hussain Mir, Krishna Upadhaya and Hiranjit Choudhury (2014): ''Diversity of endemic and threatened ethnomedicinal plant species in Meghalaya, North-East India'', Int. Res. J. Env. Sc. 3(12): 64-78.
*Hooker, J.D. 1872-1897. ''The Flora of British India'', 7 vols. L. Reeva and Company, London.
*Khan, M.L., Menon, S. and Bawa, K.S. 1997. ''Effectiveness of the protected area network in biodiversity conservation: A case study of Meghalaya state'', Biodiversity and Conservation 6: 853-868.
*{{cite book|url=http://lib.icimod.org/record/26847/files/attachment_698.pdf|title=Biodiversity in the Eastern Himalayas: Status, Trends and Vulnerability to Climate Change|authors=Chettri N., Sharma E., Shakya B., Thapa |publisher=[[ICIMOD]] Books|date=2010}}

==Notes and references==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*{{WWF ecoregion|name=Meghalaya subtropical forests [IM0126] ecoregion|id=im0126}}
* {{cite web|url=https://ecoregions2017.appspot.com/|title=Ecoregions 2017|publisher=Resolve}}<br>Geographical ecoregion maps and basic info.
*{{cite web|url=http://megbiodiversity.nic.in/|title=Meghalaya Biodiversity Board|publisher=Government of Meghalaya}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071225012519/http://meghalaya.nic.in/naturalres/flora.htm Flora of Meghalaya (Government of Meghalaya)]

{{coord missing|Meghalaya}}

[[Category:Ecoregions of India]]
[[Category:Indomalayan ecoregions]]
[[Category:Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests]]

Meghalaya subtropical forests - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 20:03, 30 August 2023