Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows

Last updated
Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows
Valley of flowers uttaranchal full view.JPG
Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows in Valley of Flowers National Park in Uttarakhand, India
Ecology
Realm Palearctic
Biome Montane grasslands and shrublands
Borders
Bird species389 [1]
Mammal species61 [1]
Geography
Area70,200 km2 (27,100 sq mi)
Countries China, India and Nepal
Conservation
Habitat loss17.291% [1]
Protected19.18% [1]

The Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion of Nepal, India, and Tibet, which lies between the tree line and snow line in the western portion of the Himalaya Range.

Contents

Setting

The Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows covers an area of 70,200 square kilometres (27,100 sq mi), extending from the Kali Gandaki Gorge in central Nepal westwards across Uttarakhand and eastern Himachal Pradesh states of India to the gorge of the Sutlej River, and into southwestern Tibet. The alpine shrub and meadows lie between approximately 3,000 and 5,000 metres (9,800 and 16,400 ft) elevation.

The Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows lie east of the Kali Gandaki gorge, while the Northwestern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows lies west of the Sutlej. Below 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) lie the Western Himalayan subalpine conifer forests. Permanent ice and snow lies above 5,000 metres (16,000 ft). To the north, the Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows transition to the drier Central Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe of central Tibet. The Karakoram-West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe lies to the southwest.

Flora

Alpine shrublands, dominated by rhododendrons, predominate at lower elevations close to the treeline.

Above the shrublands are alpine meadows, known as bugyals or bughiyals, which support a variety of herbaceous plants, including species of Anaphalis, Cyananthus, Jurinea, Morina, Potentilla, Gentiana, Delphinium, Meconopsis, Pedicularis, Anemone, Aster, Polygonum, Primula , and Saussurea . In the spring and summer, the alpine meadows are covered with brightly colored flowers.

On the upper slopes, low plants of genera Saxifraga, Allium, Corydalis, Eriophyton, Stellaria, Soroseris , and Cremanthodium grow among the boulders and scree.

An alpine steppe of Caragana pygma, C. gerardiana, Lonicera spinosa, Juniperus squamata, Juniperus indica, Ephedra gerardiana, Hippophae tibetana, Myricaria rosea, Lonicera spinulosa , and Berberis can be found in drier parts of the ecoregion.

Fauna

Large mammals include the snow leopard (Uncia uncia), bharal or Himalayan blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur), Himalayan tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus), Himalayan musk deer (Moschus chrysogaster), and mainland serow (Capricornis sumatraensis). Smaller mammals include weasels and pikas.

Conservation

Several protected areas lie within or partly within the ecoregion, including:

See also

Related Research Articles

Himalayan monal Species of bird

The Himalayan monal, also known as the Impeyan monal and Impeyan pheasant, is a pheasant native to Himalayan forests and shrublands at elevations of 2,100–4,500 m (6,900–14,800 ft). It is part of the family Phasianidae and is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It is the national bird of Nepal, where it is known as the danphe or danfe, and state bird of Uttarakhand, India, where it is known as the monal. It was also the state bird of Himachal Pradesh until 2007.

Gangotri National Park

Gangotri National Park is a national park in Uttarkashi District of Uttarakhand in India, covering about 2,390 km2 (920 sq mi). Its habitat consists of coniferous forests, alpine meadows and glaciers.

Himalayan subtropical pine forests

The Himalayan subtropical pine forests are a large subtropical coniferous forest ecoregion covering portions of Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.

Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests

The Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests is a temperate broadleaf forest 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.

Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows

The Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion of Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, and Nepal, which lies between the tree line and snow line in the eastern portion of the Himalaya Range.

Indian Himalayan Region

The Indian Himalayan Region'(IHR) is the section of the Himalayas within India, spanning 11 Indian states and union territories namely UTs of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, and States of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya, Assam and West Bengal. The region is responsible for providing water to a large part of the Indian subcontinent and contains various flora and fauna.

Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary wildlife sanctuary in Uttarakhand, India

Kedarnath Wild Life Sanctuary, also called the Kedarnath Musk Deer Sanctuary, is a wildlife sanctuary declared under Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and located in Uttarakhand, India. Its alternate name comes from its primary purpose of protecting the endangered Himalayan musk deer. Consisting of an area of 975 km2 (376 sq mi), it is the largest protected area in the western Himalayas.It is famous for alpine musk deer, Himalayan Thar, Himalayan Griffon, Himalayan Black bear, Snow Leopard and other flora park and fauna. It is internationally important for the diversity of its flora and fauna.

Western Himalayan broadleaf forests

The Western Himalayan broadleaf forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forest ecoregion which is found in the middle elevations of the western Himalayas, including parts of Nepal, India, and Pakistan.

Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests

The Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests is a temperate coniferous forests ecoregion which is found in the middle and upper elevations of the eastern Middle Himalayas, in western Nepal, Bhutan and northern Indian states including Arunachal Pradesh.

Northeastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests

The Northeastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests are a temperate coniferous forests ecoregion of the middle to upper elevations of the eastern Himalayas and southeast Tibetan Plateau. The ecoregion occurs in southeastern Tibet Autonomous Region, China, in northern and eastern Arunachal Pradesh, India, and extreme eastern Bhutan.

Northwestern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows

The Northwestern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion of the elevations of the northwestern Himalaya of China, India, and Pakistan.

Western Himalayan subalpine conifer forests

The Western Himalayan subalpine conifer forests is a temperate coniferous forests ecoregion of the middle and upper elevations of the western Middle Himalayas of Nepal, India, and Pakistan.

Karakoram–West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe Montane grasslands and shrublands in parts of Pakistan, China, Afghanistan, and India

The Karakoram-West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion found in parts of Pakistan, China, Afghanistan, and India.

The ecology of the Himalayas varies with climate, rainfall, altitude, and soils. The climate ranges from tropical at the base of the mountains to permanent ice and snow at the highest elevations. The amount of yearly rainfall increases from west to east along the southern front of the range. This diversity of climate, altitude, rainfall and soil conditions supports a variety of distinct plant and animal species, such as the Nepal gray langur

Govind Pashu Vihar National Park

Govind Pashu Vihar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary is a national park in Uttarakhand, India established initially as a wildlife sanctuary in 1955, and was later converted into a national park. It is named after a prominent Indian freedom fighter and politician Govind Ballabh Pant, who became Home Minister in 1955 and is remembered for his achievement in establishing Hindi as an official language.

Fambong Lho Wildlife Sanctuary

Fambong Lho Wildlife Sanctuary is a 51 km2 (20 sq mi) large wildlife sanctuary in East Sikkim district of the state of Sikkim in India. It is contiguous with Khangchendzonga National Park and located around 30 km (19 mi) west of Gangtok. It hosts a few small hamlets inside, namely Dikchu, Pangthang, and Mangan and is managed by State Forest Department.

Naina Devi Himalayan Bird Conservation Reserve

Naina Devi Himalayan Bird Conservation Reserve is a wildlife reserve in the Nainital district of the state of Uttarakhand in India. This reserve forest is located in Kumaon region of Uttarakhand and placed inside Nainital forest division. Nainital forest division at present has several birding trails and forest patches consisting of temperate broad-leaf forests to alpine grasslands to rhododendron shrubberies. Wide altitudinal variation supports a very large segment of avian fauna to inhibit in this forest range.

Mediterranean High Atlas juniper steppe

The Mediterranean High Atlas juniper steppe is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion in Morocco. It extends along the High Atlas range of northwestern Africa's Atlas Mountains.

Baluchistan xeric woodlands

The Baluchistan xeric woodlands ecoregion covers the middle elevations of a series of mountain ranges of western Pakistan and northeastern Afghanistan, reaching 1,200 kilometres (750 mi) from the Arabian Sea in the south to the Hindu Kush Mountains and the Himalayas in the north. The characteristic vegetation is xeric (dry) woodlands of shrubs and herbaceous cover. The region has rich biodiversity but relatively few endemic species.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Hoekstra, J. M.; Molnar, J. L.; Jennings, M.; Revenga, C.; Spalding, M. D.; Boucher, T. M.; Robertson, J. C.; Heibel, T. J.; Ellison, K. (2010). Molnar, J. L. (ed.). The Atlas of Global Conservation: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities to Make a Difference . University of California Press. ISBN   978-0-520-26256-0.