imported>Tom Radulovich: Undid revision 1032715887 by 117.206.177.87 (talk)

2021-07-11T07:13:14Z

Undid revision 1032715887 by 117.206.177.87 (talk)

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{{Infobox ecoregion
| name = Western Himalayan broadleaf forests
| image = Lolab Valley-Kupwara.JPG
| image_size =
| image_alt =
| image_caption = Lolab Valley-Kupwara
| country1 = [[Nepal]]
| country2 = [[Pakistan]]
| country3 = [[India]]
| border = [[Western Himalayan subalpine conifer forests]]
| border1 = [[Himalayan subtropical pine forests]]
| border2 = [[Northwestern thorn scrub forests]]
| bird_species = 126<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 = 115<ref name = "Atlas"/>
| habitat_loss = 78.237
| habitat_loss_ref = <ref name = "Atlas"/>
| protected = 6.62
| protected_ref = <ref name = "Atlas"/>
| area = 55900
| biome = [[Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests]]
| map = Ecoregion IM0403.png
| map_size =
| map_alt =
| map_caption = Ecoregion territory (in purple)
}}

The '''Western Himalayan broadleaf forests''' is a [[temperate broadleaf and mixed forest]] [[terrestrial ecoregion|ecoregion]] which is found in the middle elevations of the western [[Himalayas]], including parts of [[Nepal]], [[India]], and [[Pakistan]].<ref name="dopa">{{cite web|title=Western Hamalayan broadleaf forests|url=https://dopa-explorer.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ecoregion/40403|publisher=Digital Observatory for Protected Areas|language=en|access-date=September 6, 2020}}</ref>

==Setting==
The ecoregion forms an area of temperate broadleaf forest covering {{convert|55900|sqkm|mi2}} in a narrow band between {{convert|1500|to|2600|m|ft}} elevation, extending from the [[Gandaki River]] gorge in Nepal, through [[Uttar Pradesh]] and [[Himachal Pradesh]] in northern India, into disputed area of [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]] and parts of Pakistan. This ecoregion is drier and the forest is more fragmented than its [[Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests]] counterpart, which receive more moisture from the [[Bay of Bengal]] monsoon but is still valuable habitat especially as part of the pattern of habitats found at different elevations on the Himalayan mountainsides. Many species of birds and animals migrate up and down the mountains seasonally from the grasslands of the plains below to the high peaks.<ref name="eoe">{{cite web|title=Western Hamalayan broadleaf forests|url=https://editors.eol.org/eoearth/wiki/Western_Himalayan_broadleaf_forests|publisher=Encyclopedia of the Earth|language=en|access-date=September 6, 2020}}</ref>

At lower elevations, this ecoregion grades into [[Himalayan subtropical pine forests]]. At higher elevations, it grades into [[Western Himalayan subalpine conifer forests]] as well as [[Northwestern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows]] and [[Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows]].<ref>{{WWF ecoregion|name=Western Himalayan broadleaf forests|id=im0403}}</ref>

==Flora==
The Western Himalayan broadleaf forests may be divided into forests of two types: evergreen and deciduous broadleaved forests.

The evergreen broadleaf forest is dominated by [[Quercus|oak]]s, consisting of ''[[Quercus semecarpifolia]], [[Quercus leucotrichophora]], [[Quercus floribunda]], [[Quercus lanata]], [[Quercus glauca]] and [[Quercus baloot]].'' This forest is typically found on moister southern slopes, which are more influenced by the [[monsoon]]. Various [[Lauraceae]] call this forest home, including ''[[Machilus odoratissima]], [[Litsea umbrosa]], [[Litsea lanuginosa]]'', and ''[[Phoebe pulcherrima]]''. The understory features a rich assemblage of ferns, mosses, and [[epiphyte]]s. On northern slopes, drier areas, and higher elevations, conifers like ''[[Abies]], [[Picea]], [[Cedrus]]'', and ''[[Pinus]]'' thrives''.'' The wild olive, ' '[[olea cuspidata]]'' is found here too.<ref name="eoe"/>

The deciduous forest is found along rivers west of the [[Gandaki River]]. It includes ''[[Aesculus indica]]'', ''[[Juglans regia]], [[Carpinus viminea]]'', ''[[Alnus nepalensis]]'', and several ''[[Acer (genus)|Acer]]'' species like [[Acer caesium]], [[Acer acuminatum]], [[Acer cappadocicum]], [[Acer lobelia subsp. pictum]], [[Acer oblongum]], etc are found. In drier areas such as the valley of the upper [[Ghaghara River]] it includes ''[[Populus ciliata]]'', ''[[Ulmus wallichiana]]'', and ''[[Corylus colurna]]'' as well and the riverbanks are dominated by Himalayan alder (''[[Alnus nitida]]'').

==Fauna==
Although there is less wildlife here than in the wetter Eastern Himalayas, this ecoregion is home to seventy-six species of mammals. These include the [[Asiatic black bear]], [[Panthera pardus|leopard]], the [[Hemitragus jemlahicus|Himalayan tahr]], and the threatened [[Himalayan serow]] (Capricornis thar). There is one endemic mammal, the [[Kashmir cave bat]] (''Myotis longipes'') while the threatened [[Peter's tube-nosed bat]] (''Murina grisea'') is near-endemic.

About 315 species of birds have been recorded in this ecoregion from tiny warblers to large pheasants such as the [[western tragopan]] (''Tragopan melanocephalus''), [[satyr tragopan]] (''Tragopan satyra''), [[koklass pheasant]] (''Pucrasia macrolopha''), [[Himalayan monal]] (''Lophophorus impejanus'') and [[cheer pheasant]] (''Catreus wallichi''). Near-endemic birds of the forests include the [[white-cheeked tit]], [[white-throated tit]], [[spectacled finch]], [[Kashmir flycatcher]], [[Tytler's leaf-warbler]], [[orange bullfinch]], and [[Kashmir nuthatch]], while the [[Himalayan quail]] which used to be found here is now thought to be extinct.<ref name="eoe"/>

==Threats and conservation==
The Himalayas receive large numbers of visitors every year including religious pilgrims and trekkers. Although there a large number of protected areas each of them are quite small and most of original forest has been cleared for [[logging]] or for agricultural land, a process which is ongoing. Only a third remains unspoilt, with the largest patches remaining in the west of the ecoregion and any forest clearance on these steep mountainsides quickly results in soil erosion and oversilting of the rivers below. Protected areas in this ecoregion include [[Askot Musk Deer Sanctuary]], and parts of the [[Govind Pashu Vihar Wildlife Sanctuary]], [[Rupi Bhabha Sanctuary]] and the large [[Kishtwar National Park]].<ref name="eoe"/>

==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 and China'', showing the '''Western Himalaya Temperate Forests''' Ecoregion]

{{-}}
{{Indomalaya temperate broadleaf and mixed forests}}
{{Ecoregions of India}}

{{Uttarakhand}}

[[Category:Western Himalayan broadleaf forests| ]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of the Himalayas]]
[[Category:Himalayan forests]]
[[Category:Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of India]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of Nepal]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Flora of Nepal|*]]
[[Category:Forests of India]]
[[Category:Forests of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Biota of India]]
[[Category:Biota of Nepal]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of Asia]]
[[Category:Indomalayan ecoregions]]
[[Category:Forests of Nepal]]

Western Himalayan broadleaf forests - Revision history

imported>Tom Radulovich: Undid revision 1032715887 by 117.206.177.87 (talk)