Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests

The Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests (also Kathiarbar-Gir or Kathiawar-Gir) is a mostly arid ecoregion in northwestern India that stretches over 103,100 sq mi (267,000 km2) across Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The dry deciduous forests in the region are dominated by teak, and thorny trees and scrub in drier areas.[4]

Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests
arid landscape in Gir Forest
Ecoregion territory (in purple)
Ecology
RealmIndomalayan
Biometropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
BordersNarmada Valley dry deciduous forests, North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests, Northwestern thorn scrub forests and Upper Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests
Geography
Area265,995 km2 (102,701 sq mi)
CountryIndia
statesGujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan
Coordinates24.8°N 75.8°E / 24.8; 75.8[1]
Conservation
Conservation statuscritical/endangered
Protected11,335 km² (4%)[3]
Arid landscape in the Kathiawar-Gir dry deciduous forests

Landscape
The Aravalli Range is part of this ecoregion

The Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests include the Aravalli Range, the high point of which is Mount Abu with an elevation of 1,721 m (5,646 feet), and a small part of the Northwestern thorn scrub forests in the west. In the west is the Kathiawar Peninsula and the strip of western Rajasthan between the Aravalli Range and Thar Desert. To the northwest, the Kathiawar-Gir dry deciduous forests transit to the Upper Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests. To the southeast lies the Narmada Valley dry deciduous forests, of the Vindhya Range, and the Narmada River Valley. The ecoregion also borders the North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests in southeastern Gujarat.

The ecoregion has a tropical monsoon climate, with most of its 550 to 700 mm average annual rainfall during the June–September southwest monsoon and little for the remaining months of the year, while temperatures often exceed 40 °C. Higher elevations of the Aravallis stay cooler, and the windward slopes (generally southeast-facing) receive higher rainfall. This results in a dry landscape of thorny scrub, bare trees and rocks.[4]

Flora
A silk-cotton tree in full bloom

The composition of the ecoregion's forests varies with moisture and soil. They have a three-storied structure, with the top story reaching 15 to 25 m (49 to 82 ft). Arid areas are dominated by Anogeissus pendula growing in association with khair, especially on the quartzite ridges and gneiss hillocks of the Aravalli Range. Less arid areas are dominated by teak (Tectona grandis), bael (Aegle marmelos), Boswellia serrata, Desmodium oojeinense, Diospyros species, silk-cotton tree, Sterculia urens, Phyllanthus emblica, Dalbergia paniculata, and Terminalia elliptica. Mount Abu is covered in dry deciduous forest with conifers at the highest elevations. Thorn scrub forests, characterized by Euphorbia caducifolia, Maytenus emarginata, Acacia senegal, Commiphora mukul, Wrightia tinctoria, Flueggea leucopyrus, Grewia species, occur on rocky Aravalli hillsides and in degraded areas. The endemic species Dicliptera abuensis, Strobilanthes halbergii, and Veronica anagallis also grow in these areas. Date palms (Phoenix sylvestris) and fig trees (Ficus racemosa) grow near rivers and streams of the hills.[4]

Fauna

Bird species include the:[4]

The protected areas of this region are also home to 80 mammal species including[4]

  • Bengal tiger in Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan
  • Male Asiatic lion in Gir Forest National Park, Gujarat
  • Indian leopard at Gir
  • Striped hyena
  • Golden jackal in the area of Rajkot
  • An Indian sloth bear walking on the road in Ratan Mahal Sloth Bear Sanctuary
  • Mugger crocodile at Gir
  • Great Indian bustard at the Naliya grasslands, Kutch
  • White-naped tit foraging on Prosopis juliflora at Kutch
  • A female lesser florican in flight from Rajasthan

Threats to biodiversity

The human population in the region is growing, and wildlife habitats have mostly been removed or degraded due to collection of firewood and timber, and use as grazing land for livestock.

Protected areas

Protected areas cover 8,980 km2 (3,470 sq mi) in this ecoregion, and include:[4]

  • "Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.

References
  1. World Database on Protected Areas (2019). "Darrah in India". Protected Planet United Nations Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre.
  2. World Database on Protected Areas (2019). "Darrah in India". Protected Planet United Nations Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre.
  3. 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.
  4. "Khathiar-Gir Dry Deciduous Forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2017-02-14.
  5. Pathak, B. J. (1990). "Rusty-spotted Cat Felis rubiginosa Geoffroy: a new record for Gir Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society (87): 8.
  6. Alam, M. S.; Khan, J. A.; Njoroge, C. H.; Kumar, S.; Meena, R. L. (2015). "Food preferences of the Golden Jackal Canis aureus in the Gir National Park and Sanctuary, Gujarat, India". Journal of Threatened Taxa. 7 (2): 6927–6933. doi:10.11609/jott.o3954.6927-33.
  7. Jhala, Y. V.; Qureshi, Q.; Sinha, P. R., eds. (2011). Status of tigers, co-predators and prey in India, 2010. TR 2011/003 pp-302 (PDF). New Delhi, Dehradun: National Tiger Conservation Authority, Govt. of India, and Wildlife Institute of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-01-20.
  8. Singh, H. S.; Gibson, L. (2011). "A conservation success story in the otherwise dire megafauna extinction crisis: The Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica) of Gir forest" (PDF). Biological Conservation. 144 (5): 1753–1757. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2011.02.009.
  9. Garshelis, D. L.; Joshi, A. R.; Smith, J. L. D. & Rice, C. G. "Sloth Bear Conservation Action Plan". Bears: status survey and conservation action plan (PDF). Gland: IUCN. pp. 225–240. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
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