| Malabar Coast moist forests | |
|---|---|
 Chital (Axis axis) inSanjay Gandhi National Park | |
 Map of the Malabar Coast moist forests ecoregion | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Indomalayan |
| Biome | tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests |
| Borders | |
| Geography | |
| Area | 34,219 km2 (13,212 mi2) |
| Country | India |
| States | |
| Conservation | |
| Conservation status | critical/endangered[1] |
| Protected | 1,251 km² (4%)[2] |
TheMalabar Coast moist forests are atropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of southwesternIndia.
The ecoregion lies along India'sKonkan andMalabar coasts, in a narrow strip between theArabian Sea and theWestern Ghats range, which runs parallel to the coast. It has an area of 35,500 square kilometers (13,700 sq mi), and extends from northernMaharashtra throughGoa,Karnataka andKerala toKanniyakumari in southernmostTamil Nadu.
The ecoregion extends from sea level to the 250 meter contour of the Western Ghats. It is bounded on the east by theNorth Western Ghats moist deciduous forests in Maharashtra and Karnataka, and theSouth Western Ghats moist deciduous forests in Kerala.
Much of the ecoregion is densely populated, and it includes several large cities, includingMumbai in Maharashtra,Mormugao andMargao in Goa,Mangalore in Karnataka, andThiruvananthapuram,Kochi, andKozhikode in Kerala.
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.[3]
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 withteak (Tectona grandis), a mostly deciduous tree that drops its leaves during the winter dry season.[1]
Characteristic canopy trees includeTetrameles 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., andActinodaphne angustifolia. There is an understorey of low trees (Erythrina variegata,Butea monosperma,Wrightia tinctoria,Bauhinia racemosa, andZizyphus rugosa) and shrubs (Flacourtia spp.,Woodfordia fruticosa,Meyna laxiflora, andCarissa congesta).[1]
In drier areas along Karnataka's northern coast, the deciduous treesLagerstroemia microcarpa, teak (Tectona grandis), andDillenia pentagyna are predominant.[1]
Swamp forests ofMyristica spp. are found in low-lying coastal areas, but are now endangered.[1] TheKerala Backwaters are an extensive coastal lagoon system in the southern portion of the ecoregion.
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, includingAsian elephant (Elephas maximus),tiger (Panthera tigris)sloth bear (Melursus ursinus),gaur (Bos gaurus), anddhole (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.[1]
Several smaller mammals are threatened by habitat loss, including thegray slender loris (Loris lydekkerianus),Jerdon's palm civet (Paradoxurus jerdoni), andgrizzled giant squirrel (Ratufa macroura).[1]
The ecoregion has one strictly endemic species, theKerala rat (Rattus ranjiniae).Day's shrew (Suncus dayi) is found in both the Malabar Coast forests and the adjacentSouth Western Ghats moist deciduous forests. The Nilgiri langur (Semnopithecus johnii), Jerdon's civet, and theMalabar large-spotted civet (Viverra civettina) also inhabit the South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests and South Western Ghats montane forests. TheTravancore flying squirrel (Petinomys fuscocapillus) is found in the ecoregion and onSri Lanka.[1]
There are 280 native species of birds, including theMalabar grey hornbill (Ocyceros griseus),Indian grey hornbill (Ocyceros birostris),great hornbill (Buceros bicornis),lesser florican (Sypheotides indicus), andgreater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus).[1]
Very little of the natural vegetation of the ecoregion remains; it has largely been cleared foragriculture, grazing, and teak plantations.[1]
A 2017 assessment found that 1,251 km², or 4%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas.[2] Protected areas include:[3][4]
Media related toMalabar Coast moist forests at Wikimedia Commons