| South Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Ecoregion territory (in purple) | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Indomalayan |
| Biome | tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests |
| Borders | |
| Geography | |
| Area | 81,925 km2 (31,631 mi2) |
| Country | India |
| States | |
| Conservation | |
| Conservation status | critical/endangered |
| Protected | 7,597 km2 (9%)[1] |
TheSouth Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests is atropical dry forestecoregion in southernIndia. The ecoregion lies in the southernmost portion of theDeccan Plateau, and includes the southernmost portion of theEastern Ghats.
The ecoregion lies in the rain shadow of theWestern Ghats, and receives most of its rainfall with the June–Septembersouthwest monsoon. It is characterized by tall trees that drop their leaves during the dry winter and spring months. Much of the forest has been degraded through over-use, and thorn forests and shrub thickets are common. To the north and east, the dry deciduous forests transition to the drierDeccan thorn scrub forests.
These forests have three stories, with an upper canopy at 15–25 m (49–82 ft), an understory at 10–15 m (33–49 ft), and undergrowth at 3–5 m (9.8–16.4 ft). Trees are draped inlianas in denser, mature forests. The vegetation is characterized byAlbizia amara,Anogeissus latifolia,Boswellia serrata,Cassia fistula,Chloroxylon swietenia,Dalbergia latifolia,Diospyros montana,Hardwickia binata,Pterocarpus marsupium,Senegalia catechu,Shorea talura,Sterospermum personatum,Terminalia bellirica,Terminalia paniculata, andTerminalia elliptica.Sal found here is used for railway sleepers and house construction whileteak, a durable timber, is used for ship building and furniture. Sandalwood (Santalum album) is used for perfume and semal for toys.[2]
The ecoregion is home to 75 mammal species. Threatened species include theIndian elephant (Elephas maximus), wild dog (Cuon alpinus),sloth bear (Melursus ursinus),chousingha (Tetracerus quadricornis),gaur (Bos gaurus), andgrizzled giant squirrel (Ratufa macruora).Salim Ali's fruit bat (Latidens salimalii) is critically endangered, and is near-endemic.[3] 260 species of birds live in the eco-region,such as therufous babbler (Turdoides subrufus) andyellow-throated bulbul (Pycnonotus xantholaemus). The threatenedgreat Indian bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) andlesser florican (Eupodotis indica) inhabit the eco-region.[3]
Media related toSouth Deccan Plateau Dry Deciduous Forests Ecoregion at Wikimedia Commons12°00′00″N77°30′00″E / 12.0000°N 77.5000°E /12.0000; 77.5000