WESTERN GHATS

Nidhi raghuwanshi
INTRODUCTION
The Western Ghats aka Sahyadri is a They influence Indian monsoon weather
mountain range  parallel to the western patterns by intercepting the rain-laden
coast of the Indian peninsula, traversing monsoon winds that sweep in from the
the states of TamilNadu, Kerala, Karnataka south-west during late summer.The range
, Goa, Maharashtra, and Gujarat.It is runs north to south along the western edge
a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the
of the eight hotspots of biological plateau from a narrow coastal plain,
diversity in the world. It is sometimes called Konkan, along the Arabian Sea. A
called the Great Escarpment of India. It total of thirty-nine areas in the Western
contains a very large proportion of the Ghats, including national parks, wildlife
country's flora and fauna, many of which sanctuaries and reserve forests, were
are only found in India and nowhere else in designated as world heritage sites in 2012
the world.the Western Ghats are older than – twenty in Kerala, ten in Karnataka, six
the Himalayas in Tamil Nadu and four in Maharashtra.
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   GEOLOGY 

The Western Ghats are the mountainous faulted and eroded edge of

the Deccan Plateau. Geologic evidence indicates that they were formed
during the break-up of the supercontinent of Gondwana some 150 million
years ago. Geophysical evidence indicates that the west coast of India came
into being somewhere around 100 to 80 mya after it broke away
from Madagascar. After the break-up, the western coast of India would have
appeared as an abrupt cliff some 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in elevation. Basalt is the
predominant rock found in the hills reaching a thickness of 3 km
(2 mi).laterite and bauxite ores are also found in the southern hills.

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QUICK PEAK AT WESTERN GHATS

ANAMUDI  , HIGHEST PEAK

Eravikulam National Park
1600 KM LENGTH 

100KM WIDTH

62,000 SQ MILES AREA

CENOZOIC AGE OF ROCK

BASALT TYPE OF ROCKS

,LATERITE

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 GEOGRAPHY

The Western Ghats extend from the Satpura Range in the north, stretching
from Gujarat to Tamil Nadu. It traverses south through the states
of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala. 
The mountains intercept the rain-bearing westerly monsoon winds, and are
consequently an area of high rainfall, particularly on their western side. The dense
forests also contribute to the precipitation of the area by acting as a substrate for
condensation of moist rising orographic winds from the sea, and releasing much of
the moisture back into the air via transpiration, allowing it to later condense and fall
again as rain.
 The northern portion of the narrow coastal plain between the Western Ghats and
the Arabian Sea is known as the Konkan, the central portion is called Kanara and the
southern portion is called Malabar .In the southern part of the range
is Anamudi (2,695 metres (8,842 ft)), the highest peak in the Western Ghats. Ooty is
called the Queen of the Western ghats.
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 WATERBODIES

The Western Ghats form one of the four watersheds of India, feeding the perennial
rivers of India. The major river systems originating in the Western
Ghatsare the Godavari, Kaveri, Krishna, Thamiraparani and Tungabhadra rivers. The
majority of streams draining the Western Ghats join these rivers, and carry a large
volume of water during the monsoon months. These rivers flow to the east due to the
gradient of the land and drain out into the Bay of Bengal.
The rivers have been dammed for hydroelectric and irrigation purposes with major
reservoirs spread across the states.numerous streams fed by incessant rain drain off the
mountain sides leading to numerous waterfalls.Major waterfalls
include Dudhsagar, Jog, Kunchikal The Western Ghats have several man-made lake
and reservoirs with major   
lakes at Ooty  in Nilgiris, Kodaikanal  and Berijam in Palani Hills, Pookode lake,
Karlad Lake in Wayanad, Vagamon lake
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 CLIMATE
Mahabaleshwar and Tamhini in Maharashtra are often referred to as the
"Cherrapunji of southwest India" or the "rain capital of southwest
India" Neriamangalam in the Ernakulam district of Kerala are the wettest places
in the Western Ghats. Heavy precipitation does occur in the surrounding
regions due to the long continuity of the mountains without passes and gaps.
 The climate is humid and tropical in the lower reaches tempered by the
proximity to the sea. The average annual temperature is around 15 °C (59 °F).
In some parts frost is common, and temperatures reach the freezing point during
the winter months. During the monsoon season between June and September
The heavy, eastward-moving rain-bearing clouds are forced to rise and in the
process deposit most of their rain on the windward side. Rainfall in this region
averages 300 centimetres  to 400 centimetres .The eastern regions of the
Western Ghats, which lie in the rain shadow, receive far less rainfall (about 100
centimeters)
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 BIODIVERSITY PROTECTION

Historically the Western Ghats were covered in dense forests that provided wild foods and
natural habitats for native tribal people. Its inaccessibility made it difficult for people from
the plains to cultivate the land and build settlements. After the arrival of the British in the
area, large swathes of territory were cleared for agricultural plantations and timber. The forest
in the Western Ghats has been severely fragmented due to human activities, especially clear-
felling for tea, coffee, and teak plantations from 1860 to 1950The forest in the Western Ghats
has been severely fragmented due to human activities, especially clear-felling for tea, coffee,
and teak plantations from 1860 to 1950.The Government of India has established
many protected areas including 2 biosphere reserves, 13 nation parks to restrict human access,
several wildlife sanctuaries to protect specific endangered species and many reserve forests,
which are all managed by the forest departments of their respective state to preserve some of
the ecoregions still undeveloped

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 IS WESTERN
GHAT BIODIVERSITY IN
DANGER ?

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 “
"The Western Ghats' Nilgiris Mountains still offer safe refuge to diverse wild
creatures in pockets which we must somehow protect from all harm.
This, after all, is where India’s largest Asian elephant populations can
still be seen.
"
Dr Amirtharaj Christy Williams, Coordinator of WWF’s Asian
Rhino and Elephant Action Strategy

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FLORA AND FAUNA

More like rolling hills than snow-covered mountains, the Western Ghats -
stretching some 1,600km from the north of Mumbai to the southern tip of
India - are a biodiversity hotspot that contains a large proportion of the
country's plant and animal species; many of which are only found here
and nowhere else in the world.
In the northern part of the range, about one-third of the plants, almost half
the reptiles, and more than three-fourths of the amphibians known in India
are found in this narrow strip of rainforest just off the west coast.
The forests in the southwestern Ghats are even richer, hosting the
country’s largest population of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) as well
as Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris tigris), lion-tailed macaques (Macaca
silenus), sloth bears (Ursus ursinus), nilgiri tahrs (Hemitragus hylocrius)
and much more.

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MOUNTING THREATS

Western ghats were once covered in dense

forests. Today, a large part of the range
has been logged or converted to
agricultural land for tea, coffee, rubber
and oil palm, or cleared for livestock
grazing, reservoirs and roads.

The growth of populations around protected

areas and other forests has also led to habitat
destruction, increased fragmentation,
wildlife poaching and human-wildlife
conflict.

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WILDLIFE CONSERVATION IN WESTERN
GHATS

It is estimated that as many as 10,000 elephants can be found in the Nilgiri

Hills in the southwestern part of the Western Ghats.
This region is also home to 10% of the world's tigers, making it an important
area for the long-term conservation of this endangered species.
As part of its efforts to conserve elephants, tigers and other wildlife, WWF is
working in this unique part of India to:

◍ maintain the ecological integrity of forest corridors

◍ reduce conflict between wildlife and people
◍ bolster anti-poaching efforts in protected areas

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 MAMMALS

There are at least 139 mammal species. Of the 16 endemic mammals, 13 are

threatened. Among the 32 threatened species are the critically
dd text endangered Malabar large-spotted civet, the endangered Bengal tiger, lion-
tailed macaque, Nilgiri tahr, and Indian elephants These hill ranges serve as
important wildlife corridors and form an important part of Project
Elephant and Project Tiger reserves. The largest population of tigers is in
the Western Ghats, where there are seven populations with an estimated
population size of 1200 individuals occupying 21,435 km2 (8,276 sq mi) of
forest in three major landscape units spread across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu
and Kerala. The Western Ghats ecoregion has the largest Indian elephant
population

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REPLTILES, AMPHIBIANS,FISH AND
BIRD
The major population of the snake family Uropeltidae is restricted to the
region.Several endemic reptile genera occur here, including the cane turtle 
The amphibians of the Western Ghats are diverse and unique, with more than 80% of
the 179 amphibian species being endemic to the rainforests of the mountains. The
endangered purple frog was discovered in 2003.
 288 freshwater fish species were listed for the Western Ghats, including 35 also
known from brackish or marine water.According to the IUCN, 97 freshwater fish
species from the Western Ghats were considered threatened in 2011, including 12
critically endangered, 54 endangered and 31 vulnerable
There are at least 508 bird species. Most of Karnataka's five hundred species of birds
are from the Western Ghats region.There are at least 16 species of birds endemic to
the Western Ghats including the endangered rufous-breasted laughingthrush, the
vulnerable Nilgiri wood-pigeon, white-bellied shortwing and broad-tailed grassbird

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THANKYOU