Types of forests found in Kerala
Forests of Kerala are broadly classified into 5 major categories. They are :
| # |
Forest Type |
Area (lakh ha.) |
| 1 |
Tropical Wet Evergreen Forest |
3.480 |
| 2 |
Tropical Moist Deciduous Forests |
4.100 |
| 3 |
Tropical Dry Deciduous Forests |
0.094 |
| 4 |
Mountain Sub Tropical Forests |
0.188 |
| 5 |
Plantations |
1.538 |
| Total |
9.400 |
Orchid
Much of the forest cover of Kerala is spread over the Western
Ghats.The Western Ghats represents on of the world's 18 hot spots of
bio-diversity and is considered to be a repository of endemic, rare and
endangered flora and fauna. There are 28
vegetation types in the state, but the existence of most is doubtful.
51% of the total forest cover is in the southern districts and the
remaining 49 percent is in the central and northern regions. Idukki and
Pathanamthitta districts have the
largest area under forest cover. Alappuzha is the only district without
any area under forest cover.
Over the past years the state government had taken a number of steps
towards the conservation of forest and wildlife. The state government
banned clear felling of natural forest in 1983. With the aid of various
organizations, including the World
Bank, the government has implemented various programmes for the
afforestation of degraded forests. These include Community
afforestation, compensatory afforestation and general forestry
programmes.
Silent Valley
At present there are
5 National Parks in Kerala - Silent Valley National Park, Eravikulam National Park, Paampadum Shola National
Park, Aanamudi Shola National Park and Mathikettaan Shola National Park. Apart from this, there are
11 Wild life Sanctuaries, 2
Bird Sanctuary and a Tiger Reserve - Periyar Tiger Reserve, in the state. In the beginning of the 19
th century 75% of Kerala was under forest cover which diminished to 50% by the beginning of 20
th century. To avoid further
degradation, most of the forest area were brought under Reserve Forest.
Periyar
Wildlife: The forests of Kerala are home
to rare and magnificent wild life like the wild Elephant, Tiger,
Panther, Indian Bison and Nilgiri tahr. The Silent Valley National Park
is home to the endangered Lion-Tailed
Macaques.Apart from this the wildlife population of Kerala includes
Gaur, Spotted Deer, Sambar, the endangered Giant Grizzled Squirrel,
Hanuman Langur, Sloth Bear, Flying Squirrels, jungle cat, wild boar, a
variety of monkey species, Leopards,
Wolves, Wild Dogs, Civet Cats etc.. Kerala's forests are also home to a
variety of reptiles like King Cobras, Vipers, Pythons, Rat Snakes,
Cobras, different varieties of lizards, Turtles and crocodiles etc.
Kerala is also home to a wide population of birds of various species
like the great and grey hornbill, darters, cormorants, mynahs, Peacock,
oriels, racket-tailed and other drongoes, bulbuls, kingfishers,
woodpeckers, Ceylon frogmouth, jungle
fowl, parakeets, ducks etc.. Also, Kerala is visited each year by a
variety of migratory birds.
Rainforest
Vegetation : Though the state is small in
size with comparatively small area under forest cover, Kerala is the
medley of a variety of vegetations and forest types. The forest types of
Kerala include Tropical Wet
Evergreen Forests, Tropical Moist Deciduous Forests, Tropical Dry
Deciduous Forests, Mountain Sub Tropical, Rolling Grasslands, Shola
Forest, Thorny Scrub Forest, high Sholas etc.. This wide range of forest
types enables the growth of a rich variety
of flora. The trees of the Tropical Dense Evergreen Forests are - White
Pine, Kuntherekka Pine, Punnappa, Bhadraksham, Palai, Vediplavu,
Maravuri, Vayana etc.. The Moist Deciduous Forest include trees such as
Teak, Maruthi, Karimaruthi,
Rosewood, Venteak, Vengal, Chadachi, Mazhukanjiram, Bamboo etc.. The
only south Indian conifer
podocarpus wallichianus grows in the region around the Periyar Reserve. Apart from the trees the states forests are also home to thousands species
of flowering and non-flowering plants, orchids and medicinal plants.
Forest Products and Revenue : Forest
plantations constitute the major source of raw material to the forest
based industries. Teak is the major species planted, followed by mixed
plantations and eucalypts. Major forest
produce includes timber, bamboo, reeds and firewood.
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