Odisha semi-evergreen forests

Dry Evergreen Forests during Monsoon

The Odisha semi-evergreen forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of eastern India. The ecoregion covers an area of 22,300 square kilometers (8,600 sq mi) on the coastal plain of Odisha state, bounded on the north and west by the Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests and on the south and west by the Bay of Bengal.

The ecoregion has been extensively cleared for agriculture use and urbanization. Several of Odisha's largest cities, including Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri, Chhatrapur, Kendrapara, and Bhadrak, lie within the ecoregion. According to the WWF, 96% of the ecoregion's area has been cleared, and only 4% remains in the original semi-evergreen rain forest. Much of the remaining forest has been degraded by grazing and fuelwood harvesting.[1]

Protected areas

About 5% of the ecoregion's area (1100 km²) is within three protected areas.[2]

Forest Management

A study done by Reddy, Jha, & Dadhwal in this area is being used to shape environmental policies in India to protect biodiversity. Through monitoring long term forest resource changes show a loss in overall species and ecosystem services that can be measured in physical data. The results of this study show a connection between deforestation and fragmentation, and loss of important biodiversity in the ecoregion.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Wikramanayake, Eric; Eric Dinerstein; Colby J. Loucks; et al. (2002). Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: a Conservation Assessment. Island Press; Washington, D.C.. p 294
  2. ↑ Wikramanayake, Eric; Eric Dinerstein; Colby J. Loucks; et al. (2002). Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: a Conservation Assessment. Island Press; Washington, D.C.. p 294
  3. ↑ , Reddy, C. S., Jha, C. S., & Dadhwal, V. K. (2013). Assessment and monitoring of long-term forest cover changes in Odisha, India using remote sensing and GIS. Environmental monitoring and assessment, 185(5), 4399-4415.
  • "Orissa semi-evergreen forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.


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