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Just looking at the forests in this ecoregion you can see signs of human activities. The taller trees are gone, leaving a forest of relatively short evergreens that grow no more than 33 feet (10 m) tall. The treesā branches interlock to form a dense canopy. Some forest inhabitants take advantage of the dimly lit forest to hide from predators.
Visit this forest during the dry season and youāll notice something unusual: trees with leaves. Many forests in the Indo-Pacific region lose their leaves during the dry season, but these forests stay green year-round. Youāll also notice the heat: On some days the temperature reaches a stifling 111¼ F (44¼ C).
The sloth bear is one of 65 known mammal species found in this ecoregion. Another resident is a small ungulate, the Indian chevrotain, or mouse deer. With its olive-brown coat and pale markings, the chevrotain can become almost invisible among the undergrowth and leaf litter of the forest floor. In the treetops youāll see many species of birds, including woolly-necked storks, white-bellied sea-eagles, and Indian gray hornbills with their distinctively shaped bills.
Many years of grazing from domestic livestock have reduced much of the forest to stunted scrub vegetation. Only five percent of the ecoregionās original forest remains, and thatās in scattered fragments. Human activities provide a continued threat as local residents practice shifting cultivation. There are two small protected areas, but they cover less than one percent of the ecoregion. For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report. All text by World Wildlife Fund © 2001
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