ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY PART -3

Tropical evergreen forests in India extend to areas that receive more than 200 cm of annual rainfall. These regions include the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, the Western Ghats, and the Western Coastal Plain

Large and hardwood trees are usually found in tropical deciduous forests. Deciduous trees shed their leaves in cold or dry weather. Sal, teak, neem, and shisham (used in making furniture, transportation, and building materials) tropical forests are generally found in the equatorial regions between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. In India, these forests are found in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Maharashtra.

Tropical evergreen forests are found in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the North-Eastern region, the Western Ghats, and the Terai region of the Himalayas These forests are not found in the Eastern Ghats region.

According to the India Forest Status Report, 2019, Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest area in India in terms of size. The forest area of Madhya Pradesh is 77,482 sq km. Arunachal Pradesh (66,688 sq km), in terms of size, follows at second place. The state with the highest percentage of forest cover is Mizoram (85.41 percent). According to the Forest Status Report, 2021, the top states with forest cover in terms of area are followed by Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Maharashtra in that order.

According to the India Forest Status Report, 2019, Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest area in India in terms of size. The forest area of Madhya Pradesh is 77,482 sq km. Arunachal Pradesh (66,688 sq km), in terms of size, follows at second place. The state with the highest percentage of forest cover is Mizoram (85.41 percent). According to the Forest Status Report, 2021, the top states with forest cover in terms of area are followed by Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Maharashtra in that order.

According to the 2019 Forest Survey of India report, Mizoram topped all other states regarding efficient and effective system of fire warnings.

According to the India State Forest Report, 2019, out of the total area of the country, 24.56 percent of the geographical area was covered by forests and trees.

The state of West Bengal in India has the largest area of mangrove forests. Mangrove forests are found in the Sundarbans located in the state. According to the India Forest Status Report, 2021, the extent of mangrove forests in different states is as follows West Bengal (2114 sq. km), Gujarat (1175 sq. km), Andaman and Nicobar. Islands (616 sq km), Andhra Pradesh (405 sq km), Maharashtra (324 sq km), Odisha (259 sq km), etc

The famous species of trees 'Sundari' is found in the mangrove forests. Due to its abundance in the Sundarbans in West Bengal, this tree is named Sundari.

Deserts, rainforests, coral reefs, and mangroves are the characteristics of ecological diversity.