Montane Grasslands and Shrub lands:
Western alpine shrubs and meadows can be found between 9,850 and 16,400 ft. These areas tend to have cold winters and mild summers that allow for plant growth. Rhododendron plants cover the lower shru blands, while the alpine meadows, directly above, host a range of flora in the warmer months. Animals found in this region include the snow leopard, Himalayan tar, musk deer, and pikes.
Temperate Coniferous Forest:
In the northeast, temperate sub-alpine conifer forests are found at elevations of 8,200 to 13,800 ft. Located in the inner valley area, these forests are protected from harsh monsoon conditions by surrounding mountain ranges. The dominant tree types are pine, hemlock, spruce, and fir. Animals found in this region include red pandas, takins, and musk deer.
Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests:
Found in middle elevations of 6,600 to 9,800 ft. in the eastern region are broadleaf and coniferous forests. These forests receive almost 80 inches of annual rainfall, mostly during the monsoon season. In addition to indigenous oaks and maples, plants like orchids, lichen, and ferns also grow in the area. A huge range of wildlife, including over 500 species of birds, are found here during the cooler seasons before they migrate to higher elevations to escape the hot summers. This is also the primary home for golden languor monkeys.
Tropical and Subtropical Broadleaf Forests:
Located at 1,650 to 3,300 ft. along a narrow strip of the outer Himalayan range are the Himalayan sub-tropical broadleaf forests. Here there is a wide range of plant life thanks to the area's varied topography, soil types, and rainfall levels. Forest types include subtropical dry evergreen, northern dry mixed deciduous forests, moist mixed deciduous forests, subtropical broadleaf forests, northern tropical semi-evergreen forests, and northern tropical wet evergreen forests. Wildlife includes many threatened species, including tigers and Asian elephants. More than 340 different species of birds can be found in this region.
The Himalayas, which literally means the abode of snow, is the youngest and the highest range of fold mountains in the world. In India it extends in the east from the borders of Myanmar to where the Indus divides it from the Hindus and Karakorun ranges, covering a distance of about 2500 km. The Himalayas consist of three parallel ranges, the Greater Himalayas known as the Himare, the Lesser Himalayas called the Himachal, and the Shiva hills, which comprise the foothills.
Mount Everest at a height of 8848 m is the highest peak, followed by the Kanchenjunga at 8598 m. The highest mountain wholly in India is the Nandadevi, at a height of a little less than, 8000 m. Millions of years ago, the Indian subcontinent was separated from the mainland by a large sea known as the Tethys. During the movement of the earth’s crust, known as the Continental Drift, it began moving northwards towards the mainland. As it hit the Asian continent, the bed of the Tethys sea was pushed upwards and the Himalayas emerged. The evidence of this is seen in the fossils of sea animals found at 5000 ft and above. Three great rivers of the world have their source in the Himalayas, namely the Gang, the Indus, and the Brahmaputra. These rivers are the lifeline of India, providing water to millions of people and irrigating thousands of hectares of land.
Due to the changes in temperature as one climbs higher, there is a diverse range of flora and fauna, making it a virtual heaven for naturalists. Plants and animals of the tropics are found up to 1000 m. from there to about 3000 m are the temperate region species and, above that,comes the region of the Alpines. With height and change in temperature, the flora and fauna also change from the decoders to the azaleas to the pines and firs, from the tiger to the snow leopard, from the sparrows and cormorant to the snow partridge, snow cock, and snow pigeon.
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