<p>The Western Ghats, experts reckon, is much older than the Himalayas and the mountain chain represents geomorphic features of immense importance with unique biophysical and ecological processes. Its forest ecosystems influence the Indian weather pattern too. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The 1,600-km long Ghat range, considered one among 18 bio-diversity hotspots in the world, starts at the border of Gujarat and Maharashtra and runs southwards through the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, ending at Kanyakumari.<br /><br />Unique features<br /><br />Be it the mountain ranges, tropical wet evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests, a number of major as well as minor rivers, scrub jungles, grassland, indigenous and exotic tree and plant species, a large variety of birds and animals, the list of its unique features is long. It has never stopped fascinating nature-lovers, naturalists or environmentalists.<br /> While a number of endemic and endangered species continue to exist in the Western Ghats, mainly because some regions are still inaccessible, many continue to exist since over the years many biodiversity reserves have been established. <br /><br />Apart from the animals like tiger, lion-tailed macaque, mouse deer, slender loris; and reptiles like King Cobras and crocodiles and frogs, the Western Ghats range is also exclusive home to a number of birds. Some of them include Nilgiri wood-pigeon, White-bellied Shortwing, Broad-tailed Grassbird, Grey-breasted Laughingthrush, Black-and-rufous Flycatcher, Nilgiri Flycatcher, Nilgiri Pipit, Malabar trogon, Malabar Parakeet, Malabar Grey Hornbill, White-bellied Treepie, Grey-headed Bulbul, Rufous Babbler, Wynaad Laughingthrush, White-bellied Blue-flycatchers and Crimson-backed Sunbird, says Shivashankar, who has recently co-authored a book titled “Birds of Southern coastal Karnataka” along with biologist Dr K Prabhakar Achar.<br /><br />Three regions<br /><br />Scientists divide the Western Ghats into three major regions - Surat (Gujarat) to Goa; Goa to Nilgiri mountains/Palghat; and South of Palghat (Kerala) gap to Kanyakumari.While the higher peaks like Kalsubai (1646 m) and the famous Mahabaleshwar (1438 m) are located in Maharashtra, the height of mountains is irregular in Karnataka – Kodachadri is 1,343 m high, Agumbe is just 600 m high and a little away, Kudremukh is again 1,892m high. So is the Pushpagiri range in south Karnataka, which is 1,713 m in North Kodagu. Further south in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Tadiannamal Betta (1,745 m), Banasuram (2,060 m), and Vuvulamala (2,339 m) at the edge of the Wayanad plateau are again quite tall. <br /><br />Interestingly, the Western Ghats rise abruptly in the Nilgiri horst where the Western Ghats meet the Eastern Ghats. The Nilgiri mountain range constitutes an elevated plateau attaining a maximum height of 2,637 m at Dodda Betta and overlooking the Palghat Gap from a height of more than 2,000 m.<br /><br />The Western Ghats are interrupted by the Palghat Gap which is about 30 kms wide and they reappear abruptly as the Anaimalai-Palani block whose high plateau attain a height of 2,695 m in the Anaimudi peak, the highest point in south India. <br /><br />Besides the endemic and endangered species, the Western Ghats are home to a number of major and minor rivers and river tributaries. Major rivers like Krishna, its tributaries and Cauvery and its tributaries depend on the rainfall in the Western Ghats range. <br /><br />60 per cent Karnataka <br /><br />Though the Western Ghats is spread over six states, 60 per cent of the range is in Karnataka. <br /><br />The total forest cover of the Ghats’ spread in Karnataka is about 31,514 sq. kms, that is, 97 per cent of the state’s forest cover. <br /><br />The highest point in the state is the peak of Mullayyanagiri (1890m) followed by Kudremukh (1827m), both in Chikmagalur district. <br /><br />Right from the ‘Save Western Ghats’ campaign of the late 1980s, to the closure of mining in Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited on December 31, 2005, row over hydro electricity projects to naxal problems and forest dwellers’ problems, and more recently construction of illegal resorts thereby threatening the ‘Elephant Corridor’ in the stretch, no other state was in news ever in the history of the Western Ghats. <br /><br />Some of the wildlife national parks including Rajiv Gandhi National Park (Nagarahole), Kabini Reserve Forest, Kudremukh National Park, Someshwar Reserve Forest, Bandipur and Bhadra reserve forest among others too are in Karnataka. <br /><br /><br />Related Stories <br /><br /><a href="../content/262638/preserve-lifeline.html">Preserve lifeline</a><br /><a href="../content/262639/environment-ministry-could-have-done.html">Environment Ministry could have done more </a><br /> </p>
<p>The Western Ghats, experts reckon, is much older than the Himalayas and the mountain chain represents geomorphic features of immense importance with unique biophysical and ecological processes. Its forest ecosystems influence the Indian weather pattern too. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The 1,600-km long Ghat range, considered one among 18 bio-diversity hotspots in the world, starts at the border of Gujarat and Maharashtra and runs southwards through the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, ending at Kanyakumari.<br /><br />Unique features<br /><br />Be it the mountain ranges, tropical wet evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests, a number of major as well as minor rivers, scrub jungles, grassland, indigenous and exotic tree and plant species, a large variety of birds and animals, the list of its unique features is long. It has never stopped fascinating nature-lovers, naturalists or environmentalists.<br /> While a number of endemic and endangered species continue to exist in the Western Ghats, mainly because some regions are still inaccessible, many continue to exist since over the years many biodiversity reserves have been established. <br /><br />Apart from the animals like tiger, lion-tailed macaque, mouse deer, slender loris; and reptiles like King Cobras and crocodiles and frogs, the Western Ghats range is also exclusive home to a number of birds. Some of them include Nilgiri wood-pigeon, White-bellied Shortwing, Broad-tailed Grassbird, Grey-breasted Laughingthrush, Black-and-rufous Flycatcher, Nilgiri Flycatcher, Nilgiri Pipit, Malabar trogon, Malabar Parakeet, Malabar Grey Hornbill, White-bellied Treepie, Grey-headed Bulbul, Rufous Babbler, Wynaad Laughingthrush, White-bellied Blue-flycatchers and Crimson-backed Sunbird, says Shivashankar, who has recently co-authored a book titled “Birds of Southern coastal Karnataka” along with biologist Dr K Prabhakar Achar.<br /><br />Three regions<br /><br />Scientists divide the Western Ghats into three major regions - Surat (Gujarat) to Goa; Goa to Nilgiri mountains/Palghat; and South of Palghat (Kerala) gap to Kanyakumari.While the higher peaks like Kalsubai (1646 m) and the famous Mahabaleshwar (1438 m) are located in Maharashtra, the height of mountains is irregular in Karnataka – Kodachadri is 1,343 m high, Agumbe is just 600 m high and a little away, Kudremukh is again 1,892m high. So is the Pushpagiri range in south Karnataka, which is 1,713 m in North Kodagu. Further south in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Tadiannamal Betta (1,745 m), Banasuram (2,060 m), and Vuvulamala (2,339 m) at the edge of the Wayanad plateau are again quite tall. <br /><br />Interestingly, the Western Ghats rise abruptly in the Nilgiri horst where the Western Ghats meet the Eastern Ghats. The Nilgiri mountain range constitutes an elevated plateau attaining a maximum height of 2,637 m at Dodda Betta and overlooking the Palghat Gap from a height of more than 2,000 m.<br /><br />The Western Ghats are interrupted by the Palghat Gap which is about 30 kms wide and they reappear abruptly as the Anaimalai-Palani block whose high plateau attain a height of 2,695 m in the Anaimudi peak, the highest point in south India. <br /><br />Besides the endemic and endangered species, the Western Ghats are home to a number of major and minor rivers and river tributaries. Major rivers like Krishna, its tributaries and Cauvery and its tributaries depend on the rainfall in the Western Ghats range. <br /><br />60 per cent Karnataka <br /><br />Though the Western Ghats is spread over six states, 60 per cent of the range is in Karnataka. <br /><br />The total forest cover of the Ghats’ spread in Karnataka is about 31,514 sq. kms, that is, 97 per cent of the state’s forest cover. <br /><br />The highest point in the state is the peak of Mullayyanagiri (1890m) followed by Kudremukh (1827m), both in Chikmagalur district. <br /><br />Right from the ‘Save Western Ghats’ campaign of the late 1980s, to the closure of mining in Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited on December 31, 2005, row over hydro electricity projects to naxal problems and forest dwellers’ problems, and more recently construction of illegal resorts thereby threatening the ‘Elephant Corridor’ in the stretch, no other state was in news ever in the history of the Western Ghats. <br /><br />Some of the wildlife national parks including Rajiv Gandhi National Park (Nagarahole), Kabini Reserve Forest, Kudremukh National Park, Someshwar Reserve Forest, Bandipur and Bhadra reserve forest among others too are in Karnataka. <br /><br /><br />Related Stories <br /><br /><a href="../content/262638/preserve-lifeline.html">Preserve lifeline</a><br /><a href="../content/262639/environment-ministry-could-have-done.html">Environment Ministry could have done more </a><br /> </p>
