Chota Nagpur Plateau - Ecology

Ecology

The plateau has been defined as the Chota Nagpur dry deciduous forest, a tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests ecoregion drier than surrounding areas such as the Eastern Ghats and the Satpura Range that encroach on it to the south. The plateau is covered with a variety of different habitats of which Sal forest is predominant. The plateau is home to the Palamau Tiger Reserve and other large blocks of natural habitat which are among the few remaining refuges left in India for large populations of tiger and Asian Elephants.

Forests range from dry to wet and reach up to 25m tall. The plateau is also swampy in some places and in other parts is covered with bamboo grasslands and shrubs such as Holarrhena and Dodonaea. The flora of the plateau is distinct from the wetter parts of India that surround it and includes a number of endemic plants such as Aglaia haslettiana and endangered plant species including Madhuca longifolia and Butea monosperma.

Tigers, Asian elephants, Four-horned Antelope (Tetracerus quadricornis), blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra), and chinkara (Gazella bennettii), dhole wild dog (Cuon alpinus) and sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) are some of the animals found here while birds include the threatened Lesser Florican (Eupodotis indica), Indian Grey Hornbill and other hornbills.

More than half of the natural forest on the plateau has been cleared for grazing land and the scale of the mining operations on the plateau is disturbing to the movement and therefore the survival of wildlife including elephants and tigers. About 5% of the plateau is protected area the largest of which are Palamau Tiger reserve and Sanjay National Park.