Unnatural World:

Our national parks and climate change

PeriyarType: Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests

Vulnerabilities● Increase in frequency and intensity of forest

fires+Changes in rainfall=Shift towards dry deciduous forest type and eventual desertification

● Atmospheric warming → Cloud forest confined in narrow belt = Loss of upto one-third of endemics, Possible eventual extinction

Characteristic species:Teak, rosewoods,banyansElephants, tigers, sambhar, flying squirrel, sloth bear etc

Tadoba Type: Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests

Vulnerabilities

● Increase in frequency and intensity of forest fires+Changes in rainfall=loss of biodiversity and eventualdesertification

Characteristic species:Teak, palas, jamun, ain, semalTigers, leopards,dhole, gaur nilgai, chital, etc

Khangchendzonga Type: Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests

Vulnerabilities

Increasing temperatures↓

Northward movement of forests=

forests invade high-altitude meadows, and eventually decline when not able to 'keep up' with

rising temperatures

Characteristic species:oak, birch, maple, willowsnow leopard, musk deer, himalayan tahr , trogopan, griffon

Increase in invasives + changes in flowering times=

Decline and loss of some species.

Gangotri Type: Temperate coniferous forests

Vulnerabilities

Increasing temperatures →Northward movement of forests

=forests

invade high-altitude meadows, and eventually decline when not able to 'keep up' with rising temperatures

Characteristic species: deodar, fir, spruce, snow leopard, musk deer, himalayan tahr , brown bear

Increase in invasives + changes in flowering times=

Decline and loss of some species.

SariskaType: Grasslands, savannas and shrublands

Vulnerabilities

Increase in CO2 levels

↓increase in woody species

↓

Shift towards forest type and decline of grazers

↓

Decline of predators

Characteristic species:grasses, ber, khair, arjuntiger, hyena, jackal, antelope chital, boar, sandgrouse,

KazirangaType: Flooded grasslands and savannas

Vulnerabilities

Water scarcity

↓drying up of wetlands, heat stress, fires

↓

species loss

Characteristic species:sugarcanes, spear grass, elephant grass, kumbhi, Indian gooseberry,rhinoceros, water buffalo, swamp deer, fishing cat, leopard cat

Hotter and dryer environment

↓increase in vectors, pests, invasives

↓

species loss

TharType: Deserts and xeric shrublands

Vulnerabilities

Higher temperature + Episodic rainfall↓

increased runoff, less storage↓

animal mortality due to heat and water stress

Characteristic species:sewan grass, aak shru , dhokblackbuck, desert fox, wolf and desert cat, bustards, grouse, vipers, lizard

Warmer, earlier spring

↓increased water consumption and

locust plagues

SunderbansType: Mangroves

Vulnerabilities

Rising sea levels

↓Flood out mangroves

Characteristic species:Mangrove spp, palms,spear grasstigers, dolphins, fishing cat, crustaceans, boar, deer

Increased extreme events

↓Damage to forests

Increased CO2 levels → Damage to coral reefs → Loss of protection from

waves → damage to forests

HemisType: Montane grassland and shrubland

Vulnerabilities

Rising temperatures

↓Temperate forests move to higher

latitudes

↓Grasslands 'squeezed' into narrowing

belts

↓Loss of an estimated half of present area under montane grasslands

Characteristic species:Juniper, Anemone,Gentiana, Thallctrwn, Lloydia, Veronica, DelphinumSnow leopards,tibetan wolf, ibex,griffon, marmot

Rani Jhansi Marine National ParkType: Coral reefs

Vulnerabilities

Increasing temperature & CO2↓

increase in photosynthesis + nitric oxide↓

Death of corals

Characteristic species:Corals, sponges, jellyfish, fish, crustaceans...Most productive biome

Rising sea levels

↓Coral reefs drown

Created by

Chicu Lokgariwar

for

India Water Portal