World Natural Heritage
basic information
Heritage Name : Western Ghats
Western Ghats
selected: 2012
selection by: natural heritage (ix) (x)
location: N8 31 47 E77 14 59
legacy code: 1342rev
Heritage description
Western Ghats in southern India West is a mountain, located in the western Deccan, is recognized worldwide as the eight "hottest biodiversity hotspots "one.
Western Ghats (India) older than the Himalayas, which reflects the importance of landscape features with unique biophysical and ecological processes have. Alpine forest ecosystems influence the Indian monsoon ruins of climate models, while easing the tropical climate of the region, but also to show the best example of one of our planet's monsoon system. This level of biodiversity sites is extremely high and has a large number of endemic species. It is one of the "hottest biodiversity hotspots" in the world recognized eight. In the ruins of forests, including outstanding representatives of some non-equatorial tropical evergreen forests around the world, is the world's endangered plants, animals, birds, amphibians, home to at least 325 kinds of reptiles and fish.
2012 Nian (x), the Western Ghats approved by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in accordance with the selection criteria based on natural heritage (ix) as a natural heritage "World Heritage List."
The World Heritage Committee to evaluate
Western Ghats older than the Himalayas, which reflects the importance of landscape features with unique biophysical and ecological processes have. Alpine forest ecosystems influence the Indian monsoon ruins of climate models, while easing the tropical climate of the region, but also to show the best example of one of our planet's monsoon system. This level of biodiversity sites is extremely high and has a large number of endemic species. It is one of the "hottest biodiversity hotspots" in the world recognized eight. In the ruins of forests, including outstanding representatives of some non-equatorial tropical evergreen forests around the world, is the world's endangered plants, animals, birds, amphibians, home to at least 325 kinds of reptiles and fish.
Heritage Introduction
Ghats Ghats name from the Hindi "Stuttgart" (ghat), meaning "landing steps" or "pass." Is a mountain range in southern India, referring to India's Deccan Plateau (Deccan Plateau) in the east and west edges of the mountain. Eastern, Western Ghats, respectively, and the Bay of Bengal, Arabian extending parallel to the coast, there is a narrow coastal plain. Eastern Ghats, including several non-contiguous hills, with an average altitude of about 600 meters (2,000 feet), the peak of more than 1,200 meters (4,000 feet). Krishna (Krishna) River and Godavari (Godavari) cut wide river in between 160 km (100 miles) of the gap and the Bay of Bengal. Slopes with sparse forest.
special geographical environment
Western Ghats is India's Deccan Plateau of western edge of the mountains, a north-south, roughly parallel to the Arabian coast. Zongchuan Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala. Tapu Di River north, south and east Nilgiri mountains Ghats rendezvous phase, continue south, beyond the hills Comorin, about 1,280 km, with an average elevation of 1000-1500 meters, the highest point Anais Moody's peak, elevation 2695 meters. Western Ghats as cliffs, steep slopes west stand, and more deep mountain streams. West coastal plains, steep terrain, and when the monsoon of red, abundant rainfall, dense forests, southern develop into tropical rain forest, an important tropical crops and tea planting area. East of the Deccan Plateau, gentle slope, rainfall is significantly reduced precipitation 1000 mm. Yamaguchi There are many, inter-west traffic channels.
The highest peak in the Western Ghats is Anai Mudi, altitude 2695 meters, is located in Kerala. Another:
in the northern section (Maharashtra): Kalsubai 1646 yards, Harishchandragarh 1424 rice and Mahabaleshwar 1438 m.
in the middle (Karnataka Southwest): Kudremukh 1862 yards, Mullayanagiri 1925 meters.
linked to other small mountains in the south of the South, the Western Ghats, especially in the northern part of Tamil Nadu Bangxi Nilgiri mountains. These small mountains and hills and Eastern Ghats connected to act as wildlife corridors, through this corridor, elephants and other animals can freely shuttle between the west and west of the mountains.
biologically rich
Western Ghats is one of the "hottest biodiversity hotspots" in the world recognized eight. In the ruins of forests, including outstanding representatives of some non-equatorial tropical evergreen forests around the world, and is at least 325 globally threatened plants, animals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish home.
Western Ghats plant products, including bamboo, bark of Maratha, Chillar bark, Garcinia cambogia (bhirand) and the like. Coconut is widely distributed in the region in addition to the Highlands. Deciduous trees have Terminalia Southeast Asia, teak, sal, cashew and mango trees. Fruits jackfruit, mango, pineapple, blackberry and so on.
tropical rain forest in the Western Ghats of elephants, bison, foxes, wild boar, birds and other animals, birds (a kind of black-crested bulbul) Yellow-throated Bulbul, Kingfisher, myna , and parrots. There are a variety of coastal and river fish, including common crab, shrimp, lobster, jellyfish, oysters, catfish and so on. Many number of snakes, rodents reproductive control played a certain role.
unique purple frog
most proud of is living here rare species, some unique in the world. Such as the Western Ghats nose frog (also known as purple digging frog), which is the S · D · Buddha Lang machine · Bossuyt Free University of Brussels and India Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute in 2003 found in the area than Zhu. This is the first in 1926 after the discovery of a new division frogs, because of this unique frog named after the pointed nose; translated into Chinese is the nose frog, another species name is called the Western Ghats. Purple frog's body fat limbs in a typical manner Anura creature open. Compared with most other frog, purple frog's head smaller, more pointed nose. Adult takes the shape of purple gray, only a third of the length of the male of female. From the holotype its nose to the tail length of 7 cm (2.8 inches), which is described by Nelson juvenile body Annandaier and C · R · Narayan Rao in 1917, they found that in order to be useful tadpole fixed stature oral sucker torrent. Because some fish with purple frog larvae live together have the same sucker, this phenomenon is considered to belong to convergent evolution.
Early scientists believe that this frog is only found in the Western Ghats Barr Card Yamaguchi, then there is evidence that in northern Yamaguchi also has a purple frog exist. This frog has been found to actually widely distributed in various regions of the Western Ghats from south to north.
environmental threats
due to the expansion of local agriculture, the local forests reduced to the original 10%, be developed into agricultural land. Thus endangering local protozoa, such as: king cobra, threatening local biodiversity.