Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests
| Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests | |
|---|---|
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| Ecology | |
| Biome | Tropical moist broadleaf forest |
| Bird species | 370 |
| Mammal species | 122 |
| Geography | |
| Area | 56,700 km2 (21,900 sq mi) |
| Countries | Bhutan and India |
| Conservation | |
| Protected | 5% |
The Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of eastern India and southern Bhutan.
The ecoregion covers 56,700 square kilometers (21,900 sq mi) and encompasses the alluvial plain of the upper Brahmaputra River as it moves westward through India's Assam state (with small parts of the ecoregion in the states of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland and also south Bhutan). The valley lies between the Himalayas to the north and the Lushai hills to the south and when the river floods during the July to September mo0on it brings up to 300 cm of water onto the plain carrying rich soils to create a fertile environment which has been extensively farmed for thousands of years. Other rivers that water the plains as well as the Brahamaputra include the Manas and the Subansiri.
The extensive farming has meant that the original semi-evergreen forest now exists only in patches. Typical canopy trees include the evergreen Syzygium, Cinnamomum and Magnoliaceae along with deciduous Terminalia myriocarpa, Terminalia citrina, Terminalia tomentosa, Tetrameles species. Understory trees and shrubs include the laurels Phoebe, Machilus, and Actinodaphne, Polyalthias, Aphanamixis, and cultivated Mesua ferrea and species of mahogany, cashews, nutmegs and magnolias, with bamboos such as Bambusa arundinaria and Melocanna bambusoides.
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