- Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows
The Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows is an
alpine ecoregion ofBhutan ,China ,India ,Myanmar , andNepal , which lies between thetree line andsnow line in the eastern portion of theHimalaya Range.etting
The Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows covers an area of 70,200 square kilometers (27,100 square miles), extending along the north and south faces of the Himalaya Range from the
Kali Gandaki Gorge in central Nepal eastwards throughTibet and India'sSikkim state,Bhutan , India'sArunachal Pradesh state, and northernmostMyanmar .The alpine shrub and meadows lie between approximately 4000 and 5500 meters elevation. Permanent ice and snow lies above 5500 meters. The
Eastern Himalayan sub-alpine conifer forests lie below 3000 meters along the southern slopes of the range, from Central Nepal to Bhutan. TheNortheastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests lie south of the range in Arunachal Pradesh, extending north of the range into the lower valley of theBrahmaputra River and its tributaries. TheNorthern Triangle temperate forests lie to the south of the alpine shrub and meadows in northern Myanmar, and theNujiang Langcang Gorge alpine conifer and mixed forests lie to the east in the gorges of the upper Irrawaddy and Salween rivers.The
Yarlung Tsangpo arid steppe lies in the upper Brahmaputra Valley of Tibet, north of the Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows.Flora
Alpine shrublands, characterized by
rhododendron s, predominate at lower elevations, close to the treeline. The rhododendron flora of the ecoregion is quite varied, with species composition changing as one moves from west to east along the range.Above the shrublands are alpine meadows which support a variety of herbaceous plants, including species of "
Alchemilla ,Androsace ,Anemone ,Diapensia ,Draba ,Gentiana ,Impatiens ,Leontopodium ,Meconopsis ,Pedicularis ,Potentilla ,Primula ,Rhododendron ,Saussurea ,Saxifraga ,Sedum ," and "Viola ". In the spring and summer, the alpine meadows are covered with brightly-colored flowers.On the upper slopes, low grasses and cushion plants grow among the boulders and scree.
Fauna
Large mammals include the
Snow Leopard "(Uncia uncia)",Bharal or Himalayan Blue Sheep "(Pseudois nayaur)",Himalayan Tahr "(Hemitragus jemlahicus)",takin "(Budorcas taxicolor)",Himalayan Musk Deer "(Moschus chrysogaster)",Himalayan Goral "(Nemorhaedus baileyi)", andMainland Serow "(Capricornis sumatraensis)". Smaller mammals includeHimalayan Marmot s "(Marmota himalayana)", weasels, and pikas.Conservation
Several protected areas lie within or partly within the ecoregion, including:
*
Annapurna Conservation Area , Nepal
*Bomdeling Wildlife Sanctuary , Bhutan
*Dihang-Dibang Biosphere Reserve , India
*Dongjiu Nature Reserve , China
*Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park , Bhutan
*Jigme Dorji National Park , Bhutan
*Langtang National Park , Nepal
*Makalu-Barun National Park and Conservation Area , Nepal
*Motuo Nature Reserve , China
*Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary , Bhutan
*Sagarmatha National Park , Nepal
*Thrumshingla National Park , Bhutan
*Torsa Strict Nature Reserve , Bhutan
*Walong National Park , IndiaReferences and external links
* [http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/pa/pa1003_full.html Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows (WWF)]
* [http://www.nationalgeographic.com/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/pa/pa1003.html Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows (National Geographic)]
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