Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows

The Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows is an alpine ecoregion of Nepal, India, and Tibet, which lies between the tree line and snow line in the western portion of the Himalaya Range.

etting

The Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows covers an area of 70,200 square kilometers (27,100 square miles), extending from the Kali Gandaki Gorge in central Nepal westwards across Uttarakhand and eastern Himachal Pradesh states of India to the gorge of the Sutlej River. The alpine shrub and meadows lie between approximately 3000 and 5000 meters elevation. The Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows lie east of the Kali Gandaki gorge, while the Northwestern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows lies west of the Sutlej. Below 3000 meters lie the Western Himalayan sub-alpine conifer forests. Permanent ice and snow lies above 5000 meters. To the north, the Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows transition to the drier Central Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe of central Tibet. The Karakoram-West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe lies to the northwest.

Flora

Alpine shrublands, dominated by rhododendrons, predominate at at lower elevations close to the treeline.

Above the shrublands are alpine meadows, known as bugyals or bughiyals, which support a variety of herbaceous plants, including species of "Anaphalis, Cynanthus, Jurinea, Morina, Potentilla, Gentiana, Delphinium, Meconopsis, Pedicularis, Anemone, Aster, Polygonum, Primula," and "Saussurea". In the spring and summer, the alpine meadows are covered with brightly-colored flowers.

On the upper slopes, low plants of genera "Saxifraga, Allium, Corydalis, Eriophyton, Stellaria, Soroseris", and "Cremanthodium" grow among the boulders and scree.

An alpine steppe of "Caragana pygma, C. gerardiana, Lonicera spinosa, Juniperus squamata, Juniperus indica, Ephedra gerardiana, Hippophae tibetana, Myricaria rosea, Lonicera spinulosa," and "Berberis" can be found in drier parts of the ecoregion.

Fauna

Large mammals include the Snow Leopard "(Uncia uncia)", Bharal or Himalayan Blue Sheep "(Pseudois nayaur)", Himalayan Tahr "(Hemitragus jemlahicus)", Himalayan Musk Deer "(Moschus chrysogaster)", and Mainland Serow "(Capricornis sumatraensis)". Smaller mammals include weasels and pikas.

Conservation

Several protected areas lie within or partly within the ecoregion, including:
*Royal Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve (Nepal)
*Govind Pashu Vihar Wildlife Sanctuary (Uttarakhand, India)
*Lippa Asrang Wildlife Sanctuary (Himachal Pradesh, India)
*Sangla Wildlife Sanctuary (Raksham Chitkul) (Himachal Pradesh, India)
*Gangotri National Park (Uttarakhand, India)
*Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary (Uttarakhand, India)
*Valley of Flowers National Park (Uttarakhand, India)
*Nanda Devi National Park (Uttarakhand, India)
*Shey-Phoksumdo National Park (Nepal)
*Annapurna Conservation Area (Nepal)

References and external links

* [http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/pa/pa1021_full.html Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows (WWF)]
* [http://www.nationalgeographic.com/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/pa/pa1021.html Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows (National Geographic)]