Flora and fauna of Madhya Pradesh

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Forest in Madhya Pradesh
Hinglaj Fort surrounded by Deep Mixed Forests in Mandsaur

Madhya Pradesh, often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal. Madhya Pradesh was originally the largest state in India until November 1, 2000 when the state of Chhattisgarh was carved out. It borders the states Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan.

Forest composition[]

Mixed forests at Amarkantak

Sal

Mixed forests

Bamboo

Khair - Khair (Acacia catechu)

NWFP

Tendu patta (leaf) collection

Medicinal plants - Medicinal trees and plants of various kinds are found in abundance in the forests of Madhya Pradesh. Important ones are: Aegle marmelos, Azadirachta indica, Bixa orellana, Butea monosperma, Asparagus racemosus, Argemone mexicana, Buchanania lanzan, Aloe barbadensis, Acorus calamus, Cassia tora, Curculigo orchioides, Curcuma longa, Embelia ribes, Clitoria ternatea, Mangifera indica, Cassia fistula, Evolvulus alsinoides, Commiphora mukul, Helicteres isora, , Glycyrrhiza glabra, Woodfordia fruticosa,. Dioscorea spp, , Terminalia bellirica, Tamarindus indica, Mucuna pruriens, Pongamia pinnata, Terminalia bellirica, Psoralea corylifolia, , Ocimum americanum, Rauvolfia serpentina, , Withania somnifera, Swertia chirayita, , Chlorophytum tuberosum, .

Forest growing stock[]

Bandhavgarh National Park

The total growing stock (volume of timber / wood) is 50,000,000 m3 valued worth Rs 2.5 lakh Crores.

Protected areas[]

Madhya Pradesh is home to 9 national parks, including Bandhavgarh National Park, Kanha National Park, Satpura National Park, Sanjay National Park, Madhav National Park, Van Vihar National Park, Mandla Plant Fossils National Park, Panna National Park, and Pench National Park, Madhya Pradesh.

There are also a number of natural preserves, including Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve, Patalkot, Bagh Caves, Bhedaghat, Bori Wildlife Sanctuary, Ken Gharial Sanctuary, Ghatigaon Wildlife Sanctuary, Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary, Narwar, National Chambal Sanctuary, , Narsinghgarh, Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary, Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve, Panpatha, Shikarganj, and Tamia.

National Parks and their Fauna[]

There are 11 National Parks and 25 Sanctuaries spread over an area of 10,862 km2 constituting 11.40% of the total forest area and 3.52% of the geographical area of the state.

Name of National Park Area Location Established Fauna
Kanha National Park 940 km2 Mandla 1955 Tiger, panther, gaur, chital, sambar, nilgai, chinkara, barking deer, swamp deer, (barasingha), wild boar and a variety of upland birds.
Bandhavgarh National Park 437 km2 Umaria 1968

Tiger, panther, gaur, chital, sambar, nilgai, chinkara, barking deer, wild boar and a variety of upland birds.

Madhav National Park 354 km2 Shivpuri 1959

Panther, chital, sambar, nilgai, chinkara, blackbuck, chausingha, wild boar, crocodiles in lake, and a variety of upland birds.

Sanjay National Park 467 km2 Sidhi -

Tiger, panther, sambar, chital, gaur, etc.

Van Vihar National Park 4.45 km2 Bhopal 1983

Tiger, panther, lion, bear, hyena, etc.

Panna National Park 543 km2 Panna, Chhatarpur -

Tiger, chital, chinkara, sambar and sloth bear.

Satpura National Park 524 km2 Pachmarhi 1981

Tiger, leopard, sambar, chital, , nilgai, four-horned antelope, chinkara, bison (gour), wild boar, wild dog, bear, blackbuck, fox, porcupine, flying squirrel, mouse deer, Indian giant squirrel, etc.

Pench National Park 293 km2 Seoni, Chhindwara 1983

Tiger, panther, bison, chital, sambhar, nilgai, chinkara, barking deer, chowsingha, wild boar and a variety of upland birds.

Mandla Plant Fossils National Park 0.27 km2 Mandla -

Plant fossils

[1]

List of sanctuaries[]

There are 30 Wildlife sanctuaries in Madhya Pradesh. They are the following:[2]

  • Bori Wildlife Sanctuary (Hoshangabad) 518.00 km2 (200.00 sq mi)
  • Bagdara Sanctuary (Singrauli) 478.90 km2 (184.90 sq mi)
  • Phen Sanctuary (Mandla) 110.74 km2 (42.76 sq mi)
  • Ghatigaon Sanctuary (Gwalior) 512.00 km2 (197.68 sq mi)
  • Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary (Mandsaur, Neemuch) 368.62 km2 (142.32 sq mi)
  • Karera Sanctuary (Shivpuri) 202.21 km2 (78.07 sq mi)
  • Ken Gharial Sanctuary (Chhatarpur, Panna) 45.00 km2 (17.37 sq mi)
  • Kheoni Wildlife Sanctuary (Dewas, Sehore) 122.70 km2 (47.37 sq mi)
  • Narsingharh Sanctuary (Rajgarh) 57.19 km2 (22.08 sq mi)
  • National Chambal Sanctuary (Morena) 320.00 km2 (123.55 sq mi)
  • Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary (Sagar, Damoh, Narsinghpur) 1,194.67 km2 (461.26 sq mi)
  • Pachmarhi Sanctuary (Hoshangabad) 461.85 km2 (178.32 sq mi)
  • Panpatha Sanctuary (Umaria) 245.84 km2 (94.92 sq mi)
  • Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary (Sheopur) 345.00 km2 (133.21 sq mi)
  • Pench National Park (Seoni) 449.39 km2 (173.51 sq mi)
  • Ratapani Tiger Reserve (Raisen, Sehore) 823.84 km2 (318.09 sq mi)
  • Sanjay-Dubri Wildlife Sanctuary (Sidhi) 364.69 km2 (140.81 sq mi)
  • Singhori Sanctuary (Raisen) 287.91 km2 (111.16 sq mi)
  • Son Ghariyal Sanctuary (Sidhi) 41.80 km2 (16.14 sq mi)
  • Sardarpur Sanctuary (Dhar) 348.12 km2 (134.41 sq mi)
  • Sailana Sanctuary (Ratlam) 12.96 km2 (5.00 sq mi)
  • Ralamandal wildlife Sanctuary (Indore) 5 km2 (1.9 sq mi)
  • Orchha Sanctuary (Niwari) 46 km2 (18 sq mi)
  • Gangau Sanctuary (Panna) 69 km2 (27 sq mi)
  • Veerangna Durgawati Sanctuary (Damoh) 24 km2 (9.3 sq mi)

Climate[]

Madhya Pradesh has a subtropical climate. Like most of north India, it has a hot dry summer (April–June) followed by monsoon rains (July–September) and a cool and relatively dry winter. The average rainfall is about 1,370 mm (53.9 in). It decreases from east to west. The south-eastern districts have the heaviest rainfall, some places receiving as much as 2,150 mm (84.6 in), while the western and north-western districts receive 1,000 mm (39.4 in) or less.

The Tribals and Forests[]

Main article: Tribals in Madhya Pradesh

The tribal population is an integral part of the biodiversity of the forests since ages. A large number of ethnic aboriginal tribes are there who live in and around forests in Madhya Pradesh. The main tribal groups are:

See also[]

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Though Kanha or Satpura region is famous as tiger reserve, once upon a time it used to be ruled by Elephants" (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2013-08-11. Retrieved 2013-08-11.
  2. ^ "Wild Life". mpforest.org. Madhya Pradesh Forest Department. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
Retrieved from ""