Locations of Special Interest
Malagasy Dry Forests
​
Madagascar’s tropical forests are known worldwide for their highly endemic species. There are two separate geographical regions: the western side and the northern side of the island (Burgess et al. 2004). Before human settlement, most of Madagascar was covered with tropical dry forests (Burgess et al. 2004). However, what is left is degraded, fragmented, and at risk for further degradation due to human encroachment and climate change.
Malagasy tropical dry forest experiences a mean maximum temperature between 30°C-33°C and a mean minimum between 8°C-21°C (Burgess et al. 2004). Intense rainfall occurs from October to April, with annual averages between 1000mm and 1500mm (Burgess et al. 2004). More protected and richer soil forests have canopies that can reach 10-15m tall (Burgess et al. 2004). Forests with less rich soils or sandy soils have
Distribution of tropical dry forests in Madagascar. Photo by Terpsichores.
canopies that range from 10-13m tall (World Wildlife Fund n.d.). During the dry season, canopy cover is almost completely gone due to most plant species being drought-deciduous.
​
​Dominant vegetation in Malagasy tropical dry forests include:
Delonix regia. Photo by Eduardo Lara for Getty Images
Oeceoclades calcarata. Photo by Serge Prouteau
Pachypodium decaryi. Photo by Scott Zona
Adansonia grandidieri. Photo by Bernard Gagnon
Indian and Sri Lankan Dry Forests
​
Indian and Sri Lankan tropical dry forests were once though to have covered 75% of the area originally (Saha and Hiremath 2003). However, only a small portion remains today due to habitat conversion to agricultural and pastoral lands. Several segments of tropical dry forests are found in India and Sri Lanka; areas of note are the Deccan Plateau, Narmada Valley, Kathiarbar-Gir dry deciduous forests, and the Chota Nagpur Plateau (World Wildlife Fund n.d.).
​
Tropical dry forests in India and Sri Lanka are not species-rich and do not have a high amount of endemic species. However, Indian dry forests are home to unique features and several charismatic species, such as Asian elephants, tigers, and Asiatic lions. Indian and Sri Lankan dry forests can reach a maximum temperature of 44°C (World Wildlife Fund n.d.). Annual rainfall in Indian and Sri Lankan tropical dry forests are between 900mm to 1500mm (World Wildlife Fund n.d.). Tropical dry forests in this region are often surrounded by moist forests and thorn scrub, meaning that the dry forests seem to be a transitional zone between the two ecoregions (World Wildlife Fund n.d.).
​
Vegetation is mostly deciduous across most dry forests in India and Sri Lanka. However, the eastern side of the Deccan Plateau is home
Distribution of tropical dry forests (dark green) in India. Figure from Sudhakar Reddy et al. (2015)
to dry evergreen forests. The Eastern Deccan Dry Evergreen Forests occur in a narrow strip across the southern coast. Historically, more deciduous species occurred in these forests but due to human encroachment, canopies are now short (<10m), closed, and mostly made up of evergreens (World Wildlife Fund n.d.). In contrast, deciduous dry forests canopies can reach up to 25m (World Wildlife Fund n.d.).
​
​Dominant vegetation in Indian and Sri Lankan tropical dry forests include:
Manilkara hexandra (seen in evergreen dry forests). Photo by Shailesh Nursery.
Tectona grandis. Photo by Tonynirappathu
Terminalia paniculata. Photo by Vinayaraj.
Anogeissus latifolia. Photo by Lalithamba
Citations:
​
Burgess, N. D., J. Hales, E. C. Underwood, and E. Dinerstein. 2004, January. Terrestrial eco-regions of Africa and Madagascar: A conservation assessment. unknown. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292588815_Terrestrial_ecoregions_of_africa_and_Madagascar_A_conservation_assessment.
Saha, S., and A. Hiremath. 2003, November. Anthropogenic fires in India: A tale of two forests. https://cals.arizona.edu/oals/ALN/aln54/saha.html.
World Wildlife Fund. (n.d.). Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests. https://www.worldwildlife.org/biomes/tropical-and-subtropical-dry-broadleaf-forests.