Eastern Ghats

Eastern Ghats (between 10.0° N to 13.0° N and 76.0° E to 80.5° E) is a discontinuous mountain range running almost parallel to the east coast of India and constitutes the watersheds of many rivers. In Tamil Nadu, the Eastern Ghats (EG) stretch from the Jawadi Hills in the north to the Alagar Hills in the south, encompassing 13 major hill ranges. These prominent hills are Jawadi, Elagiri, Shevaroy, Chitteri, Kalrayan, Bodamalai, Kolli, Pachaimalai, Semmalai, Aiyalur, Karandamalai, Sirumalai, and Alagar. The Eastern Ghats extend across 13 districts, namely Dharmapuri, Dindigul, Kallakurichi, Karur, Krishnagiri, Madurai, Namakkal, Perambalur, Salem, Tiruchirappalli, Tirupathur, Tiruvannamalai, and Vellore, within the state of Tamil Nadu. In total, the Eastern Ghats region covers an expansive area of 4,100 square kilometers in Tamil Nadu. The hills of the EG in Tamil Nadu range from 70 km2 to 1860 km2 in area, and the altitude in this region ranges from 180 m above mean sea level (MSL) to 1650 m above MSL. The mean minimum and maximum temperatures are 17°C and 33°C, respectively, and the average annual rainfall is 800–1600 mm. The major soil types are entisols, inceptisols, and alfisols. Geologically, the EG consist of charnockite with minor bands of pyroxin granulate and magnetite quartzite. The tributaries of many perennial rivers like the Pennaiyar, Palar, Vellar, Cauvery, and Vaigai originate from these hills. These hills are still rich in biodiversity, despite heavy exploitation, and they contain more than 960 species of angiosperm and gymnosperm. There are many endemic, endangered, and medicinally important species distributed within these hills (Ramachandran et al., 2016).

Forest Habitat Suitability Risk due to Climate Change

Base Period (1985-2014)                     Near Century (2021-2050)