Natural Vegetation of India
Geography › Indian Monsoon, Climate, Vegetation and Soils · Topic 16.5
The natural vegetation of India is classified by rainfall, temperature, soil and relief into five main groups and sixteen types, as in the scheme of Champion and Seth: moist tropical, dry tropical, montane subtropical, montane temperate and alpine forests. Tropical moist deciduous forest, with teak and sal, is the largest. India's forest cover is 21.76 per cent of its area, and total forest and tree cover 25.17 per cent.
6 min read · UPSC Prelims · Geography · Indian Monsoon, Climate, Vegetation and Soils
At a Glance
- Classification 5 groups, 16 types (Champion and Seth)
- Largest type Tropical moist deciduous
- Forest cover 21.76 per cent of area (ISFR 2023)
- Forest and tree cover 25.17 per cent
- Mangroves About 4,992 sq km
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Geography: Indian Monsoon, Climate, Vegetation and Soils
Where Does It Fit?
This is the fifth topic of the macro on the Indian monsoon, climate, vegetation and soils. The previous topic classified the climates, and this one describes the plant cover that each climate supports. The next topic begins the study of soils. Previous topic: Climatic Regions of India. Next topic: Soil Types and Soil Profile.
How Is the Natural Vegetation Classified?
In short: rainfall is the main control of Indian forest types, and temperature and altitude control them in the mountains.
| Annual rainfall | Vegetation |
|---|---|
| Over 200 cm | Evergreen rain forests |
| 100 to 200 cm | Moist deciduous (monsoon) forests |
| 50 to 100 cm | Dry deciduous forest or savanna |
| 25 to 50 cm | Dry thorny scrub |
| Below 25 cm | Desert vegetation |
Above about 900 m, temperature and altitude become the main factor, and the vegetation changes from tropical to subtropical, temperate and alpine, as in the Himalayas. The standard classification is that of H. G. Champion and S. K. Seth (1968), who recognised five major groups and sixteen types.
What Are the Tropical Forest Types?
| Type | Rainfall and climate | Features and distribution | Species |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical wet evergreen | Over 250 cm; 25 to 27 degrees; a short dry season | Tall trees of 45 to 60 m in a thick canopy and layers, little undergrowth; windward Western Ghats, the north-east and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Mahogany, mesua, white cedar, canes, bamboo |
| Tropical semi-evergreen | 200 to 250 cm | Transitional, less dense, with buttressed trunks and epiphytes; west coast, Assam, Odisha, Andamans | Laurel, rosewood, mesua |
| Tropical moist deciduous | 100 to 200 cm | Trees shed leaves in the dry spring and summer; the largest type; Western Ghats, the Shiwalik foothills, Chotanagpur, Odisha and the north-east | Teak, sal, rosewood, amla, bamboo |
| Littoral and swamp (mangrove) | Tidal coasts | Grow in fresh and brackish water in deltas and estuaries; Sundarbans, Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri deltas, Bhitarkanika | Sundari, agar, rhizophora |
| Tropical dry evergreen | About 100 cm, mostly from the northeast monsoon | Short trees up to 12 m; Tamil Nadu coast; much replaced by casuarina plantations | Jamun, tamarind, neem |
| Tropical dry deciduous | 100 to 150 cm | Transitional between moist deciduous and thorn forest; from the Himalayan foothills to Kanyakumari; widely cleared for farming | Teak, axlewood, red sanders, bamboo |
| Tropical thorn | Under 75 cm; humidity below 50 per cent | Low, scattered trees and shrubs, deep roots, small leaves; Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh | Acacia, euphorbia, babul, khejri |
Tropical moist deciduous forest is the largest forest type of India, with about 37 per cent of the forest area, followed by dry deciduous at 28 per cent, as in Tropical Humid Climates (Group A).
What Are the Montane and Alpine Forests?
- Montane subtropical: broad-leaved hill forests in the eastern Himalaya, Western Ghats and Nilgiris; chir pine forests in the Himalaya between 1,000 and 2,000 m; dry evergreen scrub in the Shiwaliks.
- Montane temperate: the wet temperate forests of the Nilgiris, called sholas, the Himalayan moist temperate forests of oak, deodar, blue pine and spruce, and the dry temperate forests of the inner valleys of Ladakh, Lahaul and Sikkim, with chilgoza pine.
- Alpine: sub-alpine forests of silver fir and birch, moist alpine scrub of rhododendron, juniper and dwarf willow, and dry alpine scrub in the cold desert of the trans-Himalaya; above the snowline there is no vegetation. High-altitude pastures are called margs in Kashmir and bugyals in Uttarakhand.
The altitudinal sequence is a mirror of the latitudinal sequence, as in Cold Snow-Forest and Polar Climates (Groups D and E).
How Much Forest Does India Have, and What Are the Concerns?
According to the India State of Forest Report 2023, published by the Forest Survey of India, forest cover is 21.76 per cent of the geographical area and tree cover outside forests about 3.41 per cent, which together make 25.17 per cent, up from 24.62 per cent in the 2021 assessment. Mangrove cover is about 4,992 sq km, a slight fall compared with 2021, with a decline in Gujarat and gains in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. The National Forest Policy of 1988 sets a target of one-third of the area under forest and tree cover, which is about 33 per cent, with two-thirds in the hills.
Critics note that a part of the gain is in plantations and commercial tree cover, and not in natural forest, that the north-east has lost forest cover, and that the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act of 2023, which exempted some categories of land, such as linear projects near borders, from the Act, has been contested in court. The threats are clearing for agriculture and mining, fire, overgrazing, invasive species and climate change, and the mangroves face coastal development, as in Coastline of India – Emergence and Submergence. As an analytical point, counting the area is not the same as measuring the health of the forests, so the quality of the cover, its biodiversity and the rights of the forest-dwelling communities under the Forest Rights Act 2006 should be considered along with the percentage.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Core topic Forest types and species asked
- Data ISFR numbers
- Issues Plantations versus natural forest
What Came Next?
The next topic begins the study of soils with soil types and the soil profile. Next topic: Soil Types and Soil Profile.
Key People and Terms
- Champion and Seth Authors of the forest classification
- Mangrove Salt-tolerant coastal forest
- Shola Montane forest of the Nilgiris
- Marg Alpine meadow of Kashmir
- Bugyal Alpine meadow of Uttarakhand
- ISFR India State of Forest Report
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Five groups and sixteen types.
- Moist deciduous is the largest type, with teak and sal.
- Wet evergreen needs over 250 cm.
- Sundari is the mangrove of the Sundarbans.
- Forest cover is 21.76 per cent and tree cover 3.41 per cent.
Do Not Confuse With
- Moist and dry deciduous 100 to 200 cm versus 100 to 150 cm and drier
- Forest cover and tree cover Dense stands versus trees outside forests
- Marg and bugyal Kashmir versus Uttarakhand meadows
Memory Hook
Over 250 evergreen, 100 to 200 deciduous, under 75 thorn; and up the mountain, pine, fir, scrub, snow.
Mains Angle
Questions link vegetation to climate and conservation. These points add depth.
- Control Rainfall and altitude
- Types Tropical to alpine
- Policy Cover versus quality
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Describe the major types of natural vegetation in India and examine the trends in forest cover indicated by the recent State of Forest Report.”
How to Answer
- Control Rainfall and altitude.
- Types Tropical to alpine.
- Data Forest and tree cover.
- Concerns Plantations and the north-east.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the natural vegetation of India classified?
The natural vegetation of India is classified by Champion and Seth into five groups and sixteen types: moist tropical forests, dry tropical forests, montane subtropical forests, montane temperate forests and alpine forests. The classification is based mainly on rainfall, with temperature, soil and altitude as other factors.
Which is the largest forest type in India?
Tropical moist deciduous forest is the largest forest type of India, covering about 37 per cent of the forest area. It grows where the annual rainfall is 100 to 200 centimetres, sheds its leaves in the dry season, and contains teak, sal and other valuable timber trees.
Where are the tropical wet evergreen forests found?
Tropical wet evergreen forests grow in areas with rainfall of over 250 centimetres, mainly on the windward western slopes of the Western Ghats, in the hills of the north-east, and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The trees are tall, form a thick canopy and are never bare.
What are mangrove forests?
Mangrove forests are salt-tolerant forests growing in tidal areas such as deltas, estuaries and creeks. India's largest are in the Sundarbans, with sundari trees, and they protect coasts from storms and nurture fish. The India State of Forest Report 2023 gives their area as about 4,992 square kilometres.
What is India's forest cover according to the latest report?
According to the India State of Forest Report 2023, forest cover is 21.76 per cent of the geographical area of India, and tree cover is about 3.41 per cent, giving a total of 25.17 per cent. The National Forest Policy sets a target of 33 per cent of the area under forest and tree cover.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 Teak and sal are characteristic of tropical moist deciduous forests.
They shed leaves in the dry season.
2 Tropical thorn forests occur in areas of heavy rainfall.
They occur where rainfall is under 75 cm.
3 Sundari is the dominant tree species of the Sundarbans.
The forest is named after it.
4 Shola forests are found in the Nilgiri hills.
They are montane wet temperate forests.
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