Ecoregions of the world, spanning all land area (terrestrial) of the planet, were first defined and mapped in 2001 and subsequently revised in 2017. Later, freshwater ecoregions and marine ecoregions of the world were identified. Within India, there are 46 terrestrial ecoregions, 14 freshwater ecoregions, and 6 marine ecoregions.

Terrestrial ecoregions The terrestrial ecoregions of the world include 45 ecoregions that fall entirely or partly within the boundaries of India. These ecoregions fall within two biogeographic realms: Indomalayan and Palearctic. They also fall under ten biomes: Deserts and Xeric Shrublands,  Flooded Grasslands and Savannas, Mangroves, Montane Grasslands and Shrublands, Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests, Temperate Conifer Forests, Tropical and Subtropical Coniferous Forests, Tropical and Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests, Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas and Shrublands, and Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests. The ecoregion Rock and Ice is not included under any specific biome or biogeographic realm. Picture Ecoregion State or union territories Biome Realm Andaman Islands rain forests Andaman and Nicobar Islands Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests Arunachal Pradesh Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan Assam Meghalaya NagalandCentral Tibetan Plateau alpine steppeJammu and KashmirMontane grasslands and shrublandsPalearctic East Deccan moist deciduous forests Andhra Pradesh Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan Chhattisgarh Jharkhand Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Odisha Telangana West Bengal Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests Bihar Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan Sikkim Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand West Bengal Lower Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests Assam Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan Bihar Jharkhand Madhya Pradesh Odisha Tripura Uttar Pradesh West Bengal Malabar Coast moist forests Goa Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan Karnataka Kerala Maharashtra Tamil Nadu Maldives–Lakshadweep–Chagos Archipelago tropical moist forests Lakshadweep Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan Meghalaya subtropical forests Assam Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan Meghalaya Tripura Nagaland Mizoram–Manipur–Kachin rain forests Assam Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan Manipur Mizoram Nagaland Tripura Nicobar Islands rain forests Andaman and Nicobar Islands Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan Goa Gujarat Karnataka Maharashtra North Western Ghats montane rain forests Goa Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan Gujarat Karnataka Maharashtra Odisha semi-evergreen forests Andhra Pradesh Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan Odisha South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests Karnataka Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan Kerala Tamil Nadu South Western Ghats montane rain forests Karnataka Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan Kerala Tamil Nadu Sundarbans freshwater swamp forests West Bengal Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan Upper Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests Bihar Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Indomalayan Delhi Haryana Himachal Pradesh Madhya Pradesh Rajasthan Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand Central Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests Andhra Pradesh Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests Indomalayan Chhattisgarh Karnataka Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Telangana Chota Nagpur dry deciduous forests Bihar Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests Indomalayan Chhattisgarh Jharkhand Madhya Pradesh Odisha Uttar Pradesh West Bengal East Deccan dry evergreen forests Andhra Pradesh Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests Indomalayan Puducherry Tamil Nadu Khathiar–Gir dry deciduous forests Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests Indomalayan Gujarat Haryana Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Rajasthan Uttar Pradesh Narmada Valley dry deciduous forests Chhattisgarh Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests Indomalayan Gujarat Karnataka Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Uttar PradeshNorth Tibetan Plateau-Kunlun Mountains alpine desertJammu and KashmirMontane grasslands and shrublandsPalearctic North Deccan dry deciduous forests Chhattisgarh Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests Indomalayan Odisha South Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests Karnataka Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests Indomalayan Tamil Nadu Himalayan subtropical pine forests Himachal Pradesh Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests Indomalayan Jammu and Kashmir Sikkim Uttarakhand West Bengal Northeast India–Myanmar pine forests Manipur Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests Indomalayan Nagaland Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests Arunachal Pradesh Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests Indomalayan Assam Nagaland Sikkim West Bengal Western Himalayan broadleaf forests Himachal Pradesh Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests Indomalayan Jammu and Kashmir Punjab Uttarakhand Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests Arunachal Pradesh Temperate coniferous forests Indomalayan Sikkim West Bengal Western Himalayan subalpine conifer forests Himachal Pradesh Temperate coniferous forests Indomalayan Jammu and Kashmir Ladakh Uttarakhand Terai–Duar savanna and grasslands Assam Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands Indomalayan Bihar Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand West Bengal Rann of Kutch seasonal salt marsh Gujarat Flooded grasslands and savannas Indomalayan Deccan thorn scrub forests Andhra Pradesh Deserts and xeric shrublands Indomalayan Karnataka Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Tamil Nadu Telangana Aravalli west thorn scrub forests Chandigarh Deserts and xeric shrublands Indomalayan Delhi Gujarat Haryana Himachal Pradesh Jammu and Kashmir Punjab Rajasthan Thar Desert Gujarat Deserts and xeric shrublands Indomalayan Haryana Rajasthan Godavari–Krishna mangroves Andhra Pradesh Mangrove Indomalayan Odisha Tamil Nadu Indus River Delta–Arabian Sea mangroves Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Mangrove Indomalayan Gujarat Maharashtra Sundarbans mangroves West Bengal Mangrove Indomalayan Northeastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests Arunachal Pradesh Temperate coniferous forests Palearctic Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows Arunachal Pradesh Montane grasslands and shrublands Palearctic Sikkim Karakoram–West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe Ladakh Montane grasslands and shrublands Palearctic Northwestern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows Himachal Pradesh Montane grasslands and shrublands Palearctic Jammu and Kashmir Ladakh Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows Himachal Pradesh Montane grasslands and shrublands Palearctic Uttarakhand Baluchistan xeric woodlands Punjab Deserts and xeric shrublands Palearctic

Freshwater ecoregions Freshwater ecoregions of the world have been defined as "a large area encompassing one or more freshwater systems with a distinct assemblage of natural freshwater communities and species. The freshwater species, dynamics, and environmental conditions within a given ecoregion are more similar to each other than to those of surrounding ecoregions, and together form a conservation unit." The following 14 freshwater ecoregions occur within India. Upper Indus Indus Himalayan Foothills Lower and Middle Indus Ganges Himalayan Foothills Middle Brahmaputra Chin Hills–Arakan Coast Ganges Delta and Plain Narmada–Tapti Northern Deccan Plateau Southern Deccan Plateau Southeastern Ghats Western Ghats Andaman Islands Nicobar Islands

Marine ecoregions Marine ecoregions of the world have been described across the worlds oceans and seas. India's seas are in the Western Indo-Pacific marine realm. This includes the following four provinces and six marine ecoregions. West and South Indian Shelf province Western India South India and Sri Lanka Central Indian Ocean Islands province Maldives Bay of Bengal province Eastern India Northern Bay of Bengal Andaman province Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Global 200 ecoregions in India

The following are the ecoregions in India that are included in the Global 200 ecoregions:

Terrestrial Chota Nagpur dry deciduous forests (India) Eastern Deccan Plateau moist forests (old name) or East Deccan moist deciduous forests (current name) (India) Eastern Himalayan alpine meadows (Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal) Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests (Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal) Himalayan subtropical pine forests (Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan) Naga-Manipuri-Chin hills moist forests (India) Northeast India-Myanmar pine forests (India, Myanmar) Rann of Kutch seasonal salt marsh (India, Pakistan) South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests (India) Sundarbans mangroves (Bangladesh, India) Terai-Duar savannas and grasslands (Bhutan, India, Nepal) Tibetan Plateau alpine shrublands and meadows (Afghanistan, China, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan) Western Himalayan broadleaf forests (Afghanistan, India, Nepal, Pakistan)

See also Arid Forest Research Institute (AFRI)

External links Ecozones of India An article about India's biodiversity Seasons, climate, global warming in India

References