GALLERIES

GALLERIES

Galleries are organized by broad geographic regions within South Asia. Navigate to one of the three sub-pages where there are a series of image galleries. More galleries will be updated shortly.

DELTA (BANGLADESH AND ITS NEIGHBORS)

MONSOON MOUNTAINS (WESTERN GHATS)

PALANI HILLS GALLERY

The Palani Hills are an eastern spur of the southern Western Ghats located in Tamil Nadu. They are named for the temple town of Palani, which is home to the most important Murugan temple in India. The hills form a lofty plateau averaging about 2,000 meters. The slopes are covered in a variety of scrub, deciduous and evergreen forests. The higher hills once hosted large areas of the shola/grasslands. Most of this has been converted to monoculture plantations of eucalyptus, pinus and acacia species. There are notable bird watching sites in the Palanis and there are also significant populations of gaur, Nilgiri langur, Malabar giant squirrels and other mammals. The hill-station of Kodaikanal is the most important settlement in the Palani Hills and is an important tourist site (a fact that has both positive and negatives consequences).

WESTERN GHATS BIODIVERSITY GALLERY

The Western Ghats hosts an impressive number of species that are found no where else in the world. Conservation International has notified the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka as a biodiversity hotspot, a designation given to areas with high endemism under threat from anthropomorphic sources. This album highlights a selection of color pictures of some of those species. Most of the plants, birds, mammals and reptiles here are endemic while others are notable.

SERENDIPITY (SRI LANKA)

CENTRAL HIGHLANDS GALLERY

Sri Lanka’s Central Highlands have been recognized for their significant biodiversity. The area is a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site yet (adopted in 2010) and there is a growing awareness about its unique flora and fauna. The Highlands are composed of the mountainous region at the heart of the southern island and include significant areas such as Peak Wilderness, Horton Plains National Park, the Pidurutalagala forests, the Knuckles protected area and several smaller tracts of forest. Most of the Central Highlands have largely been cleared of original vegetation in support of the plantation (mainly tea) industry. This happened during the 19th and early 20th centuries during colonial rule though recent decades have seen loss of forest to hydroelectric dams, plantations expansion and other human land uses. Today the remaining protected areas may be a small percentage of the total area, but they are well protected and offer the opportunity to experience some of Sri Lanka’s unique biodiversity.