<P> Tropical forests in India's east present a total contrast with the pine and coniferous woodland of the Western Himalayas . The natural cover of India varies with altitude; these evergreen forests are bounded with high alpine meadows nearer to the snowline and temperate forests of short stout trees at lower elevations . In the Himalayan foothills are deciduous trees, with shrubs, bamboo, ferns and grass . </P> <P> India's northern plains, the course of the holy rivers Ganges and Yamuna; the Thar Desert in the west; the Sundarbans, the marshy swamplands, in the delta of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra, in the east; the Deccan Plateau, lying in the rain shadow of the hills and the Western Ghats with their dense; luxuriant forests--all provide fascinating variations in habitats . These forests sustain 350 species of mammals, 2,100 kinds of birds (both local and migratory), nearly 350 species of reptile and countless insects . Conservation preserves the ecological diversity and our life support systems - water, air and soil . It helps reserve the genetic diversity of plants and animals for better growth of species . The need for conservation of the environment and the forests has exercised the minds of Indian rulers from the earliest of times . In recent times, it was the administrators and princely rulers who demarcated and reserved forests as private preserves . Today many of the forested regions form the nucleus of India's wildlife sanctuaries and parks . Still, increasing population, hunting and encroachments continues to threaten India's forest lands . </P>

Flora and fauna of tropical evergreen forests in india