Central India
The Central Indian deciduous forests extend over a large area spanning several states covered by the Satpura range, Deccan plateau, and Chota Nagpur plateau. They represent one of the largest intact, though increasingly fragmented, stretches of dry and moist deciduous forests in the country. They are also home to one of the largest populations of tigers in the country. These forests offer an opportunity to understand interactions between vegetation, herbivores, and predators, in the relative absence of severe human disturbance as many forests fall under the protected area network. In Phase 1, a transect including some reserves in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, such as Tadoba, Pench, Kanha and Panna reserves will be established. The teak-sal transition zone in the region will be included in the monitoring plan.