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Flora And Fauna Of Maharashtra

If you happen to visit Maharashtra, you will be surprised to see a huge diversity in flora as well as fauna. Its topography as well as the tropical climate has resulted in the diversity that you explore here. You can get a glimpse of many wildlife species along with a huge collection of the flora as well. This state can be best described as a combination of High Mountain ranges of height 4000 feet and tropical rain forests. About 17% of this state is covered by the thick forests consisting of deciduous plants. Most of the forests are found in the Sahyadri region and are very dense. Maharashtra is said to have 3 game reserves, 5 national parks and 24 bird sanctuaries. So, you can explore a variety of animals like tigers, deers, wild boars, panthers and many more.

Many of Maharashtra’s forest lie on the borders of Madhya Pradesh state as well as the Sahyadri region too. Some of these areas are converted into wildlife reserves thus preserving the biodiversity. Dhokna-Kolkaz forest of Maharashtra is known for its excellent wildlife that includes flying squirrels, tigers, antelope and lots more. The Nagzira Wild Life Sanctuary is also a famous sanctuary to explore blue ball, panthers, sloth bear, birds etc. When you move towards the south, you will come across the Nawagaon National Park which is the most visited and beautiful parks of Maharashtra. Even the Tadoba National Park is also a wonderful park which can be explored by the tourists. This park is known for the ducks and waterfowls. If you are fond of bird watching, you can head towards the Karnala Bird Sanctuary which is located at a distance of 60 kms from Mumbai. Even Gandhiji’s Ashram is a worth visiting place near Sevagram.

Flora of Maharashtra

The national parks of Maharashtra are full of variety of plant species that include Jamun (Syzigium cumini), Palas (Butea monosperma), Shisam (Dalbergia latifolia), Kate sawar (Bombax ceiba), Neem (Azardiracta indica), Teak (Tectona grandis), Dhawada (Anogeissus latifolia), Kalam (Mitragyna parviflora), Saja/Ain (Terminalia tomentosa), Bija (Pterocarpus marsupium), Shirish (Albizia lebbeck), Mango (Mangifera indica), Acacia spp, Awala (Emblica officinalis), Kadamba (Anthocephalus cadamba), Moha, Acacia spp, Terminalia spp, Hedu (Haldina cordifolia), Ficus spp and many more.

Fauna of Maharashtra

Some of the exclusive wildlife species of the various national parks include giant Indian squirrel, spotted deer, sambhar, Blackbuck, tiger, wild dog, butterflies, python, barking deer, flying fox, Rhesus macaque, crocodile, wolves, Indian antelope, neelgai, hyena, fishes, Bonnet Macaque, Black napped hare, migratory species and many more.

Wildlife in Maharashtra

Maharashtra is known for some of the best national parks and the wildlife species that attract the people. You will come across several sanctuaries to explore the rich flora and fauna. The efforts of the state government to preserve the wildlife species has definitely paid off with numerous species being still alive. Adequate measures have been taken to protect the wildlife as well as other unique species.

In order to explore national parks or sanctuaries, you can easily hire jeeps, night safaris or go for the audio visual services to enjoy a wonderful experience. Other transportation options are also available to explore these parks in a different way and catch the excitement and adventure. You can also enjoy the natural beauty as well as the green environment.

Some of the most visited national parks include Chaprala Wildlife Sanctuary, Tipeshwer, Tadoba National Park, Navegaon National ParkTipeshwer, Chikhaldhara, Dajipur, Bharmragarh Wild Life Sanctuary, Bor Wildlife Sanctuary and many more. Pench Jungle Camp is one of the special facilities that you enjoy at the Pench National Park.

Forest in Maharashtra

The forest of Maharashtra covers a huge area of 61,939 sq km thus covering about 21% of the total land. In order to preserve the wildlife, 33% of the land is given to the state government so that it can utilize the area to create more national parks as well as sanctuaries. Nagpur is said to have the largest forest area while Aurangabad has the least forest area. In terms of the district, Gadchiroli is said to have 13000 sq km of the forest area.

Most of the area of Maharashtra is covered with the black soils that are formed from the lava rocks and that is why known as black cotton soils. The edges near the rivers have saline soil which results from extensive evaporation.

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