Western ghats - a crucible of life | A Biodiversity Hotspot & World Natural Heritage
The Western Ghats are one of the world's great biodiversity hotspots and a UNESCO World Heritage landscape, stretching for more than 1,600 kilometres along India's western peninsula. From the northern laterite plateaus and moist forests to the rainforests, shola forests, grasslands and dry forests of the southern mountains, this ancient range contains an extraordinary diversity of landscapes and life.
The Ghats support more than 4,000 flowering plants, 137 mammal species, 540 birds, 179 amphibians, 93 reptiles and 102 freshwater fish. They hold globally important populations of elephants and tigers and an exceptional concentration of endemic species found nowhere else on Earth.
The mountains are also home to numerous indigenous and forest-dependent communities whose knowledge, traditions and livelihoods have evolved alongside these ecosystems for generations.
Fact File
You could then have a compact visual section with the strongest statistics:
- 1,600+ km mountain chain
- 8 states/regions across the Western Ghats landscape
- 4,000+ flowering plant species
- 137 mammal species
- 540 bird species
- 179 amphibian species
- 93 reptile species
- 102 freshwater fish species
- Exceptional endemism in plants, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals
- Major global habitat for Asian elephants and tigers
Our expeditions explore the Western Ghats across its different states and landscapes, from the northern plateaus to the southern rainforests, combining wildlife, biodiversity, culture and natural history.
