The Chhota-Nagpur dry deciduous forests blanket the Chhota-Nagpur Plateau of eastern India, covering most of Jharkhand and reaching into Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. Because the plateau catches less rain than surrounding lowlands, its dry deciduous woodland is dominated by sal (Shorea robusta) alongside Anogeissus, Terminalia, Lagerstroemia, mahua (Madhuca longifolia), teak (Tectona grandis), and flame of the forest (Butea monosperma), over an understory of shrubs and grasses. The climate is strongly monsoonal, with most of the roughly 1,400 mm of annual rainfall falling between June and September; winters are cool with the occasional sub-freezing night, while summer days turn warm to hot. The region remains an important refuge for tiger and Asian elephant and harbors the sloth bear as a flagship species, with protected blocks such as the Palamau Tiger Reserve.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 23.6°N, 85.4°E.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
°C
°F
Current zone range (2011–2040)
12a-12b
Plotwright
CHELSA-derived typical winter month at this ecoregion's bbox grid.
Projected (2041–2070)
12a-13a
Plotwright
Where the CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.
Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +4.3°F by mid-century. SSP3-7.0 (current trajectory) · CHELSA v2.1 bio06 sampled across 10 of 10 points within this ecoregion's bounding box.
At a glance
Dominant biome
Tropical & Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests
Realm
Indomalayan
Approximate area
47,260 sq mi
Conservation tier
Nature Imperiled (Dinerstein NNH 4)
About the tropical & subtropical dry broadleaf forests biome
Tropical forests that pass through a pronounced dry season, when many trees drop their leaves to conserve water. They hold high biodiversity but are among the most threatened tropical habitats, sensitive to fire and to clearing for agriculture.
Catalog plants suited to this ecoregion
Computed from each plant's stated USDA zone range against this ecoregion's CHELSA-derived current zone range, with the CHELSA mid-century warming delta applied for the projection. Plants whose stated range falls outside both the current and projected zone end up dropped; the rest land in one of the three buckets below.
Climate-resilient picks · 4
These plants fit this ecoregion today AND remain in range under the mid-century SSP3-7.0 projection. Lead with these for a planting that holds up as the climate shifts.
No curated collection's plants all fit this ecoregion's zone range. We surface a collection only when every member would grow here — partial fits get filtered out rather than mislead. As the catalog and the curated set both grow, this section will fill in.
Related ecoregions
Other tropical & subtropical dry broadleaf forests ecoregions to explore: