Extending as a narrow strip along the southern coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu states in India, the vegetation in the East Deccan dry evergreen forests have an unusual physiognomy that makes it distinctive from most of the other dry forests. These forests have the ability to stay green during the long dry season, unlike the other dry forests of the Indo-Pacific region that lose their leaves for part of the year. The forests cover a total area of 25,500 square kilometers and extend from the Ramanathapuram District of Tamil Nadu to Nellore District of Andhra Pradesh. The forests have Gondwanaland origins and the average rainfall in these forests is 800 mm. The forests receive most of the rainfall during the brief northeast monsoon that occurs between the months of October and December. The maximum temperatures in these forests during the long dry season can reach a stifling 44ºC.
The original vegetation in the East Deccan dry evergreen forests in India had emergent species of deciduous elements like Albizzia amara and Chloroxylon spp. However, the original canopy-forming deciduous species have deceased due to human pressures, and the shrubby evergreen species now form a closed evergreen understory. Hence, the existing vegetation type in the forests represents a low forest (up to 10 m) with a complete, closed canopy. The canopy is mostly consisting of small leathery-leaved evergreen trees with short trunks and spreading crowns. Though the forests also harbour a large number of climbers, the bamboos are completely absent.
The main flora species that characterise the East Deccan dry evergreen forests in India include the Manilkara hexandra, Mimusops elengi, Diospyros ebernum, Strychnos nux-vomica, Eugenia spp., Drypetes sepiaria, and Flacourtia indica, etc. The degraded stages of this forest have been categorized as tropical dry evergreen scrub and are typically dominated by the thorny species like Zyzyphus glabarrima, Dicrostachys cinerea, Randia dumetorum, and Carissa spinarum, etc.
The East Deccan dry evergreen forests in India are not home to any endemic mammal or bird species. However, there are two threatened species included among the total of sixty-six mammal species found in these forests. These two species are the Wild Dog and Sloth Bear. Apart from these species, there are also some other species that deserve conservation attention in this ecoregion. These species include the eco-region`s largest predator, the Common Leopard. Some of the smaller predators found in the forests include the Jungle Cat and Leopard Cat. The mammal community in these forests also includes several ungulates of conservation importance like the Blackbuck, the Chinkara, and the Small Indian Chevrotain or Mouse Deer. The Sriviliputhur, located in Kamarajar District in Tamil Nadu, and Amaravathy Nagar, located in Coimbatore District, contain the largest remaining populations of the threatened Grizzled Giant Squirrel.
Apart from the unique vegetation and rich mammal fauna species, the East Deccan dry evergreen forests in India are also home to a large number of bird species. The total number of bird species found in these forests is 230, out of which, the Jerdon`s Courser is considered as endangered. The species like Spot-Billed Pelican and Lesser Florican are declared as globally threatened (IUCN 2000). Apart from these, there are also some other birds that deserve conservation attention as focal species because of their need for relatively intact habitat and low tolerances of disturbance. These species include the Woolly-Necked Stork, White-Bellied Sea-Eagle, and Indian Grey Hornbill.
