Forest
The forest ecosystem of Karnataka is unique and highly diverse. It forms an important component of the natural resources of the environment. Vegetation types include tropical evergreen, semi-evergreen, moist deciduous, dry deciduous, thorny scrubs, sholas and coastal mangroves. They are a repository of rich biodiversity at the level of gene, species and ecosystem. Different forest ecosystems are the result of the interplay of topographic, climatic and edaphic differences influenced by altitude and the distance from the sea. The Western Ghats forests are a fragile ecosystem that is one of the mega biodiversity hotspots of the world. Several initiatives have been taken towards forest conservation. The continuous efforts in afforestation over several decades have resulted in the increase of forest cover. The growing of trees on private lands in large numbers contributed to the increase in the tree cover outside forests. In spite of these efforts, the tremendous pressure on forests in terms of diversions of land for mining and hydro power besides encroachment, grazing, fire etc. has led to a degradation of the stock, fragmentation of habitats and loss of biodiversity.