Question

Silent valley, having rare plants and animals is located is

• A. Kerala
• B. Karnataka
• C. Jammu and Kashmir
• D. Andhra Pradesh

Answer 1

The correct option is A Kerala

Biodiversity hot spots are areas with high density of biodiversity or megadiversity, which are also the most threatened ones. India has three biodiversity hotspots - Indo-Burma, Western Ghats - Sri Lanka and Himalayas.

The Western Ghats occur along the western coast of India for a distance of about 1600 km in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala extending over to Sri Lanka. At low elevation up to 500 meters above sea level, the area contains tropical evergreen rain forests while semi-evergreen forests occur at a height of 500-1000 meters.

Major centres of biodiversity in this region are Agasthyamalai hills (Kerala and Tamil Nadu), Silent valley (Kerala) and Amarambalam reserve (Kerala). There is high degree of endemism as well as richness of species of flowering plants, amphibians, reptiles, some mammals and butterflies. It is the most biodiversity rich zone in India.