These 6 Forests Are Home to India’s Oldest Ecosystems But Face Extinction

Not all forests roar with fame. Even if they are not on tourist trails, here are six forgotten Indian forests that hold secrets we are dangerously close to losing.

1. Behali Reserve Forest, Assam Tucked away in Assam’s Biswanath district, Behali is one of the last intact forests in the region. It is rich, ancient, and deeply threatened.

More than just trees, it holds ancient ruins, like the Rajgarh rampart and Maidam Pukhuri tank. The local communities depend on the forest’s non-timber riches.

2. Saranda Forest, Jharkhand Saranda, meaning ‘land of seven hundred hills’, is the largest sal forest in Asia, once untouched and sacred to tribal communities.

It is an important wildlife corridor and water source, but mining threatens its ecosystem and the lives of forest-dependent tribes.

3. Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, Assam Near Jorhat in Assam, this forest is the last stronghold of India’s only ape, the endangered hoolock gibbon.

Surrounded by tea gardens, it is a biodiversity hotspot, home to western hoolock gibbons and bird species, including hornbills and woodpeckers.

4. Chilapata Forests, West Bengal A shadowy forest near Jaldapara, Chilapata links Jaldapara National Park and Buxa Tiger Reserve, and shelters elephants and leopards.

It is an important elephant corridor and home to the ruins of a 1,500-year-old fort, known as Nalraja Garh, hidden deep within the jungle.

5. Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary, Maharashtra Just north of Mumbai lies Tansa, a fragile patch of green where tribal cultures persist. It is home to indigenous communities such as the Katkari, who are dependent on forest resources.

It is home to the rare Forest Owlet and protects water sources for millions, yet remains vulnerable to encroachment.

6. Kathalekan Forest, Karnataka Deep in the Western Ghats, Kathalekan hides ancient Myristica swamps, relics of a rainforest that predates the Himalayas.

This ‘Jurassic forest’ is a living fossil, protecting plant species that survived 100 million years of change.