Central Deccan Plateau Dry Deciduous Forests Some of the larger species mentioned here are rare, as is the threatened Indian giant squirrel ("Ratufa indica"). The 300 species of birds include the globally threatened Jerdon's courser ("Rhinoptilus bitorquatus"), which was rediscovered in 1986 having been thought extinct for nearly a hundred years. About 80 percent of the natural habitat in the ecoregion has been lost. Several blocks of habitat larger than 5,000 km remain. Fifteen protected areas cover almost 3% of the ecoregion's area, with Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve as the largest. Central Deccan Plateau Dry Deciduous Forests The Central Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests southern India, containing
Shimōsa Plateau Prefectural Natural Park was established to protect Lakes Teganuma and Inbanuma, and is located at the north of the plateau. The Shimōsa Plateau has supported a population since ancient times, as evidenced by the large concentration of Jōmon period "kaizuka" or shell middens across the plateau. The plateau was historically located in Shimōsa Province, after which it was named, and was a productive agricultural area prior to the industrialization of Japan. The area served to produce rice and vegetables as early as the Nara period. Ranches on the Shimōsa Plateau flatlands were developed to raise horses. Additionally, the network of