To download a painting in large format, please enter the number
found below the painting image (such as "Painting 0001")
Cause for concern across the Eurasian Continent
Palaearctic
•
Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests
North Atlantic moist mixed forests
Like bogs in other parts of the world, those in this ecoregion are mined for fuel and soil conditioner. The landscape of this ecoregion has been altered by humans for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years. Today, forests occur in fragments in a landscape dominated by agriculture, cattle, villages, and other human influences. Heathland habitats are threatened by conversion to pasture, while mixed forests are threatened by logging.
Palaearctic
•
Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests
Northeast China Plain deciduous forests
Many people live on the Northeast China Plain, including around the Shuangtai Hekou Nature Reserve. Agriculture and development, especially along the coasts of rivers, have destroyed most of the original forest. Hunting, water pollution, the cutting of reeds, and a nearby oil industry also threaten habitat and wildlife.
Palearctic
•
Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests
Pannonian mixed forests
Central Europe's continued industrialization is increasing pollution and driving a demand for resources, which is leading to more logging and the loss of natural habitats. The expansion and intensification of agriculture, hunting, damming, irrigation, repeated fires, road construction, and overgrazing of grasslands and steppe habitats all threaten this ecoregion.
Palearctic
•
Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests
Po Basin mixed forests
Very little original vegetation remains in this fertile farming region. The river is polluted by agricultural and industrial runoff. Mudslides and flooding are also serious concerns.
Palearctic
•
Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests
Pyrenees conifer and mixed forests
Heavy human influences in this ecoregion have left fragmented wilderness areas in many valleys, canyons, and high slopes of the Pyrenees. Throughout the mountains, some of the best preserved forests are facing threats from intensive logging operations, clearing for ski runs and winter tourist resorts, road construction, and the construction of power stations and dams. These changes in the landscape have had devastating consequences for populations of native plants, birds, and other wildlife. In fact, forest fragmentation and road construction are leading to the extinction of brown bears in Spain. What's more, air pollution associated with power stations has already caused major problems to important forest areas of the eastern Pyrenees.
Palearctic
•
Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests
Qin Ling Mountains deciduous forests
Habitat preservation is a higher priority than breeding endangered animals, like the snub-nosed monkey, panda, and takin, in captivity. Commercial forestry used to be prevalent in the Qinling Mountains prior to the present logging ban. However, if the ban is lifted, these forests could be slated for destruction.
Palearctic
•
Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests
Rodope montane mixed forests
Overgrazing of livestock has already damaged large tracts of vegetation. Intensification and expansion of it continues to threaten the future of this ecoregion. Another major concern is the future status of protected areas. As Bulgaria enters a new post-communist era the economic distributions may divert resources to uses other than conservation. Other threats include industrial pollution, unsustainable natural resource exploitation, and development of land. Water diversion projects, hunting, deforestation, and increased tourism are also threats.
Palearctic
•
Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests
Sarmatic mixed forests
Pollution from industrial development threatens the habitats of this ecoregion. Agriculture, urban expansion, logging, hunting, and road building are also problematic. The environment continues to suffer from the 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, which released radioactive chemicals into the environment in Ukraine. Nearly one-fourth of this territory is still contaminated.
Palearctic
•
Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests
Sichuan Basin evergreen broadleaf forests
People have settled in the Sichuan Basin for 5,000 years, and today the area is one of the most densely populated farming regions in the world. Most natural places have been seriously modified by thousands of years of agriculture and commerce, and decades of heavy industry. Conservationists hope to protect the remaining forests from further development.
