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Cause for concern across the Eurasian Continent
Palaearctic
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Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests
Southern Korea evergreen forests
Agricultural lands have replaced forests across much of this region, contributing to declines in biodiversity. The remaining evergreen forests lie mostly on mountains and hills. And the best forest stands lie in protected areas (called natural monuments in Korea), such as Ulsan, Hampyeong, and Naejang-san.
Palaearctic
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Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests
Taiheiyo evergreen forests
Across the coastal plains and hills of this region, rice fields stretch where ribbons of broadleaf evergreen forest once grew, a result of the introduction of rice cultivation to Japan almost 2,000 years ago. The land in this region has been almost entirely developed or converted to agriculture. Urban areas have heavily altered the landscape. The largest cities in Japan--including Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, and Nagoya, as well as the Pacific industrial belt--lie in this region. Introduced tree and grass species compete with native vegetation. Remnants of original forests grow in sanctuaries around temples and shrines, on steep, inaccessible mountain slopes, and in river gorges.
Palearctic
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Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests
Taiheiyo montane deciduous forests
Primary deciduous forests have almost disappeared in Japan, replaced by conifer plantations and urban areas. Limited tracts of original forest are protected within national parks, but even there, logging, road construction, and the development of tourist facilities fragment the forests. Such activities further threaten species such as the Asiatic black bear and sika deer, which already face local extinction.
Palearctic
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Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests
Tarim Basin deciduous forests and steppe
Many of the forests along the Tarim River have been cleared for agriculture, and much of the river's water has been diverted for irrigation, causing lakes in the Tarim Basin to evaporate completely. This trend is likely to continue as people relocate to the area from crowded regions of eastern China. Human population growth along the river could magnify these and other threats in coming years. Tapping the vast petroleum reserves present in the basin could also have a highly adverse environmental impact on the region.
Palearctic
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Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests
Ussuri broadleaf and mixed forests
The habitats of this ecoregion are protected in many formal reserves, but with Russia's current economic situation there is not enough funding for proper reserve management. Logging, especially by East Asian companies, is an ongoing threat. Poaching and habitat loss are severe threats to the endangered Siberian tigers and Amur leopards.
Palearctic
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Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests
West Siberian broadleaf and mixed forests
Because this ecoregion contains no national parks, animal diversity and habitat are at risk. Main threats include clear-cuts, frequent fires, poaching, and conversion of forests to pasture, which all lead to fragmentation or complete destruction of forest ecosystems and a decrease in biodiversity. Although two forests areas are protected as part of nature monuments, an entire network of protected areas must be established for these forests to survive.
Palearctic
•
Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests
Western European broadleaf forests
Throughout this ecoregion, the landscape is dominated by urbanization and agriculture, including vineyards and other monocultural plantings. Most streams have been altered for use in irrigation, and many valleys are flooded by dams constructed for increasing power and water supplies.
Palearctic
•
Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests
Zagros Mountains forest steppe
Farming, the cutting of wood for fuel, and commercial logging have decimated the forests of this ecoregion. Patches of forest remain only in the most isolated highlands. A variety of medicinal, industrial, and edible plants found in the green pastures of the region are also overexploited.
Although some pristine areas of natural habitat remain in the Alps Conifer and Mixed Forests ecoregion, these areas are highly fragmented, which makes it difficult for large carnivores to survive. Throughout this ecoregion, the human influence on nature is pervasive. More than 11 million people live in this part of the world. The mountains here are popular tourist destinations and are also the site of power plants, industry, and agriculture, all of which contribute to air and water pollution.patches of native forests and wetlands remain.
The inaccessibility of the Altai mountains means that much of the forests and rivers in the region have remained pristine. However, some areas suffer from overgrazing and farming activities. Timber cutting in the Lake Teletskoe watershed can sometimes be a problem. Air and ground pollution from the local mining industry and non-ferrous metal works in eastern Kazakhstan is a concern to the integrity of the Altaisky and Katunsky nature reserves as well as surrounding lands.
