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Cause for concern across the Eurasian Continent
Palaearctic
•
Temperate Coniferous Forests
Caledon conifer forests
Species in this ecoregion are threatened by a combination of recreation, tourism, and unsustainable resource exploitation such as logging and peat removal. Development and fragmentation of habitat are other causes for concern.
Agricultural intensification and expansion is the most serious threat affecting areas across this ecoregion. Increasing recreation and tourism, development and fragmentation of habitat, and poaching of endangered wildlife are other important threats.
In Italy, only about 20 percent of the farmable land is level, so even mountain
slopes and pastures are used for grazing and farming. Tourist traffic can be
heavy, and visitors over-collect orchids. But large-scale logging has mostly
stopped in these forests, and several national parks have been formed to preserve
habitat.
Several threats are increasing in this ecoregion. Logging for timber and fuel remains a major threat, but forests are also being replaced by construction sites for industrial development. Freshwater lakes and wetlands have been severely affected by irrigation channels. Garbage, sewage, and industrial waste are all polluting this ecoregion's rivers and lakes as well.
Extensive logging and clearing of forests for agriculture have nearly eliminated the forests in this ecoregion. The invasion of non-native plant species has also posed a serious threat to native plant communities. A network of dams supplies water to Iran's capital, Teheran, but it has severely disrupted aquatic ecosystems. Overgrazing at higher elevations by sheep and the continued fragmentation of habitat, which is accelerated by road construction, are also of concern because so few natural areas remain.
Large numbers of spruce and other trees have been cut down for timber. Hunting has reduced the numbers of some animal populations and threatens the survival of native blue sheep.
The Chinese government established a ban on commercial logging in 1998 because of increased erosion, siltation, and flooding in the lower Yangzi River. But the ban is difficult to enforce in southeastern Tibet. Roads and recreation facilities are being built for tourists visiting the Yulong Nature Protection Area. Local villagers earn money from tourists by posing in phony ethnic costumes that include pelts of red panda and feathers from Lady Amherst's pheasant. Merchants in towns all over the region sell bear and leopard parts as folk medicine.
The subalpine coniferous forests that once covered the northeast hills and coastal plains of this ecoregion have, for the most part, been cut down. However, there are still relatively large intact tracts of forests elsewhere on the island. Mt. Daisetsu National Park is the largest national park in Japan in terms of area, encompassing several volcanic mountains with extensive spruce and fir forests on its slopes. Unfortunately, protection from poaching, road construction, and tourism has not been very effective for plants and wildlife. For example, despite their protected status, sable are experiencing population declines due to habitat loss and poaching for their fur.
The trees in many of this ecoregion's subalpine coniferous forests have been cut down for timber and the land replanted with trees such as Japanese larch. Most of the alpine vegetation at higher elevations is still relatively intact, however, because these areas are difficult to access. Mountain peaks and plateaus in this ecoregion are well-protected within the national park system, but increasing threats from tourism development and road construction call for careful management plans.
Timber developments continue to threaten this ecoregion because of growing needs for building materials and fuel. Mining in the ecoregion is also a major threat to biodiversity here.
