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Cause for concern across the Eurasian Continent
Palaearctic
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Temperate Coniferous Forests
Mediterranean conifer and mixed forests
Human impact in this ecoregion is severe. People used to live a semi-nomadic lifestyle here, moving from place to place several times during the year. But now they tend to settle in one place for long periods of time. During the winters, these people must gather large amounts of firewood for heating, and their livestock often graze the forest understory to get enough food to survive. Illegal logging and uncontrolled harvesting of medicinal plants are serious concerns.
Commercial logging is impractical in steep, remote parts of the ecoregion, but many trees have been taken from lower elevations in southeastern areas. Local residents cut trees for building and fuel, and they hunt animals, especially musk deer and pheasants.
All of the wetlands in this ecoregion are threatened by irrigation, conversion to agriculture, and pollution. Other threats include logging, road construction, and the illegal export of wild plant bulbs and other plant and animal species.
Nujiang Langcang Gorge alpine conifer and mixed forests
The Gaoligong Nature Reserve would be more effective if it were not so slender and included more low elevation habitat. Farmland and scrub replace forest below 6,500 feet (2,000 m), an elevation that could potentially hold high diversity, and villages have been established up to the lower edge of the forest. Nonetheless, Gaoligong is one of southwest China's most important protected areas.
The ecoregion's endangered ungulate (hoofed animals) species and their predators are susceptible to hunting pressures as other areas lose their wildlife. Without detailed knowledge of the wildlife found in these mountains, it is difficult to protect them. Therefore these mountains should be studied more intently to learn more about their biodiversity.
The Qionglai-Minshan Mountains are too steep, cool, and humid for agriculture, so few people live in the ecoregion. But logging destroys habitat and hunting decreases animal populations. The skins and other parts of leopards, deer, bears, and other animals are sold in local markets, as well as rare plants that are sought for medicine. Such trade is increasing as more tourists come to the area.
These montane forests have been significantly disturbed. Light needle-leaf forests at lower elevations are almost completely clear-cut. Forest harvesting has also led to significant slope erosion and pollution of water ecosystems. Poaching is also a serious risk to many animal species. And the entire ecoregion is threatened by pollution from various areas in Russia and as far away as Kazakhstan and China.
Pressures include logging and small towns along the coast. These settlements increase the pressures of hunting, small-scale agriculture, and wood collection.
Overgrazing at the higher elevations threatens this area. Local residents shoot animals for their meat and other parts that they can sell. Snow leopards are killed because they sometimes eat livestock, and it is possible that this rare creature no longer survives in the ecoregion. Conservationists would like to see more of these forests, meadows, and mountains protected in the future.
The Eastern Siberian Taiga still preserves vast tracts of pristine habitat. But only a fraction of these areas is formally protected, and many scientists say the existing protected area network is not sufficient. Human induced forest fires, clear-cutting, and poaching are all serious threats.
