Paintings

Palaearctic  •  Boreal Forests/Taiga
	Iceland boreal birch forests and alpine tundra Recreation and tourism, unsustainable resource exploitation, development, and disturbance of wildlife by human activities are important threats to this ecoregion.
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	Painting 0509	National Geographic's Wildworld

Palaearctic  •  Boreal Forests/Taiga
	Kamchatka-Kurile meadows and sparse forests This area is still relatively intact, due to its isolation. But poaching and overfishing of salmon and steelhead are major threats to the continued survival of these populations and wildlife that depend on them as a food source, like brown bears. Mismanagement of fisheries, upon which many seabirds and marine mammals depend, is another concern. An increase in mining and gas drilling is also a potential threat.
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	Painting 0510	National Geographic's Wildworld

Palearctic  •  Boreal Forests/Taiga
Kamchatka-Kurile taiga Only 2.1 percent of the region's coniferous forests remains undisturbed by logging or fire. Those that have been vulnerable to logging are most often located in river basins, putting vital salmon spawning grounds at risk. As in other parts of eastern Russia, fires caused by humans damage the region's forests enormously and lead to the growth of tree species that are different from those originally found here. Gold mining, oil exploration, poaching, and deforestation also pose threats to certain areas.
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Painting 0511	National Geographic's Wildworld

Palearctic  •  Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands
	Daurian forest steppe Steppe areas in Mongolia, Russia, and China are at risk from grazing and more intensive agriculture. Road building and increasing human populations create fragmented landscapes that reduce the range of migrating mammals. Wetland conversion and river damming destroy the wetlands that the cranes, geese, and ducks of the ecoregion need to survive.
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	Painting 0512	National Geographic's Wildworld

Palearctic  •  Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands
Eastern Anatolian montane steppe The remoteness and relatively harsh climate of the ecoregion protects it from large-scale development, and the landscape is generally unspoiled. Local people practice nomadic pastoralism, moving their flocks to higher alpine pastures during the summer. Thus, the main threats in the region are overgrazing and forest degradation, though these pressures are not too severe.
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Painting 0513	National Geographic's Wildworld

Palearctic  •  Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands
Emin Valley steppe The population density is low in northwest China, it is quickly increasing, as is agricultural development. Grasslands are fenced and enclosed for ranching or farming, preventing not only the free movement of livestock, but also wild animals. As the human population grows, hunting and trapping pressures increase as well.
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Painting 0514	National Geographic's Wildworld

Palearctic  •  Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands
Faroe Islands boreal grasslands There were no native land mammals here prior to human settlement, but now there are several species of introduced animals including rats, mice and rabbits. The brown rat, however, has had the greatest effect on native species. On several islands it has caused great declines or local extinctions of Manx shearwaters and puffins by feeding on the birds’ eggs. Livestock grazing has altered the native vegetation, but agriculture is minimal. Finally, the ocean floor surrounding these islands may contain reserves of petroleum. Exploration for petroleum is planned for the next few years and could harm the seabirds by polluting the waters and interfering with migration and nest sites.
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Painting 0515	National Geographic's Wildworld

Palearctic  •  Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands
	Gissaro-Alai open woodlands Agriculture, grazing, forestry, extractive industries, building construction, and recreation have caused the greatest impact on these low mountain ecosystems. Many foothill ecosystems have shown a marked decline in biodiversity.
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	Painting 0516	National Geographic's Wildworld

Palearctic  •  Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands
	Kazakh forest steppe These forests are repeatedly cut and used for pasture and hay fields. Birch forests are most intensively developed for agriculture. Ribbon pine forests are subject to frequent forest fires, and overgrazing by domestic animals is another threat. To make matters worse, no protected areas exist in this ecoregion; the few remaining koloks and areas of meadowed steppe and swamps should be formally protected before they are lost forever.
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	Painting 0517	National Geographic's Wildworld

Palearctic  •  Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands
	Kazakh steppe Much of this ecoregion was plowed under in the 1950s, which removed native vegetation cover. Pesticide use was heavy, and many areas were overgrazed. In recent years, though, agricultural activity and associated pesticide use have decreased significantly. But growing threats remain in the form of illegal hunting of wildlife and increased oil development and mining.
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	Painting 0518	National Geographic's Wildworld

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