| Central Korean deciduous forests | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Location map of the Central Korean deciduous forests | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Palearctic |
| Biome | Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests |
| Borders | |
| Geography | |
| Area | 103,721 km2 (40,047 sq mi) |
| Countries | |
| Conservation | |
| Conservation status | Critical/endangered |
| Protected | 5,236 km² (2%) [1] |
The Central Korean deciduous forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion on the Korean Peninsula, covering portions of South Korea and North Korea.
The Central Korean deciduous forests occupy the central and southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. They are bounded on the south by the Southern Korea evergreen forests, and on the north by the Manchurian mixed forests. Low mountains and rolling hills cover much of the peninsula, seldom exceeding 1200 meters elevation. [2] The Baekdu-daegan mountain range runs along the eastern side of the peninsula, and the peninsula's main rivers generally flow westwards or southwards from mountain headwaters.
The climate of the ecoregion is temperate and generally humid (Dwa). Average annual rainfall exceeds 1000 mm. Summers are humid, and two-thirds of annual rainfall comes between June and September. Winter months are generally drier, and cold continental air from the Asian continent brings below-freezing temperatures. The climate is warmer and winters milder to the south, with colder winter temperatures to the north and at higher elevations. [2]
The natural vegetation is deciduous broadleaf forest with some subtropical elements. Conifers predominate in recently-disturbed areas and at higher elevations. The predominant trees vary from south to north. In both north and south, the predominant trees are Larix gmelinii , Larix sibirica , Larix × czekanowskii , Betula dahurica , Betula pendula , Pinus koraiensis , Pinus sibirica , Pinus sylvestris , Picea obovata , Abies sibirica , Quercus acutissima , Quercus mongolica , Ginkgo biloba , Prunus serrulata , Prunus padus , Tilia amurensis , Salix babylonica , Acer palmatum , Populus tremula , Ulmus pumila , Pinus pumila , Haloxylon ammodendron , Elaeagnus angustifolia , Tamarix ramosissima , Prunus sibirica , Juglans regia , and Ulmus davidiana .
In the warmer south, common broadleaf trees include hornbeams ( Carpinus tschonoskii and Carpinus laxiflora ), maples ( Acer formosum and Acer palmatum ), and the oak Quercus acutissima , with the pine Pinus thunbergii and the bamboo Phyllostachys . Pine and bamboo are common in formerly-cleared areas. [2]
In the northern portion of the ecoregion, common trees include the oaks Quercus mongolica and Quercus serrata , along with Acer mono , birch ( Betula ), hornbeam (Carpinus), Celtis sinensis , Korean ash (Fraxinus chinensis var. rhynchophylla), walnut ( Juglans mandshurica ), Maackia amurensis , Platycarya strobilacea, Prunus padus, Pyrus ussuriensis , willows ( Salix ), and elm ( Ulmus ), along with the fir Abies holophylla . [2]
Mammals native to the ecoregion include Ussuri black bear (Ursus thibetanus ussuricus), Siberian roe deer (Capreolus pygargus), Korean water deer (Hydropotes inermis argyropus), Asian badger (Meles leucurus), leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), yellow-throated marten (Martes flavigula), Siberian weasel (Mustela sibirica), and mandarin vole (Lasiopodomys mandarinus). [2]
379 bird species have been recorded in South Korea, of which 114 species are breeding species, and the others are vagrant, migrant or winter visitor species. Resident birds include the Tristram's woodpecker (Dryocopus javensis richardsi), fairy pitta (Pitta nympha), and ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus torquatus). [2]
The endangered red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis) overwinter in coastal and freshwater wetlands and along rivers, and breeds in the ecoregion's deep freshwater marshes. The white-naped crane (Antigone vipio) overwinters in the ecoregion. Both species now breed in the Demilitarized Zone. [2]
A 2017 assessment found that 5,236 km², or 2%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Only 5% of the unprotected area is still forested. [1] Protected areas include Bukhansan National Park, Byeonsan-bando National Park, Chiaksan National Park, Deogyusan National Park, Gayasan National Park, Gyeryongsan National Park, Jirisan National Park, Naejangsan National Park, Sobaeksan National Park, Songnisan National Park, Woraksan National Park.
The Korean Demilitarized Zone runs across the Korean Peninsula. It marks the 1953 armistice line that ended the Korean War, and since then as served as the de facto border between North Korea and South Korea. The demilitarized zone is approximately 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) wide. The zone is mostly depopulated, and civilian access is restricted. Over the decades forests and wetlands within the zone have returned to their natural state, and it has become a refuge for wildlife, including resident and migratory birds. [2]
"Central Korean deciduous forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
The Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests is an ecoregion that extends from the middle hills of central Nepal through Darjeeling into Bhutan and also into the Indian States of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. It represents the east–west-directed band of subtropical broadleaf forest at an altitude of between 500 and 1,000 m along the Outer Himalayan Range, and includes several forest types traversing an east to west moisture gradient.
The Taiwan subtropical evergreen forests is an ecoregion that covers most of the island of Taiwan, with the exception of the southern tip of the island, which constitutes the South Taiwan monsoon rain forests ecoregion. The island's concentrated steep mountains host a range of forest types, from subtropical forests in the lowlands to temperate and alpine or montane forests.
The Taiheiyo evergreen forests is a temperate broadleaf forest ecoregion of Japan.
The Western Himalayan broadleaf forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forest ecoregion which is found in the middle elevations of the western Himalayas, including parts of Nepal, India, and Pakistan.
The Southern Korea evergreen forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion at the southern end of the Korean Peninsula.
The Sichuan Basin evergreen broadleaf forests are a critically endangered WWF ecoregion. The ecoregion occupies the Sichuan Basin in China and covers an area of 9,816,054 ha. The broadleaf forest habitat once covered the Sichuan Basin, but today is limited to mountains and preserved temple grounds in the basin and around the basin's rim. An especially well-preserved example of remaining forest exists on Mount Emei at the western edge of the Sichuan Basin. The original forests are thought to have been made up of subtropical oaks, laurels, and Schima. Much of the remaining Sichuan Basin has been converted to anthropogenic agricultural use in the last 5,000 years.
The Daba Mountains evergreen forests are a Global 200 endangered ecoregion located on the Daba Mountains in China. The forests are part of temperate broadleaf and mixed forests containing both coniferous and broadleaf trees covering a swath of Central China. Forests here provide a transitional area between evergreen forests to the south and deciduous forests to the north. The Daba Mountains evergreen forests cover areas of northeast Sichuan Province, southern Shaanxi Province, the northern half of Chongqing Municipality, and western Hubei Province.
The Qionglai-Minshan conifer forests are a World Wide Fund for Nature ecoregion in Southwest China. These forests are classified as temperate coniferous forests and are part of the Palearctic realm.
The Nujiang Lancang Gorge alpine conifer and mixed forests are a temperate coniferous forests ecoregion in Southwest China and northeastern Myanmar. The forests cover mountains and valleys in the western Hengduan Mountains and because of the extreme topography and relative remoteness, remain one of the best preserved habitats in China.
The Yunnan Plateau subtropical evergreen forests is an endangered ecoregion in southwestern China. These forests once covered the western parts of the Yungui Plateau but have been significantly reduced and replaced with agricultural land uses. The Yunnan evergreen forests and the neighbouring Guizhou Plateau broadleaf and mixed forests are the only two ecoregions in the Palearctic realm to be classified as part of tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome.
The Guizhou Plateau broadleaf and mixed forests are a subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in the Yungui Plateau of China. Much of the original forest has been replaced by secondary forests.
The Ussuri broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion covers a mountainous areas above the lower Amur River and Ussuri River in Primorsky Krai and Khabarovsk Krai in the Russian Far East. The ecoregion is in the Palearctic realm, with a Humid Continental climate. It covers 187,357 km2 (72,339 sq mi).
The Qilian Mountains Conifer Forests ecoregion is an ecoregion that consists of a series of isolated conifer forests on the northern slopes of the Qilian Mountain Range, on the northeast edge of the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai and Gansu provinces of north-central China.
The Changbai Mountains mixed forests ecoregion covers the Changbai Mountains and surrounding foothills in China and North Korea. The region features extensive and naturally preserved deciduous and conifer forests. The region exhibits high biodiversity due to its relative isolation, temperate climate with high rainfall, and centrality to central Chinese, Siberian, and European floral communities. In 1979, a significant portion of the ecoregion was designated the Changbaishan Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.
The Manchurian mixed forests ecoregion covers the forested hills surrounding the river plains of northern China, Russia, North Korea, and South Korea. The ecoregion supports a number of rare species due to the relative isolation, the diversity of habitat, with mixed forests of deciduous Mongolian oak and conifers of Korean pine. Because mountains rise above the region on three sides, with plains and wetlands below, the area supports high biodiversity as a transition zone.
The Nihonkai montane deciduous forests ecoregion covers the Nihonkai mountain slopes of Japan's central island of Honshu, including most of the northern half of the island. Also included in the ecoregion are the forested lowland hills of the Oshima Peninsula, which is the southern extension of Hokkaido Island.
The Nihonkai evergreen forests ecoregion covers a thin strip of land on the western coast of the island of Honshu in Japan. It is bounded on the east by the Nihonkai montane deciduous forests ecoregion.
The Hokkaidō deciduous forests ecoregion covers the northern and southern coasts of the island of Hokkaido, the northernmost of the main islands of Japan. The region sits in the transition zone between the colder subarctic forests to the north and the more temperate forests to the south. Characteristic trees include Mongolian oak, Basswood, and Ash trees.
The Hokkaido montane conifer forests ecoregion covers the mountainous central regions of Hokkaido Island, the northernmost of Japan's main islands. Forests of spruce and fir thrive in the subalpine, cool climate. On the northeastern edge of the island, the conifer forests extend down to the sea under the influence of the cold Oyashio Current coming down from the north, although logging in recent years has put pressure on these stands.
The Northern Triangle subtropical forests ecoregion covers remote, mountainous terrain in the far north of Myanmar. Due to the regions isolation it is relatively untouched and unexplored by humans. Over 95% of the ecoregion is covered with closed evergreen forest, and importantly for conservation, these forests exist in large contiguous blocks. As of the late 1990s, 140 mammal species were known to be in the region, and new species, such the Leaf muntjac discovered in 1997, are still being found.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) Supplemental material 2 table S1b.