Anyuysky National Park covers the basin of the Anyuy River, on the west slope of the Central Sikhote-Alin Mountain range in the Russian Far East. The Anyuy flows west into the Amur River, the main river of the region, as it flows northeast into the Sea of Okhotsk. The park is important because it creates an ecological corridor from the low floodplain of the Amur, to the high forested mountains of the Sikhote-Alin. The park is in the Nanaysky District in Khabarovsk Krai, about 50 miles downstream of the city of Khabarovsk. The area is remote, with few towns and sparse population. The area has historically depended on salmon fishing, logging, and hunting. The local indigenous people are the Nanai people, representing about a quarter of the nearby settlements.
Pleshcheyovo Ozero (Lake) National Park covers Lake Pleshcheyevo and surrounding areas in the Zalesye part of the Yaroslavl Oblast. The lake is highly popular for recreational use, as an ecological habitat, and is a former resort for the Russian tsars. The lake is located on the central part of the East European Plain, about 130 km northeast of Moscow, in the basin of the Upper Volga. On the southeast shore is the old town of Pereslavl-Zalessky, included in the Golden Ring of Russia.
Pripyshminskiye Bory National Park is located in the southwestern corner of the West Siberian Plain. The national park protects a complex of pine and birch forests. About 10% of the area is non-forested marshes, ponds, hayfields and pastures. The park is located in the Sverdlovsk Oblast, 150 km east of the city of Yekaterinburg and 70 miles west of Tyumen. The route of the Trans-Siberian Railroad passes by the two sections of the park.
Nora Nature Reserve is a Russian 'zapovednik' on the northeastern part of the Amur-Zeya lowland plain between the Nora River and the Selemdzha River. The reserve is known for its herd of Norsk roe deer, the largest migrating herd in the world, with 5,000-7,000 individuals migrating through every September. The terrain is half forested, and half wetland and bogs, in the meeting zone between Siberian, Okhotsk, and Mongolian plant and animal communities. The reserve is situated in the Selemdzhinsky District of Amur Oblast.
Prisurski Nature Reserve is a Russian zapovednik in the northern Volga Uplands of the East European Plain. It protects for study an area of forest-steppe and mixed forest, with sections in different parts of Chuvashia. The largest sector is the Alatyrski Nature Reserve, located in the valley of the Sura River, and two small steppe sections to the southeast. The reserve is situated in the Alatyr, Chuvash Republic District of the Chuvash Republic. It was set aside as a reserve in 1995 to protect the largest and least disturbed area of southern taiga lowland forest in Chuvashia, as well as steppe habitat at the northern edge of its range. A particular concern was protecting habitat of the muskrat and seasonal waterfowl. The reserve covers an area of 9,150 ha (35.3 sq mi).
The Okhotsk-Manchurian taiga ecoregion is an area of coniferous forests in the Russian Far East, covering the Amur River delta, the west coast of the Okhotsk Sea, and the rugged extension of the northern Sikhote-Alin Mountains that run southwest-to-northeast through the Primorsky and Khabarovsk regions. It is the southernmost taiga forest in Eurasia. The ecoregion is distinguished from surrounding ecoregions by the slightly warmer climate due to the maritime influence and the shield of the mountains to the west, and by the mixing of flora and fauna species from Okhotsk-Kamchatka communities to the north and Manchurian species from the south. The forest at lower altitudes is "light taiga", and "dark taiga" at higher altitudes.
The South Siberian forest steppe ecoregion is a patchwork of grasslands and forests in the low-lying areas of south central Siberia. The region is one of high biodiversity as a transition zone between the West Siberian taiga to the north, and the Altai mountains to the south. There are also small patches to the east in Irkutsk Oblast. The ecoregion is in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, and the Palearctic realm, with a Humid Continental climate. It covers 161,874 km2 (62,500 sq mi).
The Central China Loess Plateau Mixed Forests ecoregion covers an elongated plateau across north-central China, characterized by accumulated soils of wind-blown dust known as loess and glacial till. The yellowish soil imparts its color to the Yellow River and Yellow Sea downstream. The ecoregion is located west of the lower Yellow River basin and the North China Plain.
The Northeast China Plain deciduous forests ecoregion covers the flat interior Northeast China Plain and neighboring adjacent northwestern North Korea, in the region historically known as Manchuria. The plain is surrounded by mountains on the north and east, and supports some of China's largest forest tracts. There are also extensive low-lying wetlands, which support important bird populations.
The Central Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe ecoregion covers the high alpine plateau that stretches over 1,600 kilometres (1,000 mi) across the Tibetan Plateau to Qinghai Lake in China. Because of the high altitude—much it over 5,000 metres (16,000 ft)—the region is a cold, arid desert that is only 20% covered with steppe and meadow vegetation. The area has been relatively free from human development due to the hostile climate and unsuitability for agriculture. The ecosystem is relatively intact, and supports herds of wild antelope, sheep, deer, and gazelles.
The Changjiang Plain evergreen forests ecoregion covers the plain of the Yangtze River (Changjiang) from where it leaves the mountains at the Three Gorges in the west, to the mouth of the Yangtze at the East China Sea. This plain is one of the most densely populated areas on Earth, and most of the original oak and conifer forests have long been converted to agriculture. Extensive wetlands, however, provide habitat for migratory waterfowl and for diverse aquatic species.
The South China-Vietnam subtropical evergreen forests ecoregion covers the mountainous coastal region of southeastern China and northeastern Vietnam. The ecoregional also covers the coastal plain along the South China Sea and Hainan Island. The area has significant biodiversity and ecological importance, with high levels of both endemic and threatened species. Rapid urban expansion is reducing biologically-rich forests and wetlands. Ecologically, the subtropical forests are at the northeastern extent of the Indomalayan realm.
The Qin Ling Mountains deciduous forests ecoregion covers the Qin Mountains, which run west-to-east across central China. The mountains effectively divide the biological regions of China into north and south. To the north is the Yellow River basin, a loess-soil region of temperate deciduous forests. To the south is the Yangtze River basic, a subtropical forest region. In between, the Qin Mountains support many rare and endemic species, including the Giant panda and the Sichuan snub-nosed monkey.
The Jiang Nan subtropical evergreen forests ecoregion covers the mountainous divide between the lower Yangtze River and the coastal plain of South China. The region is also a climatic divide between the temperate valleys of the north and the subtropical forests of the south. The region is important for biodiversity and endemic species. The rugged limestone karst hills have been relatively protected from conversion to agriculture, and support specialized plant and animal communities.
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 Altai steppe and semi-desert ecoregion, as its name indicates, sits in a transition zine between steppe and semi-desert, supporting sparse grass and shrublands. The area is relatively undeveloped, with agriculture mostly represented by grazing livestock. There are a few shallow lakes in depressions used by migratory birds.
The Northern Annamites rain forests ecoregion covers the rugged and relatively unexplored northern Annamite Mountains of central Laos and Vietnam. There are high numbers of endemic plant species, and the relative remoteness and isolation of the area supports many rare and endangered animals. Rainfall is somewhat less than the lowland rainforest of the lower elevations in Vietnam, and the temperatures slightly cooler due to the higher elevation.
The Red River freshwater swamp forests ecoregion covers the freshwater portion of the Hong River delta in northern Vietnam. The ecoregion is separated from the sea by a thin coastal strip of the saltwater mangroves of the Indochina mangroves ecoregion. Very little of the little ecosystem remains; most of the delta has been converted to urbanization, industry, or agriculture. Less than 1% of the ecoregion is protected in significantly sized tracts.
The Northern Khorat Plateau moist deciduous forests ecoregion covers a small area on the border between northeastern Thailand and Laos, in the transition zone between the drier Khorat Plateau to the south and the wetter Annamite Range and Luang Prabang Range mountains to the north. Much of the ecoregion has been converted to agriculture along the floodplain of the middle course of the Mekong River.
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.
