The temperate rainforests of the Russian Far East are within the Russian federal subjects Primorsky Krai and Khabarovsk Krai and contains the Sikhote-Alin mountain range. Found within the Russian Federation, this area is one of the most productive and diverse forests in the world and also contains one of the highest endangered species densities on Earth. While most temperate rainforests around the world have retained only a fraction of their historical range, these forests maintain the majority of their former range and almost all of their historical biodiversity. The region is also notable for having what has become the last remaining large tract of viable habitat for the critically endangered Amur tiger and Amur leopard.
Zov Tigra National Park, is a mountainous refuge for the endangered Amur Tiger. The park encompasses an area of 83,384 hectares on the southeast coast of Russia's Far East in the federal district Primorsky Krai. The park is about 100 km northeast of Vladivostok, on both the eastern and western slopes of the southern Sikhote-Alin mountain range, a range that runs north-south through the Primorsky Krai. The relatively warm waters of the Sea of Japan are to the east, the Korean peninsula to the south, and China to the West. The terrain in rugged and difficult to access, with heavily forested taiga coexisting with tropical species of animals and birds. The park is relatively isolated from human development, and functions as a conservation reserve. Tourists may visit the portions of the park marked for recreation, but entry to the protected zones is only possible in the company of park rangers.
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.
Udegeyskaya Legenda National Park covers the richest coniferous-deciduous forest on the western slope of the Central Sikhote-Alin mountains of the Russian Far East. The Sikhote-Alin is a range that runs north-south through Primorsky Krai. The park is designed to protect west-slope river valley habitat, and to support the remnant of the indigenous Udege people. The area is known for abundant fishing and boating on the streams and rivers. It is also a refuge for the endangered Amur tiger. The park is roughly midway between the city of Vladivostok, and Khabarovsk. The relatively warm waters of the Sea of Japan are to the east, the Korean peninsula to the south, and China to the West.
Bikin National Park was created on November 3, 2015 to protect the largest remaining old-growth mixed forest in the Northern Hemisphere, as well as the territory of 10% of all Amur tigers in the wild. The park was also created for the purpose of protecting the forest culture of the 600 indigenous inhabitants of the Bikin River Basin living in the territory - Udeghes and Nanai people. Because of its size for pristine forest, and its characterization as a "temperate rain forest", it has an important status as a center for biodiversity of both plants and animals. The park sits in the administrative region of Pozharsky District, in Primorsky Krai in the Russian Far East on the west slope of the Sikhote-Alin mountains. The Bikin River Valley is also a World Heritage site.
Bureya Nature Reserve is a protected area (Zapovednik) about 200 km northwest of the city of Khabarovsk, in the Verkhnebureinsky District of Khabarovsk Krai, in the Russian Far East. The territory is one of mountain tundra, rivers and lakes, and taiga forests. It includes the headwaters of the left and right tributaries of the Bureya River, part of the lower Amur River basin. The reserve was created in 1987, and covers an area of 358,444 ha (1,383.96 sq mi).
Khingan Nature Reserve is a Russian 'zapovednik', located in the extreme south-east of the Amur River region of the Russian Far East. The reserve covers two types of habitat: the flat Arkharinskaya lowlands with abundant wetlands, and forested spurs of the Lesser Khingan mountains. In particular, Khingan Reserve was created to protect steppe and forest-steppe landscapes, and nesting sites of the endangered Red-crowned crane and the vulnerable White-naped crane. The reserve is situated in the Arkharinsky District of Amur Oblast.
Dzhugdzursky Nature Reserve is a Russian 'zapovednik' on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, on the territory of Ayano-Maisky region of the Khabarovsk Territory in the Russian Far East. With over 8,000 km2 of land area and over 500 km2 of marine area, it is the largest of the six nature reserves in Khabarovsk Krai. It supports spawning streams into the Okhotsk Sea for chum, pink salmon and coho salmon.
Zeya Nature Reserve is a Russian 'zapovednik' located over the mountainous headwaters of the Zeya River, on the eastern end of the Tukuringra Range, where it joins the Dzhagdy, in the Amur Region of the Russian Far East. It was created in part to serve as a "reference plot" for the study of the ecological impact of the Zeya Dam and the Zeya Reservoir which were built in the 1960s and 1970s. The ground cover in the reserve is primarily taiga, of mostly larch and Mongolian oak. The reserve is situated 13 km north of the city of Zeya, in the Zeysky District of Amur Oblast.
Bolshekhekhtsirsky Nature Reserve is a Russian 'zapovednik' covering and named for the Big Khekhtsir Ridge, about 20 km south of the city of Khabarovsk, in the Russian Far East. The area is noteworthy for its position - close to a city and relatively open to public hikers on certain trails - and for being an island of mountain-forest biodiversity surrounded by lower river floodplains. The reserve is situated in the Khabarovsk Krai. The reserve was created in 1963, and covers an area of 45,439 ha (175.44 sq mi).
Lazovski Nature Reserve is a Russian 'zapovednik' that sits on the southeastern slopes of the Sikhote-Alin mountain range, down to the coast of the Sea of Japan, in Primorsky Krai in the Russian Far East about 150 km due east of Vladivostok. The reserve is 95% forested, with the largest stand of yew trees in the Russian Far East, and has been the subject of scientific study since the 1800s for its rich communities of plants and animals found in the transition mountain to maritime zones in a temperate, rainy forest. Lazonvsky Reserve contains more species than any other reserve in the Russian Far East, and 60% of the species in the Priomorky region are found on the reserve. It is jointly managed with the Zov Tigra National Park, located about 50 km to the northwest. The reserve is situated entirely within the Lazovsky District of Primorsky Krai. The reserve was created in 1957, and covers an area of 120,989 ha (467.14 sq mi).
Komsomolsk Nature Reserve is a Russian 'zapovednik', encompassing the confluence of the Gorin River and the Amur River in the Russian Far East. The reserve protects a meeting zone of multiple ecoregions in the lower Amur, including the northernmost reach of Manchurian taiga. It is located about 50 km downstream (east) of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, in the Komsomolsky District of Khabarovsk Krai. The reserve was created in 1963, and covers an area of 64,278 ha (248.18 sq mi).
Bastak Nature Reserve is a Russian 'zapovednik' located in the Amur River basin in the Russian Far East. The reserve's territory covers the south-eastern spurs Bureya Range and the northern outskirts of the Sredneamurskaya lowlands. The reserve is situated in about 10 km north of the city of Birobidzhan in the Birobidzhansky District, and is the only national reserve in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast.
Bolon Nature Reserve is the oldest Russian 'zapovednik' in the Russian Far East. It is located on the Middle Amur River lowlands adjacent to the south-west of Lake Bolon. The reserve covers the wetlands of international importance. Large numbers of migratory waterfowl use the area for nesting and stopovers on long flights. The reserve is situated half way between the city of Khabarovsk and Komsomolsk-on-Amur, in the Amursky District of Khabarovsk Krai. The reserve was created in 1997, and covers an area of 100,000 ha (390 sq mi).
Botcha Nature Reserve is a Russian 'zapovednik'. It is the northernmost reserve inhabited by the endangered Amur Tiger. The reserve is located in the north-eastern part of the Sikhote-Alin mountain range; it includes the Botchi River basin on its eastern slopes. The reserve is about 120 km south of the port city of Sovetskaya Gavan in the Sovetsko-Gavansky District of Khabarovsk Krai. The reserve was created in 1994, and covers an area of 267,380 ha (1,032.4 sq mi).
Ussurisky Nature Reserve is a Russian 'zapovednik' that protects one of the remaining virgin mixed deciduous-conifer forests in the Primorsky (Maritime) region of the Russian Far East. The mountainous terrain is located on a southern spur of the Sikhote-Alin Mountains, in the upper reaches of the Komarovka River, about 50 km northeast of the city of Vladivostok. The reserve is named after Vladimir L. Komarov, an important early botanist and early explorer of the Primorsky region. The Ussursisky Reserve is situated in the Shkotovsky District of Primorsky Krai.
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.
The Sakhalin Island taiga ecoregion covers most of Sakhalin Island, the largest island of Russia, which is separated from the mainland by the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan. The region is one of taiga, coniferous and mixed broad leaf forest landscape, with mixed larch forests at the lower elevations and shrubs at higher elevations. The vegetation is influenced by a maritime climate that is relatively warmer than the colder continental taiga in Siberia to the west. A long, thin island, 1,000 km by 200 km, Sakhalin is connected to the mainland by ice bridges in the winter, so it shares certain flora and fauna species. It is in the Palearctic realm, and mostly in the taiga biome with a Humid continental climate, cool summer climate. It covers 403,504 km2 (155,794 sq mi).
The Da Hinggan-Dzhagdy Mountains conifer forests ecoregion covers the Greater Khingan Mountains of Northeast China, and across the border north into the Russian Far East where it follows the mountain ridge for another 500 km to the east. The mountain forests exhibit a floral community called "Daurian flora", a combination of the Siberian taiga to the north and the Manchurian floral types to the south. The eastern slopes are steep and drained by many rivers, the western slopes are gentler, and there are grasslands on some slopes. The ecoregion is in the Palearctic realm, with a subarctic climate. It covers 35,199,998 km2 (13,590,795 sq mi).
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).
