| Southern Korea evergreen forests | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Location map of the Southern Korea evergreen forests | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Palearctic |
| Biome | temperate broadleaf and mixed forests |
| Borders | Central Korean deciduous forests |
| Geography | |
| Area | 14,084 km2 (5,438 sq mi) |
| Country | South Korea |
| Conservation | |
| Conservation status | Critical/endangered |
| Protected | 630 km2 (4%) [1] |
The Southern Korea evergreen forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion at the southern end of the Korean Peninsula.
The Southern Korea evergreen forests occupy an area of 14,700 square kilometres (5,700 sq mi) in South Korea, at the southern margin of the Korean Peninsula, as well as the Gotjawal Forest on Jeju Island in the East China Sea, 60 km south of the Korean mainland. The ecoregion also includes Ulleungdo Island, which lies 135 km east of the peninsula in the Sea of Japan. [2]
The climate is humid and temperate. Rainfall averages 1000 mm per year, with two-thirds falling between June and September. Winters are drier and mild, with a mean January temperate of 2 °C. There are occasional winter snowfalls, but snow rarely accumulates. [2]
The natural vegetation is evergreen broadleaf laurel forest, with members of the oak family (Castanopsis cuspidata , Quercus acuta , Quercus acutissima , Quercus mongolica , Quercus glauca and Quercus myrsinifolia) and laurel family (Persea thunbergii, Cinnamomum camphora , Cinnamomum cassia , and others) prominent. Other trees and shrubs include Carpinus laxiflora, Elaeocarpus, Neolitsea, Daphniphyllum macropodum, Ilex integra, Hedera, Eurya japonica, Pittosporum tobira, Larix gmelinii, Larix sibirica, Larix × czekanowskii, Betula dahurica, Betula pendula, Pinus koraiensis, Pinus sibirica, Pinus sylvestris, Picea obovata, Abies sibirica, Ginkgo biloba, Prunus serrulata, Prunus padus, Tilia amurensis, Salix babylonica, Acer palmatum, Populus tremula, Ulmus davidiana, Ulmus pumila, Pinus pumila, Haloxylon ammodendron, Elaeagnus angustifolia, Tamarix ramosissima, Prunus sibirica, Durio zibethinus, Artocarpus heterophyllus, Ficus benghalensis, Gnetum gnemon, Mangifera indica, Toona ciliata, Toona sinensis, Cocos nucifera, Tetrameles nudiflora, Shorea robusta, Tsuga dumosa, Ulmus lanceifolia, Tectona grandis, Terminalia elliptica, Terminalia bellirica, Sassafras tzumu, and Viburnum awabuki . [2]
The Bijarim forest on Jeju is home to dense groves of Bija (Nutmeg or Nutmeg yew, Torreya nucifera ). The ivy shrub Fatsia japonica is another Jeju native. [2]
South Korea has 379 species of birds, including 111 are winter visitors and 90 are winter and spring passage migrants. Most of these species either reside or visit the southern evergreen forests, where the winter climate is milder. 207 bird species and subspecies have been recorded on the Jeju, and 54 species on the Ulleungdo Island. Resident birds of the ecoregion include white-bellied woodpecker (Dryocopus javensis), fairy pitta (Pitta nympha), and ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus torquatus). The red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis) breeds in freshwater marshes, and both the red-crowned crane and white-naped crane (Grus vipio) overwinter in coastal and freshwater wetlands and along rivers. [2]
Mammals on Jeju include roe deer, weasels, hamsters, field mice, house rats and two species of bats. Wild boar and wild cats have been extirpated from the island. [2]
Eight amphibian and reptile species have been recorded on Jeju. Ulleungdo has no native reptiles or amphibians. [2]
The lowland forests are mostly gone, replaced by intensive agriculture, often centuries old. The remaining forest areas are small patches located in hills and mountains. The most extensive forest areas are on Jeju's gotjawal terrain, composed of old lava flows with shallow rocky soils unsuited to agriculture. [3]
A 2017 assessment found that 630 km2, or 4%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. 15% of the unprotected area is still forested. [1]
The ecoregion is home to four national parks, Dadohaehaesang, Hallyeohaesang, and Wolchulsan on the mainland, and Hallasan on Jeju.
The Nansei Islands subtropical evergreen forests is a terrestrial ecoregion of the Ryukyu Islands, also known as the Nansei Islands, in Japan. The Nansei Islands are an island arc that stretches southwest from Kyushu towards Taiwan. The larger islands are mostly volcanic islands and the smaller ones mostly coral. The largest is Okinawa Island. The highest point is Mount Miyanoura on Yakushima Island at 1,936 metres.
The Himalayan subtropical pine forests are a large subtropical coniferous forest ecoregion covering portions of Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.
The Northeast India-Myanmar pine forests is a montane subtropical coniferous forest ecoregion in the mountains of Northeastern India and adjacent portions of Myanmar.
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 Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests is a temperate broadleaf forest ecoregion found in the middle elevations of the eastern Himalayas, including parts of Nepal, India, Bhutan, Myanmar and China. These forests have an outstanding richness of wildlife.
The Northern Indochina subtropical forests are a subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of northern Indochina, covering portions of Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, and China's Yunnan Province.
The Mizoram–Manipur–Kachin rain forests is a subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion which occupies the lower hillsides of the mountainous border region joining Bangladesh, China's Yunnan Province, India, and Myanmar. The ecoregion covers an area of 135,600 square kilometres (52,400 sq mi). Located where the biotas of the Indian Subcontinent and the Indochinese Peninsula meet, and in the transition between subtropical and tropical regions of Asia, the Mizoram–Manipur–Kachin rain forests are home to great biodiversity. The WWF rates the ecoregion as "Globally Outstanding" in biological distinctiveness.
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 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 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 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 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 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 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.