| Nelson Coast temperate forests | |
|---|---|
 Beach and forest in Abel Tasman National Park | |
 Ecoregion territory (in purple) | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Australasian |
| Biome | temperate broadleaf and mixed forests |
| Borders | |
| Geography | |
| Area | 14,451 km2 (5,580 sq mi) |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Regions | |
| Coordinates | 41°36′S172°07′E / 41.6°S 172.12°E |
| Conservation | |
| Protected | 11,407 km² (79%) [1] |
The Nelson Coast temperate forests is an ecoregion in New Zealand. [2] [3] [4]
These forests are located on the flanks of the Paparoa Range and other mountains at the top of South Island. The area is thickly forested and has high rainfall, especially on the west-facing slopes but less so on the sheltered eastern side, which has golden sand beaches. Natural features of the region include: the limestone Pancake Rocks near the town of Punakaiki on the edge of Paparoa National Park; Farewell Spit at the north of the island, the longest sandspit in New Zealand; the nearby Te Waikoropupu Springs; and the karst areas on the flanks of Mount Owen (New Zealand) in Kahurangi National Park.
There are small areas of northern rata (Metrosideros robusta), rimu, and miro rainforest hardwoods as well as karaka (Corynocarpus laevigatus) and the Nīkau palm (Rhopalostylis sapida) near the coast. However most of the area is covered in Southern beech forest containing of all four species of Southern beech; red beech, silver beech and hard beech in the lowlands and mountain beech higher up. In the less fertile rocks areas there are yellow pine (Halocarpus biformis) and Dracophyllums including the endemic D. townsonii and the mountain neinei ( D. traversii ). The alpine plants found here including Celmisia dallii occur as these peaks, along with Fiordland at the southern end of the island, were a high-elevation refuge from the effects of the last ice age. [5]
The forests are home to a number of endemic species including two flightless birds that no longer survive in the lowland areas of the island, these are the western weka and the largest kiwi, the great spotted kiwi. The varied habitats in the region support a mixture of other birds found here include the kea, the kākā (Nestor meridionalis), the kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) and the kārearea (Falco novaeseelandiae). Farewell Spit in particular is an important site for wading birds and is on a migration route. The area is also rich in invertebrates including almost half of the known species of amber snails (Powelliphanta).
The forests are threatened by logging and mining, although it is impossible to get permits for large-scale mining in the Kahurangi. The karst limestone is particularly fragile and even damaged by recreational caving. The wildlife is threatened by introduced species but they are largely intact at higher elevations. Much of the ecoregion is protected within three national parks; the large Kahurangi National Park and Paparoa National Parks on the west coast, and Abel Tasman National Park on the north east coast. The coastline is unspoilt too and some of it, including Farewell Spit, is protected as nature reserves of national parks. Efforts are being made to control invasive introduced species, particularly possums although deer, chamois, hares and goats are also targeted for control. Birds eggs and snails are vulnerable to rats, possums, stoats and wild pigs. Forest fires are always a threat.
The Magellanic subpolar forests are a terrestrial ecoregion of southernmost South America, covering parts of southern Chile and Argentina, and are part of the Neotropical realm. It is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion, and contains the world's southernmost forests.
The Solomon Islands rain forests are a terrestrial ecoregion covering most of the Solomon Islands archipelago.
Temperate rainforests are rainforests with coniferous or broadleaf forests that occur in the temperate zone and receive heavy rain.
Paparoa National Park is on the west coast of the South Island of New Zealand.
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 English Lowlands beech forests is a terrestrial ecoregion in the United Kingdom, as defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the European Environment Agency (EEA). It covers 45,600 km2 (17,600 sq mi) of Southern England, approximately as far as the border with Devon and South Wales in the west, into the Severn valley in the north-west, into the East Midlands in the north, and up to the border of Norfolk in the north-east. The WWF code for this ecoregion is PA0421.
The Taiheiyo evergreen forests is a temperate broadleaf forest ecoregion of Japan.
The Central Range montane rain forests is a tropical moist forest ecoregion on the island of New Guinea. The ecoregion covers the Central Range of the New Guinea Highlands, which extends along the spine of the island. The montane rain forests of the ecoregion are distinct from the surrounding lowland forests, and are home to many endemic plants and animals.
The Dinaric Mountains mixed forests are a terrestrial ecoregion of the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome in Southeastern Europe, according to both the WWF and Digital Map of European Ecological Regions by the European Environment Agency. It also is in the Palearctic realm.
The North Island temperate forests, also known as the Northland temperate forests, is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion on New Zealand’s North Island.
The Northland temperate kauri forests is an ecoregion in northern New Zealand, within the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome.
The Arnhem Land tropical savanna is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion in Australia's Northern Territory.
The Southland montane grasslands, also known as the South Island montane grasslands, is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion on New Zealand’s South Island. The ecoregion covers the middle portion of the Southern Alps, and includes extensive alpine grasslands, fellfields, and montane forests.
The Ōpārara Basin is a basin drained by the Ōpārara River at 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Karamea, at the West Coast Region of the South Island of New Zealand. With its large natural rock arches, a network of caves rich in fossils, and a beautiful, unspoiled natural environment typical of temperate rainforests, it is one of the most striking places of the Kahurangi National Park.
The Richmond temperate forests is an ecoregion covering the northern part of New Zealand's South Island.
Victoria Forest Park, is situated on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. At 2,069 square kilometres (799 sq mi) it is New Zealand's largest forest park. The park is administered by the Department of Conservation (DOC).
The Westland temperate forests, also known as the Westland temperate rainforests, is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion located along the central west coast of New Zealand’s South Island, also known as Te Waipounamou. These forests are found in the region of the Westland District, which spans approximately 11,880 square kilometers. It is bounded on the west by the Tasman Sea, and on the east by the Southern Alps. Much of this area is protected by the Westland Tai Poutini National Park.
Puget lowland forests is a temperate coniferous forest ecoregion the Pacific coast of North America, as defined by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) categorization system.
The Southland temperate forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion on New Zealand's South Island. The natural vegetation was mostly forest, but over the centuries human activities, including grazing and fires, replaced much of the original forest with grassland and agriculture.
Westhaven Marine Reserve is a marine reserve covering an area of 536 hectares in the Whanganui Inlet at the top of New Zealand's South Island. It was established in 1994 and is administered by the Department of Conservation.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) Supplemental material 2 table S1b.