| 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 , and Quercus myrsinifolia) and laurel family (Persea thunbergii, Cinnamomum camphora , and others) prominent. Other trees and shrubs include Carpinus laxiflora, Elaeocarpus, Neolitsea, Daphniphyllum macropodum, Ilex integra, Hedera, Eurya japonica, Pittosporum tobira, 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 forests are mostly gone, replaced by intensive agriculture. Enclaves exist in the Ulsan, Hampyeong, and Naejang-san national monuments, and on Jeju.
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 Indomalayan realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms. It extends across most of South and Southeast Asia and into the southern parts of East Asia.
Temperate rainforests are coniferous or broadleaf forests that occur in the temperate zone and receive heavy rain.
Laurel forest, also called laurisilva or laurissilva, is a type of subtropical forest found in areas with high humidity and relatively stable, mild temperatures. The forest is characterized by broadleaf tree species with evergreen, glossy and elongated leaves, known as "laurophyll" or "lauroid". Plants from the laurel family (Lauraceae) may or may not be present, depending on the location.
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 high 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.
Korea comprises the Korean Peninsula and 3,960 nearby islands. The peninsula is located in Northeast Asia, between China and Japan. To the northwest, the Amnok River separates Korea from China and to the northeast, the Duman River separates Korea from China and Russia. The Yellow Sea lies to the west, the East China Sea and Korea Strait to the south, and the Sea of Japan to the east. Notable islands include Jeju Island (Jejudo), Ulleung Island (Ulleungdo), and the Liancourt Rocks.
An evergreen forest is a forest made up of evergreen trees. They occur across a wide range of climatic zones, and include trees such as coniferous and holly in cold climates, eucalyptus, Live oak, acacias and banksia in more temperate zones, and rainforest trees in tropical zones.
The Sierra de la Laguna pine–oak forests are a subtropical coniferous forest ecoregion, found in the Sierra de la Laguna mountain range at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico.
The Euxine–Colchic deciduous forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion located along the southern shore of the Black Sea. The ecoregion extends along the thin coastal strip from the southeastern corner of Bulgaria in the west, across the northern coast of Turkey, to Georgia in the east, where it wraps around the eastern end of the Black Sea.
The Chin Hills-Arakan Yoma montane forests is a tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in western Myanmar (Burma). Surrounded at lower elevations by moist tropical forests, this ecoregion is home a diverse range of subtropical and temperate species, including many species characteristic of the Himalayas, as well as many endemic species.
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 Japanese wood pigeon is a species of bird in the genus Columba in the family Columbidae. It is found along shorelines of the East China Sea. They are believed to be the largest representative of Columba, at 550 grams (1.2 lb) and 43 cm (17 in). Its natural habitats are temperate forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. The species is in decline owing to habitat loss, habitat degradation, deforestation and hunting. This wood pigeon is endemic to the laurel forest habitat.
The Taiheiyo evergreen forests is a temperate broadleaf forest ecoregion of Japan.
The Borneo lowland rain forests is an ecoregion, within the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome, of the large island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. It supports approximately 15,000 plant species, 380 bird species and several mammal species. The Borneo lowland rain forests is diminishing due to logging, hunting and conversion to commercial land use.
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 Middle Atlantic coastal forests are a temperate coniferous forest mixed with patches of evergreen broadleaved forests along the coast of the southeastern United States.
The Azores temperate mixed forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion of southwestern Europe. It encompasses the Azores archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. These volcanic islands are an autonomous region of Portugal, and lie 1500 km west of the Portuguese mainland.
The Iberian sclerophyllous and semi-deciduous forests is a Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion in southwestern Europe. It occupies the interior valleys and plateaus of the Iberian Peninsula. The ecoregion lies mostly in Spain, and includes some portions of eastern Portugal.
The Northeastern Spain and Southern France Mediterranean forests is a Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion in southwestern Europe. It occupies the Mediterranean coastal region of northeastern Spain and Southern France, and the Balearic Islands.
The Central Korea deciduous forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion on the Korean Peninsula, covering portions of South Korea and North Korea.
The Alps conifer and mixed forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion in central Europe. It extends along the Alps mountains through portions of France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Liechtenstein, Austria, and Slovenia. The ecoregion extends from the lower slopes of the Alps to its peaks, which include Mont Blanc, at 4,809 m (15,778 ft) the highest peak in the Alps.