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The Taimyr and Siberian Coastal Tundra is one of the most intact examples of arctic tundra in Central Eurasia. This Global 200 ecoregion is made up of these terrestrial ecoregions: Northeast Siberian coastal tundra; Taimyr-Central Siberian tundra For much of the year, this region is dark, frozen, and forbidding. But stretching along the coast of the Arctic Ocean is a vast land that teems with life. The moist soil, marshes, and freshwater streams and lakes of the Taimyr and Siberian Coastal Tundra provide habitat for many species that are well adapted to this challenging climate. It is also the largest block of unbroken tundra landscape in Eurasia.
Arctic tundra lies on top of permanently frozen soil called permafrost, which can be 1,000 feet (300 m) deep in some places. The few months of summer in the ecoregion are just enough time for the surface of the tundra to thaw and make everything wet. Even more moisture comes from the Byrranga Mountains, which tower above the tundra of the Taimyr Peninsula and give rise to numerous streams and lakes. Still more freshwater can be found in streams running across the Gydar and Yamal Peninsulas. The brown, rocky tundra is cloaked in heath, shrubs, mosses, and lichens that nourish grazing animals. This ecoregion is home to the world’s largest migrating herd of caribou (approximately a million individuals) and is a nesting ground for numerous species of waterfowl.
About 50 species of birds need the vegetation and wetlands of the Taimyr and Siberian Coastal Tundra for feeding and nesting. Nine of these are endangered, including Bewick’s swan and the bean, red-breasted, and lesser white-fronted geese. Hundreds of thousands of migratory birds use these wetlands for nesting habitat. The wetlands are located at the northernmost points of the East Atlantic and Central Asian flyways. The waterways in the ecoregion are filled with nearly 60 species of fish, many of which breed only in the waters of this region. Other mammals in addition to caribou are at home here, including polar bears, walruses, and wolves.
Much of the Arctic is isolated. But mining and building industries in this area, as well as power plants, contribute to pollution. Air pollution kills lichens that reindeer feed on. Large oil and gas reserves in some parts of the ecoregion have also been developed. These activities have destroyed habitat and polluted air and water.
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