Eastern Asia: Southeastern Russia and northeastern China
Please note: These biome and ecoregion pages (and associated data) are no longer being updated and may now be out of date. These pages and data exist for historical reference only. For updated bioregion data, please visit One Earth.
The extensive meadows in the middle sections of the Amur are the result of long-term river fluctuations on the extensive alluvial deposits in the Amur valley. Flooding and a high water table appear to inhibit forest development. Remaining ice free during the Pleistocene, flora and fauna of the Amur meadow steppe strongly influenced post-glaciation development of flora and fauna of eastern Russia. The relatively flat land and fertile soil of the river floodplains often creates conflicts between agricultural and conservation needs.
-
Scientific Code
(PA0901)
-
Ecoregion Category
Palearctic
-
Size
47,600 square miles
-
Status
Vulnerable
-
Habitats
Description
Location and General Description
Biodiversity Features
Current Status
Types and Severity of Threats
Justification of Ecoregion Delineation
In Russia, the mapped ecoregion boundaries correspond to the forest steppe in the Amur-Manchurian vegetation province in Kurnaev’s (1990) forest map of the USSR. In addition, the ecoregion includes Isachenko’s (1988) subtaiga deciduous forest and floodplain along the Amur River. It does not, however, include Lake Khanka and environs, as the lake attracts its own unique assemblage of avian species. Within China, the boundaries correspond to swamp woodlands and grasslands in the Heilongjiang Province (classes 69 and 70) of the CVMCC Vegetation Map of China (1979).
References
Kurnaev, S. 1990. Forest regionalization of the USSR (1:16,000,000) Moscow: Dept. of Geodesy and Cartography
Prepared by: Pavel Krestov
Reviewed by: In process