The naturе of the Amur-Heilong Ecoregion ecosystems are biologically rich, and valued by the human population and countries for their natural qualities and ecosystem services. The crowns of evolution, the Amur tiger and Far Eastern leopard thrive in extensive areas of intact forests, protected by effectively managed nature reserves and connecting corridors.
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Taiga
Boreal forests with spruce and fir predominance occupy up to 30% of the forested area of the Far East. The main wooded lands are situated in the Amgun River basin and along the lower reaches of the Amur River. Among the main coniferous species are Jezo spruce, Siberian spruce and Manchurian fir. Boreal forests differ from coniferous-deciduous forests by more simple structure, a small number of stories, poor species variety of trees, shrubs, and herbs.
Larch forests encompass 40% of all Far Eastern forests. They grow mainly in the basins of the Bureya and Zeya Rivers stretching farther north up to the Kolyma River to cover all mountain ridges. In the southern areas, they are found as isolated forests along the valleys of the Amur and Ussuri Rivers. The dominant tree of these forests is the Dahurian larch that recently has been found to have a number of smaller species. This is often a large, fast growing tree with hard and valuable wood, reaching up to 35 m in height under the best environmental conditions. In the southern territories, larch can mix with oak, while in the north with birch, aspen, fir, and less often with spruce. In the west, pines are a frequent companion of larch.
Plant forage in the coniferous forests is less diverse than in the coniferous-deciduous woodlands. The life of a number of animal species depends on the productivity of spruce, fir, and Siberian dwarf-pine. This is primarily squirrel, chipmunk, crossbill. Moose feeds on bark and branches of aspen and birch, musk deer feeds on lichens. They usually roam the mountainous spruce forests. In the thick bushes of Siberian dwarf pine live sable and spotted nutcracker that eat its seeds. Among the taiga’s typical rodents are lemmings, striped field mice. Carnivorous mammals (other than sable) are Siberian weasel, ermine, least weasel, wolverine, badger, brown bear, wolf and lynx.
Temperate forests
Temperate forests in the Far East encompass mainly the foothills and mountain rivers’ valleys, low-lying areas of the Amur River Region and Primorye. They are characterized by flora and fauna diversity and uniqueness. Climate conditions, topography and geography of this part of the Far East located on the junction of the northern Siberian and southern nature of Korea and Mongolia have imprinted the flora and fauna of temperate forests.
On one side, the forests are famous for their mixed composition of flora and fauna species due to the close coexistence of plants and animals of the northern and southern origin. On the other hand, some attention should be paid to the similarity of the Far Eastern species to the species of European origin, whose range is cut off in Siberia and resumed in the Far East which is a direct consequence of their separation in severe coldness of the glacial era.
In the Amur River Region and Primorye, taiga and subtropics seem to meet together and mix in the most exotic way. Suffice to say that in the Ussuri taiga spruce can often be found embraced by wild grapes. Korean pine and larch share the area with cork tree and Manchurian walnut. One mountain slope showcases larch with birch undergrowth and cranberries-dotted moss, while the opposite one resting just a few meters away, boasts with linden forest with thickets of barbed Aralia and fragrant jasmine. One cannot avert his gaze from the taiga giants - Korean pines and Manchurian firs, Manchurian ash and high-standing elms, age-old oaks and wide-trunk lindens.
Abundance of nuts, acorns, all kinds of berries, grapes, mushrooms, succulent shoots and bark serve the animals with nutritious and varied food. Along with the usual forest zone mammals (squirrel, chipmunk, columns, wild boar) the Far Eastern forests are home for raccoon dog, yellow-throated marten, Far Eastern wild cat, Sika deer, Manchurian wapiti, and red deer. Near the water in riverside bushes and meadows live different brightly coated birds like- pheasants, Chinese ibis, Mandarin duck, different heron species, white stork and red-crowned crane. In the forest roam dangerous predators – the Amur tiger, the largest cat in Russia - Amur tiger (weight 250 kg) and the Far Eastern leopard.
Amur wetlands
World Wildlife Fund declared the Amur River Basin (Heilong Jiang in Chinese) one of its global priorities. The most important aim in conserving biodiversity of Amur ecoregion is development of the system of protected areas, connected by ecological corridors and buffer zones (ecological network). The name of this program is “The Green Belt of Amur-Heilong” and the Oriental White Stork serves as flagship specie. In the year 2008 the Amur branch of WWF started a program to support Ramsar wetlands. Nowadays in Amur river basin people are poorly informed about the importance of Ramsar wetlands, little awareness exists among the government agencies and local populations of all three countries of the basin. This creates serious difficulties for wetland protection and expansion of protected area.
Wetland functions are extremely important in the ecosystem, because they provide the following services:
- Accumulate and keep fresh water;
- Regulate surface groundwater runoff;
- Keep the level of ground waters;
- Purify water, withhold contaminants;
- Produce and emit oxygen to the atmosphere;
- Act as the largest stock and reserve of atmospheric carbon;
- Stabilize microclimate conditions, especially precipitation and temperature;
- Slow down erosion and stabilize coast position;
- Present the highest primary ecosystem production Support biodiversity;
- Serve as a habitat for many species of plants and animals, including rare and economically significant.
Amur-Heilong-Onon River system, possessing wetlands of global importance, is divided between three countries and calls for coordinated protection efforts. Most of 5000 kilometers of national boundary lines crossing the Amur River Basin are drawn in wetlands: rivers, lakes and marshes. Storks, cranes, sturgeon, turtle and other wetland wildlife uses transboundary wetlands to rest, feed and breed.
Nowadays many types of wetlands are already badly damaged in Russia and in China, and even in Mongolia and require urgent protection. Therefore wetland conservation in this river basin requires constant international coordination, exchange, mutual learning and support.
Dauria
Dauria lies in the northern part of Central Asia and is ecologically strongly dependent on climate fluctuations. Most of the Daurian steppe area is situated in North-east China and East Mongolia; the Russian part is confined to Zabaikalsky Province and Buryat Republic. It is the largest preserved steppe in Eurasia from which the advance of Mongol conquer of the continent once started. The area possesses a very high level of biodiversity for a steppe zone and is included in the Global 200 Ecoregions of the World as Dauria Steppe, which according to WWF covers the Nenjiang River grassland, the Daurian forest-steppe, the Mongolian-Manchurian steppe, and the Selenge-Orkhon forest-steppe ecoregions. These grassland areas are united by geographic location, annual and multi-year rhythms in ecological factors, and structure and composition of communities. In terms of freshwater ecosystems, Eastern Dauria (part confined to Amur river Basin) has an area of half million square kilometers and is divided into 3 principal freshwater ecoregions: Shilka River, Argun River and Endorheic Basins of which Torey Lakes / Uldz River Basin is the most prominent..
Among vast arid steppe areas, the wetlands are nuclei of diversity especially for birds. Dauria’s wetlands are globally important for the nesting of rare birds and huge numbers of migrating waterbirds. All sites are international Important Bird Areas (IBAs). Wetlands support globally significant breeding populations of many endangered bird species, including the red-crowned (Grus japonensis) and white-naped (G. vipio) cranes, swan goose (Anser cygnoides), great bustard (Otis tarda), relict gull (Larus relictus) etc. They also are of international importance for the conservation of endangered migratory Siberian (G. leucogeranus) and hooded (G. monacha) cranes. More than 40 bird species registered here are listed both in the Red List of IUCN and the national Red Data Books of Russia, Mongolia, and China. The number of transitory migrants in the region’s bird fauna is not less than 45%. Several million waterbirds pass through the wetlands in spring and autumn via the intra-continental branch of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.
Several reserves in Dauria are listed as Wetlands of International Importance under Ramsar Convention. In 1994 a shared Daurian International Protected Area (DIPA) was created by Mongolia, China and Russia to protect and study biodiversity of the region. All the three member-reserves currently composing original DIPA have Ramsar status (Dalai Lake in China, Mongol-Daguur in Mongolia and Daursky in Russia). There is work underway to nominate this international protected area as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
