Russian Far East Temperate Forests

Identify the spatial scale (global, regional, local) of this ecosystem (or pick one to focus on if it spans more than one scale).

The Russian Far East Temperate Forest makes up two terrestrial ecoregions: the Ussuri broadleaf and mixed forests and South Sakhalin Kurile mixed forests. 210,000 sq. km. 

http://wikitravel.org/upload/shared/0/03/Russian_Far_East_regions_map2.png

Ussuri Broadleaf and mixed forest

South Sakhalin Kurile mixed forest

What did the ecosystem historically look like?

The Russian Far East Temperate Forests had high levels of endemism in plants and invertebrates. It was a refuge for many species during the last Ice Age because it escaped glaciation so plants and animals were able to survive. Specifically, the southern portions of the region had coniferous and broad-leaf forests. These ancient forests are some of the largest in the world still in existence today. These relic plant species survived this preglacial subtropical climate because it was warmer. 

Natural vegetation 18,000 years ago

Natural vegetation 12,000 years ago

Natural vegetation 8,000 years ago

Natural vegetation 2,000 years ago

In particular, there are sixty species of relic forest orchids that can be found only in the Russian Far East. In addition to those species that endured from ancient times, many plants originated in the southern Russian Far East. Microbiota, Astrocodon, and Popoviocodonia are some of these endemic species. Rare species of Manchurian flora include the Japanese yew, Asian ginseng, and two species of rhododendron. Unfortunately, these population and many others have been declining in the Russian Far East due to human impacts. 

Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng)

Forest orchids

 

Rhododendron 
(rhododendron sichotense)

*images above from: http://amurheilong.net/http/02_ecosystem/0211temperateforest.html

How have people impacted the ecosystem? (Good, Bad, Ugly?)

an amur tiger cub

Amur tiger pelt

Humans have impacted this ecoregion in a few ways and unfortunately, many of these impacts are negative. Both the conversion of the land for agricultural use and urban expansion alter the natural composition of the forest and disturb the balance of water, light, trees, etc. thus affecting biodiversity levels. Trees are also harvested for profit. In some cases, this harvesting is managed well and other times it is not. Forest concessions are granted to successful bidders who must manage their land according to the Russian Forest Act. This act is quite restrictive and requires selective cutting along with other sustainable practices. These logs and processed woods are commonly sold to Japan and China. Though this logging practice is essentially quite sustainable, other parties clear-cut forests which destroys old-growth forests, increases transportation costs, and results in lower yields. Illegal logging is also an issue because 20%-30% of timber is not harvested under government-set standards. Finally, poaching has had a huge negative on the ecoregion. Amur tigers are used for traditional Chinese medicines and can be sold at high prices (their bones are sold for more than $2,600/kg). Their pelts are also quite profitable as they can be sold for more than $5,000 each. Similarly, Amur leopards are being hunted to near extinction with only 25-40 left in the wild.

What benefits do people get from the ecosystem?

People benefit from the sheer space for agriculture and urban expansion. They benefit from the tree density and size for logging along with the biodiversity of animal species for their income and financial livelihood. 

Amur tiger poaching rates
http://www.wcsrussia.org/Wildlife/AmurTigers/ConservationThreats/tabid/1468/language/en-US/Default.aspx

*http://www.forestsmonitor.org/uploads/2e90368e95c9fb4f82d3d562fea6ed8d/the_wild_east.pdf

Are there any protected areas for this ecosystem?
There are a few protected areas in the Russian Far East Temperate Forest. These nature reserves protect important natural resources in the area and are usually an effective form of conservation. Specifically, the Buryatiya Province and Primorsky Province were created in 1916. Increasing privatization for resource extraction are not always subject to strict impact assessments, so these and other protected areas are invaluable to the health of the ecoregion. Typically, this privatization leads  problems manifested in changes in biodiversity, climate change, or changed hydrological cycles. Unfortunately, though there are about 100 "strict nature reserves," they are small and thus protect only a small fraction of the biological diversity present. Different legal statuses mean different levels of protection in this ecoregion; they include: zapovedniks, national parks, nature parks, nature monuments, botanical gardens, arboretums, and nature resorts. Zapovedniks are the oldest and prohibits all economic activity. The remaining protected areas are a blend of nature protection and non-abrasive activities that can yield profits. Nature parks are meant to preserve aesthetics valuable to tourism but face liquidiation without proper management. On the whole, theses areas are protected to prevent ecosystem fragmentation, recover rare species, and preserve the landscape. 

Protected area category	Russia total number of PAs in 2003	Russia total area of PAs (вЂ˜000 ha)	Area as percent of Russian territory	Number of Russia's Amur Basin PAs in 2006	Russia's Amur Basin PA area (вЂ˜000 ha)	Percent of Russia's Amur Basin territory
Zapovednik (Strict Scientific National Nature Reserve)	100	33,700	1.6	12	1,494.6	1.5
Zapovednik buffer zones	No data			10	410.8	0.4
National Park	35	7,000	0.41	1	148.0	0.13
Zakaznik -Federal Wildlife Refuge	69	12,500	0.73	7	809.2	0.8
Zakaznik -Provincial refuges	4,000	101,400	5.9	66	4,693.0	4.5
National Nature Monument	28	40	0.001	0	0
ProvincialВ  Nature Monument	10,000	4,100	0.17	244	69.0	0.06
Local Nature Monument				111	33.5
Nature Park	60	15,500	0.77	0	0
Botanical park/garden/ Arboretum				2	0.2
Nature Resort (healing landscape)				12	80.2	0.08
Total under PA law categories	14,300	174,240	9.7
Other special provincial PA categories	2,300	52,000	3	4	346.9	0.34
TOTAL	16,600	226,240	12.7	460	8,085.4	8,1

*http://amur-heilong.net/http/04_econet_pas/0405RussiaPAs.html

What is the status of that protected area?

Typically, theses protected areas are managed by a unit composed of administrative, enforcement, research, and environmental education departments of professionals. Though the habitats of this ecoregion are protected by many formal reserves, Russia's current compromised economy means there is not enough funding for proper these departments within reserve management.

What is likely to happen in the future to that ecosystem?
Realistically, the future of the Russian Far East Temperate Forests depends on the health of Russia's economy. Though institutions are already in place and strategies to improve forest conditions already exist, money will help mobilize and encourage lasting change. If this does happen, it is likely the forest will see unaffected endemic speciation, keep some old-growth forests with unevenly aged trees, and retain the climate balance that ensures species may subsist as they have in the past. However, if  Russia is unable to implement these programs in the near future, it is likely that habitats will be destroyed by changing forest composition and many endemic species will be gone forever. Without controls on hunting, animals could become endangered or disappear altogether from the region. Also, if regulations logging regulations are not enforced, old trees could vanish along with the species that inhabit them.

What can be done to maintain balance between people and the ecosystem?

Clearly, the human impacts stated above need to be regulated in order to be controlled. Though controls on the logging industry are already in place, the government must work to enforce these rules to ensure logging rates are regulated and practices are sustainable. In addition, the government should also subsidize farming that is sustainable and does not disturb the natural balance of the forest ecosystems. Endemic species should be protected through fines, and alternative sources of income should be made available to those who depend on harvesting them for income. In fact, the state could hire those who would have depleted natural resources to be more involved with their protection. This way, individual incomes are protected and the health of the ecoregion improves. Imperative to the success of this plan are government funding and the education of those who convert from extraction to preservation. The World Wildlife Foundation has also proposed the Ungulate Recovery Programme, which includes a specific plan for how to accomplish this goal. The aims of the program are as follows, and can be found at the wwf.panda.org:

• Develop and adopt in Primorsky Province Administration and Parliament the official program to restore ungulate numbers in tiger habitat
• Develop concepts to restore ungulate numbers in tiger habitat
• Implement best practice in sensible use of ungulates
• Implement model projects that optimize hunting societies in tiger habitat with the goal of improving prey base for the species and to better satisfy the needs of the local population
• Conduct the experiments in bio-technical measures to increase the ungulates populations in tiger habitats
• Disseminate the experience of model hunting leases
• Introduce a ban on hunting ungulates in reproduction zones or in areas where their numbers have dramatically declined
• Conduct the promotion campaign to support the program and educate the hunters and wildlife managers.

Resources

http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/ecoregions/russian_fareast_temperate_forests.cfm

http://www.saforestrymag.co.za/articles/detail/russian_far_east_temperate_forests

http://www.hcvf.net/eng/threats/

http://amur-heilong.net/http/02_ecosystem/0211temperateforest.html

http://www.wcsrussia.org/Wildlife/AmurTigers/Ecology/tabid/1467/language/en-US/Default.aspx