Ecoregion

Source: World Wildlife Fund

Published: June 15, 2014, 1:34 pm

Topics:

Conservation Biology (main) Biogeography (main) Ecoregions (main) Biodiversity (main) Biomes (main) Geography (main) Ecology Theory (main)

An ecoregion is a relatively large unit of land or sea that contains geographically distinct assemblage of natural communities with boundaries that approximate the original extent of the natural environment prior to major land use change. Ecoregions:

• share a large majority of their species and ecological dynamics;
• share similar environmental conditions, and;
• interact ecologically in ways that are critical for their long-term persistence.

Classification

The motivation for the ecoregion classification system is that scarce resources and dwindling time force conservationists to target their actions to stem the loss of biodiversity — a pragmatic approach, given the highly uneven distribution of species and ecological threats. The ability to focus strategically is hindered by the absence of a global biodiversity map with sufficient biogeographic resolution to accurately reflect the complex distribution of the Earth’s natural communities. Without such a map, many distinctive biota remain unrecognized.

Ecoregions reflect the distribution of a broad range of fauna and flora across the entire planet, from the vast Sahara Desert to the diminutive Clipperton Island (eastern Pacific Ocean). They are classified with a system familiar to all biologists: biogeographic realms and biomes. Ecoregions, representing distinct biotas, are nested within the biomes and realms and, together, these provide a framework for comparisons among units and the identification of representative habitats and species assemblages.

World Wildlife Fund Classification

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) subdivides the terrestrial world into fourteen biomes and eight biogeographic realms (Figure 1). Nested within these realms are 867 ecoregions (Figure 2). WWF has assessed these ecoregions and identified the Global 200 -- the most biologically distinct terrestrial, freshwater (Freshwater biomes), and marine ecoregions of the planet.

Figure 1: The ecoregions are categorized within 14 biomes and eight biogeographic realms to facilitate representation analyses. (Source: WWF)

Figure 2: The map of terrestrial ecoregions of the world recognizes 867 distinct units, roughly a four fold increase in biogeographic discrimination over that of the 193 units of Udvardy (1975). Maps of freshwater and marine ecoregions are similarly needed for conservation planning. (Source: WWF)

WWF Terrestrial Ecoregions

Australasia Tropical & Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests Admiralty Islands lowland rain forests Banda Sea Islands moist deciduous forests Biak-Numfoor rain forests Buru rain forests Central Range montane rain forests Halmahera rain forests Huon Peninsula montane rain forests Yapen rain forests Lord Howe Island subtropical forests Louisiade Archipelago rain forests New Britain-New Ireland lowland rain forests New Britain-New Ireland montane rain forests New Caledonia rain forests Norfolk Island subtropical forests Northern New Guinea lowland rain and freshwater swamp forests Northern New Guinea montane rain forests Queensland tropical rain forests Seram rain forests Solomon Islands rain forests Southeastern Papuan rain forests Southern New Guinea freshwater swamp forests Southern New Guinea lowland rain forests Sulawesi lowland rain forests Sulawesi montane rain forests Trobriand Islands rain forests Vanuatu rain forests Vogelkop montane rain forests Vogelkop-Aru lowland rain forests Tropical & Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests Lesser Sundas deciduous forests New Caledonia dry forests Sumba deciduous forests Timor and Wetar deciduous forests Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests Chatham Island temperate forests Eastern Australian temperate forests Fiordland temperate forests Nelson Coast temperate forests Northland temperate forests Northland temperate kauri forests Rakiura Island temperate forests Richmond temperate forests Southeast Australia temperate forests Southland temperate forests Tasmanian Central Highland forests Tasmanian temperate forests Tasmanian temperate rain forests Westland temperate forests Tropical & Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, & Shrublands Arnhem Land tropical savanna Brigalow tropical savanna Cape York tropical savanna Carpentaria tropical savanna Einasleigh upland savanna Kimberly tropical savanna Mitchell grass downs Trans Fly savanna and grasslands Victoria Plains tropical savanna Temperate Grasslands, Savannas & Shrublands Australian Alps montane grasslands Central Range sub-alpine grasslands Southland montane grasslands Montane Grasslands and Shrublands Cantebury-Otago tussock grasslands Eastern Australia mulga shrublands Southeast Australia temperate savanna Tundra Antipodes Subantarctic Islands tundra Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, & Shrub Coolgardie woodlands Esperance mallee Eyre and York mallee Jarrah-Karri forest and shrublands Mount Lofty woodlands Murray-Darling woodlands and mallee Naracoorte woodlands Southwest Australia savanna Southwest Australia woodlands Swan Coastal Plain scrub and woodlands Deserts & Xeric Shrublands Carnarvon xeric shrublands Central Ranges xeric scrub Gibson desert Great Sandy-Tanami desert Great Victoria desert Nullarbor Plains xeric shrublands Pilbara shrublands Simpson desert Tirari-Stuart stony desert Western Australian Mulga shrublands Mangrove New Guinea mangroves Antarctic Tundra Marielandia Antarctic tundra Maudlandia Antarctic desert Scotia Sea Islands tundra Southern Indian Ocean Islands tundra Afrotropic Tropical & Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests Albertine Rift montane forests Atlantic Equatorial coastal forests Cameroonian Highlands forests Central Congolian lowland forests Comoros forests Cross-Niger transition forests Cross-Sanaga-Bioko coastal forests East African montane forests Eastern Arc forests Eastern Congolian swamp forests Eastern Guinean forests Ethiopian montane forests Granitic Seychelles forests Guinean montane forests Knysna-Amatole montane forests KwaZulu-Cape coastal forest mosaic Madagascar lowland forests Madagascar subhumid forests Maputaland coastal forest mosaic Mascarene forests Mount Cameroon and Bioko montane forests Niger Delta swamp forests Nigerian lowland forests Northeastern Congolian lowland forests Northern Zanzibar-Inhambane coastal forest mosaic Northwestern Congolian lowland forests Sao Tome and Principe moist lowland forests Southern Zanzibar-Inhambane coastal forest mosaic Western Congolian swamp forests Western Guinean lowland forests Tropical & Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests Cape Verde Islands dry forests Madagascar dry deciduous forests Zambezian Cryptosepalum dry forests Tropical & Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, & Shrublands Angolan Miombo woodlands Angolan Mopane woodlands Ascension scrub and grasslands Central Zambezian Miombo woodlands East Sudanian savanna Eastern Miombo woodlands Guinean forest-savanna mosaic Itigi-Sumbu thicket Kalahari Acacia-Baikiaea woodlands Mandara Plateau mosaic Northern Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thickets Northern Congolian forest-savanna mosaic Sahelian Acacia savanna Serengeti volcanic grasslands Somali Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thickets Southern Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thickets Southern Africa bushveld Southern Congolian forest-savanna mosaic Southern Miombo woodlands St. Helena scrub and woodlands Victoria Basin forest-savanna mosaic West Sudanian savanna Western Congolian forest-savanna mosaic Western Zambezian grasslands Zambezian and Mopane woodlands Zambezian Baikiaea woodlands Temperate Grasslands, Savannas & Shrublands Al Hajar Al Gharbi montane woodlands Amsterdam and Saint-Paul Islands temperate grasslands Tristan Da Cunha-Gough Islands shrub and grasslands Flooded Grasslands and Savannas East African halophytics Etosha Pan halophytics Inner Niger Delta flooded savanna Lake Chad flooded savanna Saharan flooded grasslands Zambezian coastal flooded savanna Zambezian flooded grasslands Zambezian halophytics Montane Grasslands and Shrublands Angolan montane forest-grassland mosaic Angolan scarp savanna and woodlands Drakensberg alti-montane grasslands and woodlands Drakensberg montane grasslands, woodlands and forests East African montane moorlands Eastern Zimbabwe montane forest-grassland mosaic Ethiopian montane grasslands and woodlands Ethiopian montane moorlands Highveld grasslands Jos Plateau forest-grassland mosaic Madagascar ericoid thickets Maputaland-Pondoland bushland and thickets Ruwenzori-Virunga montane moorlands South Malawi montane forest-grassland mosaic Southern Rift montane forest-grassland mosaic Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, & Shrub Albany thickets Lowland fynbos and renosterveld Montane fynbos and renosterveld Deserts & Xeric Shrublands Aldabra Island xeric scrub Arabian Peninsula coastal fog desert East Saharan montane xeric woodlands Eritrean coastal desert Ethiopian xeric grasslands and shrublands Gulf of Oman desert and semi-desert Hobyo grasslands and shrublands Ile Europa and Bassas da India xeric scrub Kalahari xeric savanna Kaokoveld desert Madagascar spiny thickets Madagascar succulent woodlands Masai xeric grasslands and shrublands Nama Karoo Namib desert Namibian savanna woodlands Red Sea coastal desert Socotra Island xeric shrublands Somali montane xeric woodlands Southwestern Arabian foothills savanna Southwestern Arabian montane woodlands Succulent Karoo Mangrove Central African mangroves East African mangroves Guinean mangroves Madagascar mangroves Southern Africa mangroves Indo-Malayan Tropical & Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests Andaman Islands rain forests Borneo lowland rain forests Borneo montane rain forests Borneo peat swamp forests Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests Cardamom Mountains rain forests Chao Phraya freshwater swamp forests Chao Phraya lowland moist deciduous forests Chin Hills-Arakan Yoma montane forests Christmas and Cocos Islands tropical forests Eastern highlands moist deciduous forests Eastern Java-Bali montane rain forests Eastern Java-Bali rain forests Greater Negros-Panay rain forests Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests Irrawaddy freshwater swamp forests Irrawaddy moist deciduous forests Jian Nan subtropical evergreen forests Kayah-Karen montane rain forests Lower Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests Luang Prabang montane rain forests Luzon montane rain forests Luzon rain forests Malabar Coast moist forests Maldives-Lakshadweep-Chagos Archipelago tropical moist forests Meghalaya subtropical forests Mentawai Islands rain forests Mindanao montane rain forests Mindanao-Eastern Visayas rain forests Mindoro rain forests Mizoram-Manipur-Kachin rain forests Myanmar coastal rain forests Nicobar Islands rain forests North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests North Western Ghats montane rain forests Northern Annamites rain forests Northern Indochina subtropical forests Northern Khorat Plateau moist deciduous forests Northern Thailand-Laos moist deciduous forests Northern Triangle subtropical forests Northern Vietnam lowland rain forests Orissa semi-evergreen forests Palawan rain forests Peninsular Malaysian montane rain forests Peninsular Malaysian peat swamp forests Peninsular Malaysian rain forests Red River freshwater swamp forests South China Sea Islands South China-Vietnam subtropical evergreen forests South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests South Western Ghats montane rain forests Southern Annamites montane rain forests Southwest Borneo freshwater swamp forests Sri Lanka lowland rain forests Sri Lanka montane rain forests Sulu Archipelago rain forests Sumatran freshwater swamp forests Sumatran lowland rain forests Sumatran montane rain forests Sumatran peat swamp forests Sundaland heath forests Sundarbans freshwater swamp forests Tenasserim-South Thailand semi-evergreen rain forests Tonle Sap freshwater swamp forests Tonle Sap-Mekong peat swamp forests Upper Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests Western Java montane rain forests Western Java rain forests Hainan Island monsoon rain forests Nansei Islands subtropical evergreen forests South Taiwan monsoon rain forests Taiwan subtropical evergreen forests Tropical & Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests Central Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests Central Indochina dry forests Chhota-Nagpur dry deciduous forests East Deccan dry-evergreen forests Irrawaddy dry forests Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests Narmada Valley dry deciduous forests Northern dry deciduous forests South Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests Southeastern Indochina dry evergreen forests Southern Vietnam lowland dry forests Sri Lanka dry-zone dry evergreen forests Tropical & Subtropical Coniferous Forests Himalayan subtropical pine forests Luzon tropical pine forests Northeast India-Myanmar pine forests Sumatran tropical pine forests Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests Northern Triangle temperate forests Western Himalayan broadleaf forests Temperate Coniferous Forests Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests Western Himalayan subalpine conifer forests Tropical & Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, & Shrublands Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands Flooded Grasslands and Savannas Rann of Kutch seasonal salt marsh Montane Grasslands and Shrublands Kinabalu montane alpine meadows Deserts & Xeric Shrublands Deccan thorn scrub forests Indus Valley desert Northwestern thorn scrub forests Thar desert Mangrove Goadavari-Krishna mangroves Indochina mangroves Indus River Delta-Arabian Sea mangroves Myanmar Coast mangroves Sunda Shelf mangroves Sundarbans mangroves Nearctic Tropical & Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests Sonoran-Sinaloan transition subtropical dry forest Tropical & Subtropical Coniferous Forests Bermuda subtropical conifer forests Sierra Madre Occidental pine-oak forests Sierra Madre Oriental pine-oak forests Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests Allegheny Highlands forests Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests Central U.S. hardwood forests East Central Texas forests Eastern forest-boreal transition Eastern Great Lakes lowland forests Gulf of St. Lawrence lowland forests Mississippi lowland forests New England-Acadian forests Northeastern coastal forests Ozark Mountain forests Southeastern mixed forests Southern Great Lakes forests Upper Midwest forest-savanna transition Western Great Lakes forests Willamette Valley forests Temperate Coniferous Forests Alberta Mountain forests Alberta-British Columbia foothills forests Arizona Mountains forests Atlantic coastal pine barrens Blue Mountains forests British Columbia mainland coastal forests Cascade Mountains leeward forests Central and Southern Cascades forests Central British Columbia Mountain forests Central Pacific coastal forests Colorado Rockies forests Eastern Cascades forests Florida sand pine scrub Fraser Plateau and Basin complex Great Basin montane forests Klamath-Siskiyou forests Middle Atlantic coastal forests North Central Rockies forests Northern California coastal forests Northern Pacific coastal forests Northern transitional alpine forests Okanagan dry forests Piney Woods forests Puget lowland forests Queen Charlotte Islands Sierra Juarez and San Pedro Martir pine-oak forests Sierra Nevada forests South Central Rockies forests Southeastern conifer forests Wasatch and Uinta montane forests Boreal Forests/Taiga Alaska Peninsula montane taiga Central Canadian Shield forests Cook Inlet taiga Copper Plateau taiga Eastern Canadian forests Eastern Canadian Shield taiga Interior Alaska-Yukon lowland taiga Mid-Continental Canadian forests Midwestern Canadian Shield forests Muskwa-Slave Lake forests Newfoundland Highland forests Northern Canadian Shield taiga Northern Cordillera forests Northwest Territories taiga South Avalon-Burin oceanic barrens Southern Hudson Bay taiga Yukon Interior dry forests Tropical & Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, & Shrublands Western Gulf coastal grasslands Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, & Shrublands California Central Valley grasslands Canadian Aspen forests and parklands Central and Southern mixed grasslands Central forest-grasslands transition Central tall grasslands Edwards Plateau savanna Flint Hills tall grasslands Montana Valley and Foothill grasslands Nebraska Sand Hills mixed grasslands Northern mixed grasslands Northern short grasslands Northern tall grasslands Palouse grasslands Texas blackland prairies Western short grasslands Tundra Alaska-St. Elias Range tundra Aleutian Islands tundra Arctic coastal tundra Arctic foothills tundra Baffin coastal tundra Beringia lowland tundra Beringia upland tundra Brooks-British Range tundra Davis Highlands tundra High Arctic tundra Interior Yukon-Alaska alpine tundra Kalaallit Nunaat high arctic tundra Kalaallit Nunaat low arctic tundra Low Arctic tundra Middle Arctic tundra Ogilvie-MacKenzie alpine tundra Pacific Coastal Mountain icefields and tundra Torngat Mountain tundra

Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, & Shrub California coastal sage and chaparral California interior chaparral and woodlands California montane chaparral and woodlands Deserts & Xeric Shrublands Baja California desert Central Mexican matorral Chihuahuan desert Colorado Plateau shrublands Great Basin shrub steppe Gulf of California xeric scrub Meseta Central matorral Mojave desert Snake-Columbia shrub steppe Sonoran desert Tamaulipan matorral Tamaulipan mezquital Wyoming Basin shrub steppe Mangrove Northwest Mexican Coast mangroves Neotropic Tropical & Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests Araucaria moist forests Atlantic Coast restingas Bahia coastal forests Bahia interior forests Bolivian Yungas Caatinga Enclaves moist forests Caqueta moist forests Catatumbo moist forests Cauca Valley montane forests Cayos Miskitos-San Andrés and Providencia moist forests Central American Atlantic moist forests Central American montane forests Chiapas montane forests Chimalapas montane forests Chocó-Darién moist forests Cocos Island moist forests Cordillera La Costa montane forests Cordillera Oriental montane forests Costa Rican seasonal moist forests Cuban moist forests Eastern Cordillera real montane forests Eastern Panamanian montane forests Fernanda de Noronha-Atol das Rocas moist forests Guayanan Highlands moist forests Guianan moist forests Gurupa varzea Hispaniolan moist forests Iquitos varzea Isthmian-Atlantic moist forests Isthmian-Pacific moist forests Jamaican moist forests Japurá-Solimoes-Negro moist forests Juruá-Purus moist forests Leeward Islands moist forests Madeira-Tapajós moist forests Magdalena Valley montane forests Magdalena-Urabá moist forests Marajó varzea Maranhão Babaçu forests Mato Grosso tropical dry forests Monte Alegre varzea Napo moist forests Negro-Branco moist forests Northeastern Brazil restingas Northwestern Andean montane forests Oaxacan montane forests Orinoco Delta swamp forests Pantanos de Centla Paramaribo swamp forests Parañá-Paraíba interior forests Pernambuco coastal forests Pernambuco interior forests Peruvian Yungas Petén-Veracruz moist forests Puerto Rican moist forests Purus varzea Purus-Madeira moist forests Rio Negro campinarana Santa Marta montane forests Serra do Mar coastal forests Sierra de los Tuxtlas Sierra Madre de Chiapas moist forest Solimões-Japurá moist forest South Florida rocklands Southern Andean Yungas Southwest Amazon moist forests Talamancan montane forests Tapajós-Xingu moist forests Tepuis Tocantins-Araguaia-Maranhão moist forests Trinidad and Tobago moist forests Trinidade-Martin Vaz Islands tropical forests Uatuma-Trombetas moist forests Ucayali moist forests Venezuelan Andes montane forests Veracruz moist forests Veracruz montane forests Western Ecuador moist forests Windward Islands moist forests Xingu-Tocantins-Araguaia moist forests Yucatán moist forests Tropical & Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests Apure-Villavicencio dry forests Atlantic dry forests Bahamian dry forests Bajío dry forests Balsas dry forests Bolivian montane dry forests Cauca Valley dry forests Cayman Islands dry forests Central American dry forests Chaco Chiapas Depression dry forests Chiquitano dry forests Cuban dry forests Ecuadorian dry forests Hispaniolan dry forests Islas Revillagigedo dry forests Jalisco dry forests Jamaican dry forests Lara-Falcón dry forests Leeward Islands dry forests Magdalena Valley dry forests Maracaibo dry forests Marañón dry forests Panamanian dry forests Patía Valley dry forests Puerto Rican dry forests Sierra de la Laguna dry forests Sinaloan dry forests Sinú Valley dry forests Southern Pacific dry forests Trinidad and Tobago dry forests Tumbes-Piura dry forests Veracruz dry forests Windward Islands dry forests Yucatán dry forests Tropical & Subtropical Coniferous Forests Bahamian pine forests Belizian pine forests Central American pine-oak forests Cuban pine forests Hispaniolan pine forests Miskito pine forests Sierra de la Laguna pine-oak forests Sierra Madre de Oaxaca pine-oak forests Sierra Madre del Sur pine-oak forests Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine-oak forests Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests Juan Fernández Islands temperate forests Magellanic subpolar forests San Félix-San Ambrosio Islands temperate forests Valdivian temperate forests Tropical & Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, & Shrublands Arid Chaco Beni savanna Campos Rupestres montane savanna Cerrado [[Clipperton Island] shrub and grasslands] Córdoba montane savanna Guyanan savanna Humid Chaco Llanos Uruguayan savanna Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, & Shrublands Argentine Espinal Argentine Monte Humid Pampas Patagonian grasslands Patagonian steppe Semi-arid Pampas Flooded Grasslands and Savannas Central Mexican wetlands Cuban wetlands Enriquillo wetlands Everglades Guayaquil flooded grasslands Orinoco wetlands Pantanal Paraná flooded savanna Southern Cone Mesopotamian savanna Montane Grasslands and Shrublands Central Andean dry puna Central Andean puna Central Andean wet puna Cordillera Central páramo Cordillera de Merida páramo Northern Andean páramo Santa Marta páramo Southern Andean steppe Zacatonal Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, & Shrub Chilean matorral Deserts & Xeric Shrublands Araya and Paria xeric scrub Aruba-Curaçao-Bonaire cactus scrub Atacama desert Caatinga Cayman Islands xeric scrub Cuban cactus scrub Galápagos Islands xeric scrub Guajira-Barranquilla xeric scrub La Costa xeric shrublands Leeward Islands xeric scrub Malpelo Island xeric scrub Motagua Valley thornscrub Paraguana xeric scrub San Lucan xeric scrub Sechura desert Tehuacán Valley matorral Windward Islands xeric scrub St. Peter and St. Paul rocks Mangrove Alvarado mangroves Amapa mangroves Bahamian mangroves Bahia mangroves Belizean Coast mangroves Belizean Reef mangroves Bocas del Toro-San Bastimentos Island-San Blas mangroves Coastal Venezuelan mangroves Esmeraldes-Pacific Colombia mangroves Greater Antilles mangroves Guianan mangroves Gulf of Fonseca mangroves Gulf of Guayaquil-Tumbes mangroves Gulf of Panama mangroves Ilha Grande mangroves Lesser Antilles mangroves Magdalena-Santa Marta mangroves Manabí mangroves Maranhao mangroves Marismas Nacionales-San Blas mangroves Mayan Corridor mangroves Mexican South Pacific Coast mangroves Moist Pacific Coast mangroves Mosquitia-Nicaraguan Caribbean Coast mangroves Northern Dry Pacific Coast mangroves Northern Honduras mangroves Pará mangroves Petenes mangroves Piura mangroves Ría Lagartos mangroves Rio Negro-Rio San Sun mangroves Rio Piranhas mangroves Rio São Francisco mangroves Southern Dry Pacific Coast mangroves Tehuantepec-El Manchon mangroves Trinidad mangroves Usumacinta mangroves Oceania Tropical & Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests Carolines tropical moist forests Central Polynesian tropical moist forests Cook Islands tropical moist forests Eastern Micronesia tropical moist forests Fiji tropical moist forests Hawaii tropical moist forests Kermadec Islands subtropical moist forests Marquesas tropical moist forests Ogasawara subtropical moist forests Palau tropical moist forests Rapa Nui and Sala-y-Gomez subtropical broadleaf forests Samoan tropical moist forests Society Islands tropical moist forests Tongan tropical moist forests Tuamotu tropical moist forests Tubuai tropical moist forests Western Polynesian tropical moist forests Tropical & Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests Fiji tropical dry forests Hawaii tropical dry forests Marianas tropical dry forests Yap tropical dry forests Tropical & Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, & Shrublands Hawaii tropical high shrublands Hawaii tropical low shrublands Northwestern Hawaii scrub Palearctic Tropical & Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests Gizhou Plateau broadleaf and mixed forests Yunnan Plateau subtropical evergreen forests Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests Appenine deciduous montane forests Atlantic mixed forests Azores temperate mixed forests Balkan mixed forests Baltic mixed forests Cantabrian mixed forests Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests Caucasus mixed forests Celtic broadleaf forests Central Anatolian deciduous forests Central China loess plateau mixed forests Central European mixed forests Central Korean deciduous forests Changbai Mountains mixed forests Changjiang Plain evergreen forests Crimean Submediterranean forest complex Daba Mountains evergreen forests Dinaric Mountains mixed forests East European forest steppe Eastern Anatolian deciduous forests English Lowlands beech forests Euxine-Colchic deciduous forests Hokkaido deciduous forests Huang He Plain mixed forests Madeira evergreen forests Manchurian mixed forests Nihonkai evergreen forests Nihonkai montane deciduous forests North Atlantic moist mixed forests Northeast China Plain deciduous forests Pannonian mixed forests Po Basin mixed forests Pyrenees conifer and mixed forests Qin Ling Mountains deciduous forests Rodope montane mixed forests Sarmatic mixed forests Sichuan Basin evergreen broadleaf forests South Sakhalin-Kurile mixed forests Southern Korea evergreen forests Taiheiyo evergreen forests Taiheiyo montane deciduous forests Tarim Basin deciduous forests and steppe Ussuri broadleaf and mixed forests West Siberian broadleaf and mixed forests Western European broadleaf forests Zagros Mountains forest steppe Temperate Coniferous Forests Alps conifer and mixed forests Altai montane forest and forest steppe Caledon conifer forests Carpathian montane conifer forests Da Hinggan-Dzhagdy Mountains conifer forests East Afghan montane conifer forests Elburz Range forest steppe Helanshan montane conifer forests Hengduan Mountains subalpine conifer forests Hokkaido montane conifer forests Honshu alpine conifer forests Khangai Mountains conifer forests Mediterranean conifer and mixed forests Northeastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests Northern Anatolian conifer and deciduous forests Nujiang Langcang Gorge alpine conifer and mixed forests Qilian Mountains conifer forests Qionglai-Minshan conifer forests Sayan montane conifer forests Scandinavian coastal conifer forests Tian Shan montane conifer forests Boreal Forests/Taiga East Siberian taiga Iceland boreal birch forests and alpine tundra Kamchatka-Kurile meadows and sparse forests Kamchatka-Kurile taiga Northeast Siberian taiga Okhotsk-Manchurian taiga Sakhalin Island taiga Scandinavian and Russian taiga Trans-Baikal conifer forests Urals montane tundra and taiga West Siberian taiga Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, & Shrublands Alai-Western Tian Shan steppe Altai steppe and semi-desert Central Anatolian steppe Daurian forest steppe Eastern Anatolian montane steppe Emin Valley steppe Faroe Islands boreal grasslands Gissaro-Alai open woodlands Kazakh forest steppe Kazakh steppe Kazakh upland Middle East steppe Mongolian-Manchurian grassland Pontic steppe Sayan Intermontane steppe Selenge-Orkhon forest steppe South Siberian forest steppe Tian Shan foothill arid steppe Flooded Grasslands and Savannas Amur meadow steppe Bohai Sea saline meadow Nenjiang River grassland Nile Delta flooded savanna Saharan halophytics Tigris-Euphrates alluvial salt marsh Ussuri-Wusuli meadow and forest meadow Yellow Sea saline meadow Montane Grasslands and Shrublands Altai alpine meadow and tundra Central Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows Ghorat-Hazarajat alpine meadow Hindu Kush alpine meadow Karakoram-West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe Khangai Mountains alpine meadow Kopet Dag woodlands and forest steppe Kuhrud-Kohbanan Mountains forest steppe Mediterranean High Atlas juniper steppe North Tibetan Plateau-Kunlun Mountains alpine desert Northwestern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows Ordos Plateau steppe Pamir alpine desert and tundra Qilian Mountains subalpine meadows Sayan Alpine meadows and tundra Southeast Tibet shrub and meadows Sulaiman Range alpine meadows Tian Shan montane steppe and meadows Tibetan Plateau alpine shrub and meadows Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows Yarlung Zambo arid steppe Tundra Arctic desert Bering tundra Cherskii-Kolyma mountain tundra Chukchi Peninsula tundra Kamchatka Mountain tundra and forest tundra Kola Peninsula tundra Northeast Siberian coastal tundra Northwest Russian-Novaya Zemlya tundra Novosibirsk Islands arctic desert Scandinavian Montane Birch forest and grasslands Taimyr-Central Siberian tundra Trans-Baikal Bald Mountain tundra Wrangel Island arctic desert Yamalagydanskaja tundra Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, & Shrub Aegean and Western Turkey sclerophyllous and mixed forests Anatolian conifer and deciduous mixed forests Canary Islands dry woodlands and forests Corsican montane broadleaf and mixed forests Crete Mediterranean forests Cyprus Mediterranean forests Eastern Mediterranean conifer-sclerophyllous-broadleaf forests Iberian conifer forests Iberian sclerophyllous and semi-deciduous forests Illyrian deciduous forests Italian sclerophyllous and semi-deciduous forests Mediterranean acacia-argania dry woodlands and succulent thickets Mediterranean dry woodlands and steppe Mediterranean woodlands and forests Northeastern Spain and Southern France Mediterranean forests Northwest Iberian montane forests Pindus Mountains mixed forests South Appenine mixed montane forests Southeastern Iberian shrubs and woodlands Southern Anatolian montane conifer and deciduous forests Southwest Iberian Mediterranean sclerophyllous and mixed forests Tyrrhenian-Adriatic sclerophyllous and mixed forests Deserts & Xeric Shrublands Afghan Mountains semi-desert Alashan Plateau semi-desert Arabian Desert and East Sahero-Arabian xeric shrublands Atlantic coastal desert Azerbaijan shrub desert and steppe Badkhiz-Karabil semi-desert Baluchistan xeric woodlands Caspian lowland desert Central Afghan Mountains xeric woodlands Central Asian northern desert Central Asian riparian woodlands Central Asian southern desert Central Persian desert basins Eastern Gobi desert steppe Gobi Lakes Valley desert steppe Great Lakes Basin desert steppe Junggar Basin semi-desert Kazakh semi-desert Kopet Dag semi-desert Mesopotamian shrub desert North Saharan steppe and woodlands Paropamisus xeric woodlands Persian Gulf desert and semi-desert Qaidam Basin semi-desert Red Sea Nubo-Sindian tropical desert and semi-desert Rigestan-North Pakistan sandy desert Sahara desert South Iran Nubo-Sindian desert and semi-desert South Saharan steppe and woodlands Taklimakan desert Tibesti-Jebel Uweinat montane xeric woodlands West Saharan montane xeric woodlands

See Also

• Biosphere
• Forests as a Carbon Sink

References

• Eric D. Wikramanayake. 2002. Terrestrial ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: a conservation assessment. Island Press. 643 pages
• Robin A. Abell. 2000. Freshwater ecoregions of North America: a conservation assessment. World Wildlife Fund. Island Press. 639 pages

Citation

World Wildlife Fund (2014). Ecoregion. Retrieved from http://editors.eol.org/eoearth/wiki/Ecoregion