Novososedovo, Novosibirsk Region, Russia Photograph by Oleg Kosterin   Palaearctic Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests   86,300 square miles (223,400 square kilometers) -- about twice the size of Louisiana Critical/Endangered

· Tracks in the Taiga
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Tracks in the Taiga

Although the Western Siberian Broadleaf and Mixed Forests ecoregion is relatively narrow and small, its biodiversity is the highest in all of western Siberia. These taiga forests contain a wealth of birds and mammals. Plants are even more diverse: About 1,000 species can be found here.

Special Features

Although the landscape has changed, these forests once contained a mix of species, including Siberian fir, black spruce, Siberian pine, and Littleleaf Linden trees. As a result of recent intensive exploitation and frequent fires, forests dominated by weeping birch and aspen willow or by almost pure Scotch pine forests have largely replaced these mixed species. The understory of these forests contains a rich layer of several grass species.

	Although some tawny owls are indeed tawny-brown in color, other tawny owls are gray. Regardless of their color, tawny owls are all skilled hunters, sometimes snatching birds and bats right from their roosting perches.

Wild Side

In the river watershed of this ecoregion, many different types of animals can be found, including 44 mammal species, 231 bird species, and 8 amphibian and reptile species. Species common throughout the region include common shrews, with their pointy noses and velvety fur; mountain hares, whose coats turn snowy white in winter; and northern goshawks, always a top predator of the forest. Animals of particular focus for conservation efforts include Siberian whitefish, Siberian cranes, and tawny owls.

Cause for Concern

Because this ecoregion contains no national parks, animal diversity and habitat are at risk. Main threats include clear-cuts, frequent fires, poaching, and conversion of forests to pasture, which all lead to fragmentation or complete destruction of forest ecosystems and a decrease in biodiversity. Although two forests areas are protected as part of nature monuments, an entire network of protected areas must be established for these forests to survive.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.