Eastern Mountain Range, Kamchatka, Russia Photograph by FARREX   Eastern Asia: Eastern Russia Boreal Forests/Taiga   5,900 square miles (15,200 square kilometers) -- about the size of Hawaii Relatively Stable/Intact

· Conifer Island
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Conifer Island

Often called "Conifer Island," this ancient taiga forest is located along the Kamchatka River in the central valley of the Kamchatka Peninsula. Conifers are not the only kinds of trees in these relict taiga forests, but they are symbols of this unique northern land. This ecoregion also holds the Kamchatka Peninsula’s most significant expanses of forest and is the easternmost example of Siberian taiga forest.

Special Features

This Kamchatka-Kurile Taiga ecoregion of northeastern Russia has been greatly influenced by past volcanic activity resulting in rich, fertile soils. Today, Ayan fir and Cayander’s larch are the tree species that dominate the forest, which also contains a mix of Erman’s and rock birch, Kurile larch, alder, Yeddo spruce, and willow trees. Secondary forests of birch or aspen communities are replacing stands of forests that have been disturbed by human activities such as fires and logging.

	The peregrine falcon can fly at incredible speeds and has been clocked at more than 124 miles (200 km) per hour in a steep dive. Level flight speeds can exceed 60 miles (97 km) per hour over short distances. Falcons strike their prey in flight, knocking it to the ground or killing it instantly with the blow.

Wild Side

This unique ecoregion holds 400 to 700 species of vegetation, 120 to 150 species of nesting birds, and 40 to 50 species of mammals. Diversity results from the availability of natural habitat, especially in certain protected areas such as Bystrinsky National Park, which contains important habitat for brown bears, sables, and white-tailed eagles. Not many of these plants or animals are rare species, except for some birds such as the peregrine falcon, gyrfalcon, and Siberian spruce grouse. Other mammal species found in these valley forests include otter, moose, beaver, ermine, and lynx. Most of these prefer riparian areas, such as those along the Kamchatka River.

Cause for Concern

Only 2.1 percent of the region’s coniferous forests remains undisturbed by logging or fire. Those that have been vulnerable to logging are most often located in river basins, putting vital salmon spawning grounds at risk. As in other parts of eastern Russia, fires caused by humans damage the region’s forests enormously and lead to the growth of tree species that are different from those originally found here. Gold mining, oil exploration, poaching, and deforestation also pose threats to certain areas.

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