Ecoregions of Asia

Ecoregions of Asia
Name	Ecoregions of Asia
Caption	Representative landscapes across Asian ecoregions: Himalayas, Sundarbans, Gobi Desert, Taiga
Biome	Tropical rainforests, temperate broadleaf forests, boreal forests, grasslands, deserts, montane, mangroves, freshwater, marine
Countries	Russia, China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, North Korea, South Korea, Brunei, Singapore, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman

Ecoregions of Asia Asia's ecoregions encompass the continent's mosaic of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine habitats, ranging from the Arctic Ocean coasts of Siberia to the tropical seas of the Coral Triangle and the montane zones of the Himalayas. These ecoregions integrate climatic, geomorphological, floristic, and faunal patterns recognized by frameworks such as the World Wide Fund for Nature and the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Understanding Asian ecoregions informs conservation in places like the Sundarbans, Gobi Desert, Tibetan Plateau, Western Ghats, and Borneo.

Overview and Definition

Ecoregions are spatial units defined by recurring assemblages of flora and fauna shaped by climate, geology, and biogeographic history; in Asia, this includes the Palearctic realm, Indomalayan realm, and peripheral transition zones such as the Irano-Turanian region. Foundational schemes developed by the World Wide Fund for Nature and the Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World classify areas like the Central Asian riparian woodlands, Indo-Burma forests, Malesian rain forests, and Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests of East Asia. These definitions guide inventories conducted by institutions such as the Biodiversity Monitoring and Assessment Unit and initiatives tied to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Major Biogeographic Realms and Types

Asia's major realms include the Palearctic realm across Russia and Central Asia, the Indomalayan realm across South Asia and Southeast Asia, and marine realms like the Indo-Pacific. Dominant biomes include boreal forest (taiga) of Siberia, temperate coniferous forests of Japan and the Korean Peninsula, montane grasslands and shrublands on the Tibetan Plateau and Himalayas, extensive tropical moist broadleaf forests in Borneo and Sumatra, and arid deserts such as the Gobi Desert and the Arabian Desert. Coastal ecoregions feature mangrove complexes in the Bay of Bengal and coral-rich zones of the South China Sea and Andaman Sea.

Regional Ecoregions by Subregion

South Asia comprises the Western Ghats, Eastern Himalaya, Indo-Gangetic Plain, and the Sundarbans of Bangladesh and India. East Asia includes the Manchurian mixed forests, North China Plain, and island systems of Japan and Taiwan. Southeast Asia contains Borneo lowland rain forests, Malay Peninsula rain forests, Philippine montane rain forests, and the Mekong freshwater complex affecting Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Central Asia comprises Kazakh Steppe, Karakum Desert, and riparian corridors along the Amu Darya and Syr Darya. West Asia and the Middle East include Irano-Anatolian montane steppe, Levantine scrubland, and Arabian Peninsula xeric shrublands. Northern Asia is dominated by Siberian taiga and tundra abutting the Arctic Ocean.

Biodiversity and Endemism Patterns

Asia harbors global biodiversity hotspots recognized by Conservation International, including the Himalaya, Indo-Burma, Sundaland, Western Ghats, and Philippines. These hotspots support endemic radiations such as tropical dipterocarps in Borneo, giant pandas in Sichuan Province, Asian elephants in Sri Lanka and mainland India, and numerous endemic amphibians in Western Ghats and Hengduan Mountains. Freshwater endemism is high in basins like the Mekong River and the Yangtze River, while island systems like Sulawesi and the Andaman Islands show distinct evolutionary lineages. Climate-driven refugia in the Eastern Himalaya and Yunnan maintain relict floras tied to palaeoclimatic events.

Threats and Conservation Status

Primary threats include habitat loss from agricultural expansion in the Mekong Delta and Ganges Valley, deforestation for timber and palm oil in Sumatra and Kalimantan, overfishing in the South China Sea, water diversion projects on the Indus and Brahmaputra, mining in the Altai and Tibet, and urbanization around Beijing, Mumbai, Jakarta, and Bangkok. Species-level pressures involve poaching targeting taxa such as Amur tiger and Javan rhinoceros, invasive species introductions in the Caspian Sea, and climate change impacts accelerating glacial retreat in the Himalayas and permafrost thaw in Siberia.

Management and Protected Areas

Protected networks include national parks and transboundary reserves such as Kaziranga National Park, Chitwan National Park, Taman Negara, Gunung Leuser National Park, Komodo National Park, Sundarbans National Park, and the Great Hinggan Mountains. International designations like UNESCO World Heritage Site listings for Sagarmatha National Park and the Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area complement Ramsar wetlands such as Keoladeo National Park and Kolleru Lake. Regional conservation efforts are coordinated through bodies like the Asian Development Bank’s environmental programs, the South Asian Wildlife Enforcement Network, and partnerships involving IUCN and BirdLife International.

Research, Monitoring, and Policy Frameworks

Research institutions such as the Institute of Zoology (Chinese Academy of Sciences), Wildlife Institute of India, Centre for Ecological Sciences (Bangalore), and Mongolian Academy of Sciences lead species inventories and long-term monitoring. Policy frameworks feature national biodiversity strategies aligned to the Convention on Biological Diversity Aichi targets and post-2020 biodiversity goals, regional river basin agreements for the Mekong River Commission and Indus Basin Treaty, and conservation finance mechanisms promoted by the Global Environment Facility. Emerging tools include remote sensing from Landsat and Sentinel satellites, environmental DNA surveys, and community-based conservation models driven by indigenous groups in Karakoram and Borneo.

Category:Ecoregions