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Taiheiyo evergreen forests
Taiheiyo evergreen forests
	Nametoko Ravine in Ashizuri-Uwakai National Park
Ecology
Realm	Palearctic
Biome	temperate broadleaf and mixed forests
Borders	Nihonkai evergreen forests; Nihonkai montane deciduous forests,; Taiheiyo montane deciduous forests;
Geography
Area	135,819 km2 (52,440 sq mi)
Country	Japan
Conservation
Conservation status	Critical/endangered
Protected	23,487 km² (17%)

The Taiheiyo evergreen forests is a temperate broadleaf forest ecoregion of Japan.

Geography

The ecoregion covers an area of 138,300 square kilometers (53,400 sq mi) on the Pacific (Taiheiyo) side of the islands of Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. It also includes Tsushima Island in the Korea Strait between Kyushu and Korea and the volcanic Izu Islands off Honshu's southern coast.^[2]

The ecoregion is home to Japan's largest cities, including Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, and Nagoya.

Climate

The ecoregion has a humid subtropical climate. The influence of the Japan Current creates a humid climate with mild winters and a long growing season, which nurtured evergreen broadleaf forests.

Flora

Laurel forests grew near the coast, and oak forests were predominant inland. At higher elevations, the Taiheiyo evergreen forests yielded to the Taiheiyo montane deciduous forests of the interior.^[2]

The forests include a mix of species with origins in temperate and tropical Asia. Species with tropical origins include two species of the conifer Podocarpus (Podocarpus macrophyllus and Podocarpus fasciculus), one species of the Fir Abies firma, two species of Pittosporum, Fatsia japonica, Aspidistra elatior, Castanopsis sieboldii, Persea thunbergii, Cryptomeria japonica, Sciadopitys verticillata, Camphora officinarum, Cercidiphyllum japonicum, Fagus crenata, Carpinus laxiflora, Daphniphyllum macropodum, Ilex integra, Eurya japonica, Pittosporum tobira, Cinnamomum cassia, Durio zibethinus, Artocarpus heterophyllus, Ficus benghalensis, Gnetum gnemon, Mangifera indica, Toona ciliata, Toona sinensis, Cocos nucifera, Tetrameles nudiflora, Ginkgo biloba, Shorea robusta, Prunus serrulata, Tsuga dumosa, Ulmus lanceifolia, Tectona grandis, Terminalia elliptica, Terminalia bellirica, several species in the laurel family (Machilus, Neolitsea, and Camphora (plant)), and the Cycad (Cycas revoluta(. In more coastal areas, Pinus thunbergii is quite common. Trees with origins in temperate Eurasia include species of evergreen oaks, Castanopsis, Salix pierotii, Picea jezoensis, Pinus thunbergii, Pinus pumila, Prunus nipponica, Tilia amurensis, Larix gmelinii, Larix sibirica, Larix × czekanowskii, Betula dahurica, Betula pendula, Pinus koraiensis, Pinus sibirica, Pinus sylvestris, Picea obovata, Abies sibirica, Quercus acutissima, Quercus mongolica, Quercus glauca, Ginkgo biloba, Prunus serrulata, Prunus padus, Salix babylonica, Acer palmatum, Populus tremula, Ulmus davidiana, Ulmus pumila, Haloxylon ammodendron, Elaeagnus angustifolia, Tamarix ramosissima, Prunus sibirica, and Juglans regia.^[3]

Fauna

Native mammals include the Sika deer (Cervus nippon) and Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata).

Native birds include the fairy pitta (Pitta nympha) and Japanese night heron (Goraschius goisagi).

The terrestrial Odaigahara salamander (Hynobius boulengeri) is native to the ecoregion.

Conservation and threats

Most of forests have been converted to agriculture or cities. Remnant areas of forest remain around temples and shrines, on steep slopes, and in gorges. Secondary growth woodlands, called Satoyama, are found on hillsides bordering farmlands.^[2]

Protected areas

17% of the ecoregion is in protected areas.^[1] Protected areas include Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, Ise-Shima National Park, Yoshino-Kumano National Park, Seto Inland Sea National Park, Ashizuri-Uwakai National Park, Kirishima-Kinkowan National Park, Unzen-Amakusa National Park, Saikai National Park, and Suigō-Tsukuba Quasi-National Park (349.56 km² (134.97 sq mi)).^[4]^[5]

References

^ ^a ^b Dinerstein, Eric; Olson, David; et al. (June 2017). "An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm". BioScience. 67 (6): 534–545. doi:10.1093/biosci/bix014. PMC 5451287. PMID 28608869.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) Supplemental material 2 table S1b.
^ ^a ^b ^c World Wildlife Fund, ed. (2001). "Taiheiyo evergreen forests". WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
^ Haggett, Peter (2002). Encyclopedia of World Geography (2nd ed.). Tarrytown, New York: Marshall Cavendish Co. p. 3089.
^ "Taiheiyo evergreen forests". Digital Observatory for Protected Areas Explorer 4. Accessed 31 October 2020. [1]
^ UNEP-WCMC (2020). Protected Area Profile for Japan from the World Database of Protected Areas, October 2020. Available at: www.protectedplanet.net