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Biomes and Regions of Northern Eurasia

The Far East

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Conclusions

The Pacific rim is unique and one of the most interesting regions in the FSU. In the south, landscape development has not been interrupted by glaciations and rich vegetation has resulted from this continuity. With a combination of many floras and a large number of relicts and endemics, the region is distinguished by high biological diversity. The northern areas, such as Kamchatka and most the Kuril islands, may not have a unique biota but active volcanism and contemporary glaciation make them a natural physical-geographical laboratory where one can witness the formation of natural landscapes. The extent to which these environments have been researched, varies. Indeed, one of the first Russian geographical texts was that on Kamchatka: The Description of the Land Kamchatka published by Kraseninnikov following his expedition to Kamchatka in 1755 (reprint: Krashenninikov, 1963). However, at present the Far East offers many unresolved problems to physical geographers, geologists, oceanographers, and ecologists. The intensity of human impacts varies. While large cities, in particular the largest city of Vladivostok, experience serious pollution problems, most of the Far Eastern biodiversity remains intact, opening wide possibilities for the development of conservation and ecotourism.