The Southern Korea evergreen forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...

at the southern end of the

Korean Peninsula Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically divided at or near the 38th parallel between North Korea (Dem ...

Geography

The Southern Korea evergreen forests occupy an area of in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

, at the southern margin of the Korean Peninsula, as well as the

Gotjawal Forest ''Gotjawal'' () is a Jeju language, Jeju-language term for a dense and wild forest. The term is now used to describe the forest biome of Jeju Island, in Jeju Province, South Korea. ''Gotjawal'' are typically found between the island's central mou ...

Jeju Island Jeju Island (Jeju language, Jeju/) is South Korea's largest island, covering an area of , which is 1.83% of the total area of the country. Alongside outlying islands, it is part of Jeju Province and makes up the majority of the province. The i ...

in the

East China Sea The East China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. China names the body of water along its eastern coast as "East Sea" (, ) due to direction, the name of "East China Sea" is otherwise ...

, 60 km south of the Korean mainland. The ecoregion also includes Ulleungdo Island, which lies 135 km east of the peninsula in the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it ...

Climate

The climate is humid and temperate. Rainfall averages 1000 mm per year, with two-thirds falling between June and September. Winters are drier and mild, with a mean January temperate of 2 °C. There are occasional winter snowfalls, but snow rarely accumulates.

Flora

The natural vegetation is evergreen broadleaf

laurel forest Laurel forest, also called laurisilva or laurissilva, is a type of subtropical forest found in areas with high humidity and relatively stable, mild temperatures. The forest is characterized by broadleaf tree species with evergreen, glossy and el ...

, with members of the oak family ''( Castanopsis cuspidata'', '' Quercus acuta'', and '' Quercus myrsinifolia)'' and laurel family ''( Persea thunbergii,'' '' Cinnamomum camphora'', and others) prominent. Other trees and shrubs include '' Carpinus laxiflora, Elaeocarpus, Neolitsea, Daphniphyllum macropodum, Ilex integra,

Hedera ''Hedera'', commonly called ivy (plural ivies), is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to Western Europe, Central Europe, Southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern ...

, Eurya japonica, Pittosporum tobira,'' and '' Viburnum awabuki''. The Bijarim forest on Jeju is home to dense groves of ''Bija'' (Nutmeg or Nutmeg yew, '' Torreya nucifera''). The ivy shrub '' Fatsia japonica'' is another Jeju native.

Fauna

South Korea has 379 species of birds, including 111 are winter visitors and 90 are winter and spring passage migrants. Most of these species either reside or visit the southern evergreen forests, where the winter climate is milder. 207 bird species and subspecies have been recorded on the Jeju, and 54 species on the Ulleungdo Island. Resident birds of the ecoregion include white-bellied woodpecker (''Dryocopus javensis''), fairy pitta (''Pitta nympha''), and ring-necked pheasant (''Phasianus colchicus torquatus''). The

red-crowned crane The red-crowned crane (''Grus japonensis''), also called the Manchurian crane (; the Chinese character '丹' means 'red', '頂/顶' means 'crown (anatomy), crown' and '鶴/鹤' means 'crane'), is a large East Asian Crane (bird), crane among the ...

(''Grus japonensis'') breeds in freshwater marshes, and both the red-crowned crane and white-naped crane (''Grus vipio'') overwinter in coastal and freshwater wetlands and along rivers. Mammals on Jeju include roe deer, weasels, hamsters, field mice, house rats and two species of bats. Wild boar and wild cats have been extirpated from the island. Eight amphibian and reptile species have been recorded on Jeju. Ulleungdo has no native reptiles or amphibians.

Conservation

The lowland forests are mostly gone, replaced by intensive agriculture, often centuries old. The remaining forest areas are small patches located in hills and mountains. The most extensive forest areas are on Jeju's '' gotjawal'' terrain, composed of old lava flows with shallow rocky soils unsuited to agriculture.Carpenter, Chris
Southern Korea Evergreen Forests
One Earth. Retrieved 11 July 2024. A 2017 assessment found that 630 km², or 4%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. 15% of the unprotected area is still forested. The ecoregion is home to four national parks, Dadohaehaesang, Hallyeohaesang, and Wolchulsan on the mainland, and Hallasan on Jeju.

External links

References

{{coord missing, South Korea Ecoregions of Asia Ecoregions of South Korea Forests of South Korea Palearctic ecoregions Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests