Central Sikhote-Alin

The southern parts of the Russian Far East is one of the largest and least disturbed by human activities locales where communities of ancient coniferous and broad-leaf forests still exist. Due to the location of the region on the great route of distribution of plants and animals running along the Pacific coast of Asia from tropical to midlatitudes, a very picturesque picture of interpenetration, mixture of different flora and fauna, in particular representatives of southern and northern flora and fauna, can be observed here. This region maintains a very large number of rare and endangered species and many of these are not encountered anywhere else.

Only vascular plants are represented here by about 1200 species, in addition to 71 mammalian species and 370 bird species encountered in the Central Sikhote-Alin. The mountain land of the Sikhote-Alin is the world's last area inhabited by the Amur tiger (only 500 tigers have survived here). Numerous rare and endangered species, many of which are endemic, require urgent conservation. They are the Amur ghoral, Asiatic black bear, Japanese and hooded cranes, black stork, merganser, fish eagle owl, ginseng, rhododendrone and many others.

The Bikin River basin is the only territory on the western slope of the Sikhote-Alin mountain system that has not suffered much from destructive human activities. An entire massif of natural cedar-broadleaf forests of Ussuri taiga is preserved here and on the larger part of its habitat replaced by secondary communities growing at old fire and logging sites.

The main settlements of a small indigenous nation - the Udege - are situated here. Traditional economic activities of the Udege are hunting and fishing.One of the most important functions of the forests in this region is that the forests provide food for animal populations, the state of which correlates with the well-being of the indigenous people.

The picturesque terrain and deep rivers combined with exceptional biodiversity, exotic plants and animals reminding of the tropics, create the unique appearance of the Sikhote-Alin. Numerous aesthetically and recreationally valuable sites here include numerous rock remnants scattered amidst the taiga, waterfalls and rapids (Kema rapids and Big Amga falls, etc.), and the intricate rock formations and sandy bays and reefs of the Sea of Japan.