All chapters:

Introduction

Climate

Waters and water management

Ecosystems and ecoregions

Species diversity and use of biological resources

Nature conservation: econet and protected areas

Countries & cultures

Economy

Land use

International policy

Trans-Baikal coniferous forest covers only a small area in the northwest Amur-Heilong basin in the Henti-Chikoi Mountain Range (elevation 1,500-2,300 m) and it is sheltered from the influence of Manchurian forests by a wide belt of Daurian grasslands.  These taiga larch-pine forest ecosystems occupy drier mountainous areas adjacent to the Lake Baikal basin where taiga forest abuts and mixes with xeric steppe vegetation.  The north slopes of the ranges are dominated by larch and pine forest.  Southern slopes have steppe vegetation at lower altitudes.  High mountain peaks have sporadic tundra landscapes.  Shrubs and short, bushy trees are dominant vegetation cover in narrow valleys of mountains.  Small bogs feed mountain streams.  Permafrost is distributed over a wide area in the eco-region.
A large portion of the Khentii Mountain Range is located within the Mongolian Khan-Khentii Strictly Protected Area (SPA).  There are over 50 species of mammals, 220 species of birds, and approximately 1,100 species of plants in the protected area, among which several are extremely rare (endangered) species.  Total forest area in the Mongolian basin is 1.4 million ha but in recent years, the forest has suffered wildfire, pest outbreaks, and unregulated logging, which together with climate change are the greatest threats to this ecoregion.  Gold-mining is a grave threat to streams and bogs, especially in Mongolia.
Khan-Khentii Nature Reserve, Onon-Balj National Park in Mongolia and Sokhondinsky Zapovednik in Russia, known collectively as the "Source of the Amur", are proposed for designation as an international protected area between the Trans-Baikal coniferous forest and the northern tip of the Daurian forest-steppe.

Sokhondinsky Zapovednik also includes landscapes typical of Trans-Baikal coniferous forests ecoregion. Photo by WWF-Sokhondinsky Zap.