The China portion of the Amur-Heilong basin has endured much more agricultural development than in Russia or Mongolia , particularly in the Songhua River basin . However in most developed agricultural areas in Russia , such as the Zeya-Bureya Plains and Khanka Lowlands, environmental consequences are already very similar to those in China, despite the much lower population density.

Modern agricultural development in the Amur-Heilong basin had several environmental consequences:

•  destruction of natural ecosystems and land conversion into monocultures;

•  alteration of hydrologic regimes of wetlands and water bodies, and withdrawal of water from surrounding natural habitats;

•  fragmentation of natural habitat and disruption of migration routes;

•  water pollution , soil erosion and change in sedimentation patterns;

•  sustained and frequent wildfires that damage wildlife, alter water regimes, and prevent the reestablishment of forests.

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Land-use trends:

General trends in land-use

Recent changes in land-use in three countries