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

The Siberian boreal forest is the largest tract of unbroken forest in the world.  Several boreal eco-regions expand into the Amur-Heilong River basin.  The large tract found in the northern Amur River basin is just a small portion of the boreal forest of Siberia as a whole.  The cold temperatures that create permafrost and seasonal droughts favor coniferous forests of larch, spruce, fir, and pine.  Intact fir forests are the primary habitat of musk deer and the only home for the endangered Siberian spruce grouse. Russia's largest populations of brown bears, moose, wolves, reindeer, and other boreal mammals inhabit these forests.
Given its size and inhospitable environment, most of boreal forest has experienced relatively low levels of human influence.  Therefore, we still can identify “intact forest landscapes” – tracks of pristine wilderness of 50 000 hectares or more in size (See Map on Forest cover change).