What is an ecoregion?
Q: What is an ecoregion?
A: An ecoregion is a geographically and ecologically defined area beneath a "realm" or "ecozone". It covers a large area of land or water and contains distinct natural communities and species.
Q: Who defines the boundaries of an ecoregion?
A: The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) defines the boundaries of an ecoregion, which approximate the original extent of the natural communities prior to any major recent disruptions or changes.
Q: How many terrestrial and freshwater ecoregions have been identified by WWF?
A: The WWF has identified 825 terrestrial ecoregions, and approximately 450 freshwater ecoregions across the Earth.
Q: What is WWF's full definition of an ecoregion?
A: According to WWF, an ecoregion is a large area of land or water that contains a geographically distinct assemblage of natural communities that share a majority of their species and ecological dynamics; share similar environmental conditions; and interact ecologically in ways that are critical for their long-term persistence.
Q: What is the Global 200 list?
A: The Global 200 list is a compilation of the World Wide Fund for Nature's (WWF) identified priority areas for conservation - these are known as 'ecoregions'.
