Nihonkai evergreen forests


The Nihonkai evergreen forests ecoregion covers a thin strip of land on the western coast of the island of Honshu in Japan. It is bounded on the east by the Nihonkai montane deciduous forests ecoregion.

Location and description

The coastal strips extends the most of the length of the island, encompassing bays, inlets, rocky coasts and caves. Also represented in the ecoregion are the Oki Islands and Sado Island in the Sea of Japan about 40 km west of Honshu.

Climate

The climate of the ecoregion is Humid continental climate, warm wet summer. This climate is characterized by large seasonal temperature differentials. No month averages below, at least one month averages above, and four months average over. Precipitation is relatively even throughout the year.

Flora and fauna

About 37% of the ecoregion is closed evergreen needle-leaf forest, 27% is closed deciduous forest, 11% cultivated, 10% urban/built-up, and the rest is other types of terrain.

Protected areas