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Figure 1.3. The 8 Biogeographical Realms and 14 Biomes Used in the MA(C4.Figure C4.3) Biogeographic realms are large spatial regions within which ecosystems share a broadly similar biological evolutionary history. Eight terrestrial biogeographic realms are typically recognized, corresponding roughly to continents. Although similar ecosystems (such as tropical moist forests) share similar processes and major vegetation types wherever they are found, their species composition varies markedly depending on the biogeographic realm in which they are found. Assessing biodiversity at the level of biogeographic realms is important because the realms display substantial variation in the extent of change, they face different drivers of change, and there may be differences in the options for mitigating or managing the drivers. Terrestrial biogeographic realms reflect freshwater biodiversity patterns reasonably well, but marine biogeographic realms are poorly known and largely undefined (C4.2.1).  Source: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment |
