An
ecoregion (
ecological region), sometimes called a
bioregion, is an
ecologically and geographically defined area smaller than a "realm" or "
ecozone". Ecoregions cover relatively large area of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblage of natural
communities and
species. The
biodiversity of
flora,
fauna and
ecosystems that characterise an ecoregion tend to be distinct from that of other ecoregions.
The definition of the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) is widely used
A large area of land or water that contains a geographically distinct assemblage of natural communities that
According to WWF, the boundaries of an ecoregion approximate the original extent of the natural communities prior to any major recent disruptions or changes. WWF has identified 825 terrestrial ecoregions, and approximately 450 freshwater ecoregions across the Earth. Another way of defining an ecoregion is as a "recurring pattern of ecosystems associated with characteristic combinations of soil and landform that characterise that region" (Brunckhorst, 2000). Others have defined ecoregions as areas of ecological potential based on combinations of biophysical parameters such as climate and topography.[citation needed]
