Natural Habitat
Moldova's natural habitat is characterized by forest steppes, a temperate-climate habitat type composed of grassland interspersed with areas of woodland or forest. A belt of forest steppes cross Eurasia from eastern Europe to Eastern Siberia, forming a transition between temperate broadleaf and mixed forests and temperate grasslands. In the 19th century Moldova witnessed a sharp decrease in the forested areas, sacrificed for agriculture due to rich soil.
| land formation | area, km² | of which currently forests, km² | % forests | habitat type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Moldavian Hills | 4,630 | 476 | 10.3% | forest steppe |
| Dniester-Rāut Ridge | 2,480 | 363 | 14.6% | forest steppe |
| Middle Prut Valley | 2,930 | 312 | 10.6% | forest steppe |
| Bălţi Steppe | 1,920 | 51 | 2.7% | steppe |
| Ciuluc-Soloneţ Hills | 1,690 | 169 | 10.0% | forest steppe |
| Corneşti Hills (Codru) | 4,740 | 1,300 | 27.5% | forest |
| Lower Dniester Hills | 3,040 | 371 | 12.2% | forest steppe |
| Lower Prut Valley | 1,810 | 144 | 8.0% | forest steppe |
| Tigheci Hills | 3,550 | 533 | 15.0% | forest steppe |
| Bugeac Plain | 3,210 | 195 | 6.1% | steppe |
| part of Podolian Plateau | 1,920 | 175 | 9.1% | forest steppe |
| part of Eurasian Steppe | 1,920 | 140 | 7.3% | steppe |
| Total | 33,840 | 4,228 | 12,5% | forest steppe |
Read more about this topic: Geography Of Moldova
Famous quotes containing the words natural and/or habitat:
“The superstition respecting power and office is going to the ground. The stream of human affairs flows its own way, and is very little affected by the activity of legislators. What great masses of men wish done, will be done; and they do not wish it for a freak, but because it is their state and natural end.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Neither moral relations nor the moral law can swing in vacuo. Their only habitat can be a mind which feels them; and no world composed of merely physical facts can possibly be a world to which ethical propositions apply.”
—William James (1842–1910)