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A bioregion is simply an indenfidable geographic area whose life systems are self-contained, self- sustaining and self renewing. A bioregion you might say, is a basic unit within the natural system of earth. Another way to define a bioregion is in terms of watersheds. Bioregions must develop human populations that accord with their natural context.
An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural communities and species .
This is a list of terrestrial ecoregions as compiled by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The WWF identifies terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecoregions. The terrestrial scheme divides the Earth's land surface into 8 biogeographic realms, containing 867 smaller ecoregions. Each ecoregion is classified into one of 14 major habitat types, or biomes.
Ecoregions may be identified by similarities in geology, physiography, vegetation, climate, soils, land use, wildlife distributions, and hydrology. The classification system has four levels, but only Levels I and III are on this list. Level I divides North America into 15 broad ecoregions; of these, 12 lie partly or wholly within the United States.
Ecoregions of North America, featuring Canada, Mexico, the United States Wikipedia has articles relating to several ecoregion classification systems , defined by the conservation group World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), and like agencies around the world.
[4] [5] Later, Schultz [6] would use it with ecological and physiognomical criteria, in a way similar to the concept of biome. In the Global 200/WWF scheme, [7] originally the term "biogeographic realm" in Udvardy sense was used. However, in a scheme of BBC, [8] it was replaced by the term "ecozone".
One scheme of potential North American bioregions. The band of colour represent transitional biotones. Bioregionalism is a philosophy that suggests that political, cultural, and economic systems are more sustainable and just if they are organized around naturally defined areas called bioregions (similar to ecoregions).
Ecoregions are defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature as "relatively large units of land or water containing a distinct assemblage of natural communities and species, with boundaries that approximate the original extent of natural communities prior to major land-use change".