Once the Ussuriland (Primorsky Krai: “Maritime Province”) forests were covered with old pine forests. The pine tree –called “kedr” in Russian– is both ecologically and culturally vital to the Russian Far East. The pine cones provide food for many animals that inhabit the Ussuri taiga, including wild boars, elks, roe deer, musk deer, and even Himalayan black bears. These animals in turn form the prey base of the Siberian tiger. However, logging over the last 40 years has severely impacted a large part of the Ussuriland forests.

The Bikin watershed represents a series of well preserved, native forest ecosystem types, and is the habitat of more than 60 endemic, rare and endangered plant and animal species. It is home to the Bikin Udege people. This indigenous group continues its traditional way of life in a contemporary context, relying on the region's natural resources for their survival.