Comments on Udvardy's biogeographical realm Antarctica

Abstract

As a contribution to UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme, Udvardy (1975) developed “A Classifieation of the Biogeographical Provinces of the World”, in whieh he introduced “a unified system for biogeographieal and conservation purposes”. He used only one major biogeographic unit, the realm, for an area the size of a eontinent or subcontinent with unifying features of geography, fauna and flora. Each of the eight realms consists of a number of “provinces”, corresponding roughly to botanical regions and faunal provinces of previous usages, and to the biotic provinces of Dice (1943). New Zealand is classified as one of four provinces (called Neozealandia) of the realm Antarctica; the subantarctic islands are grouped together as a circumpolar province Insulantarctica; and the two geological segments of Antarctica are separated as the two provinces of the main1and Antarctic, Maudlandia (for East Antarctica) and Marielandia (West Antarctica).