Despite the high diversity' of ecosystems, much of the country is virtually lifeless due to the extreme climatic and environmental conditions. Most of the country has had little or no human intervention on natural ecosystems, and only 7 per cent of the country’s territory is composed of man-made ecosystems. Natural ecosystems include various forest types (e.g. coniferous and broad-leafed), a w ide range of grassland communities (meadows and steppes), deserts, water bodies (lakes and rivers) and wetlands (swamps and lakeshores).