Middle East steppe

Coordinates: 36°15′N 39°15′E / 36.25°N 39.25°E / 36.25; 39.25
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Middle East steppe
Palearctic
Biometemperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands
Borders
List
Geography
Area132,589 km2 (51,193 sq mi)
CountryJordan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Turkey
Coordinates36°15′N 39°15′E / 36.25°N 39.25°E / 36.25; 39.25

The Middle East steppe ecoregion (WWF ID: PA0812) stretches in an arc from southern Jordan across Syria and Iraq to the western border of Iran. The upper plains of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers dominate most of the ecoregion. The terrain is mostly open shrub steppe. The climate is arid (less than 250 mm of precipitation per year). Evidence is that this region was once more of a forest-steppe, but centuries of overgrazing and gathering firewood have reduced tree and grass cover to small areas and along the riverine corridors. Despite the degraded condition of the steppe environment, the ecoregion is important for water birds as the rivers and reservoirs provide habitat in the arid region.[1][2][3][4]

Location and description

Most of the ecoregion is in upper Syria and Iraq, with a thin extension through western

Eastern Mediterranean conifer-sclerophyllous-broadleaf forests
ecoregion.

Climate

The climate of the ecoregion is Hot semi-arid climates (Köppen climate classification (BSh)). This climate is characteristic of steppes, with hot summers and cool or mild winters, and minimal precipitation. The coldest month averages above 0 °C (32 °F). Precipitation averages less than 200 mm/year.[5][6]

Flora and fauna

The region is one of shrub steppe, crossed by riverine woodlands in places. In deep, non-saline soils the dominant shrubs are white wormwood (

Gazella subgutturosa
).

For migratory water birds, the Euphrates River valley serves as a major migration route between the wetlands of Turkey and the wetlands of Iraq. Many of these species depend on a combination of wetlands and arid desert habitat. Birds in the ecoregion of conservation interest include vulnerable Houbara bustard (

Tetrax tetrax).[1]

Protected areas

Less than 1% of the ecoregion is officially protected.[3] These protected areas include:

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Middle East steppe". World Wildlife Federation. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  2. ^ "Map of Ecoregions 2017". Resolve, using WWF data. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c "Middle East steppe". Digital Observatory for Protected Areas. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  4. ^ "Middle East steppe". The Encyclopedia of Earth. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  5. ^ Kottek, M.; Grieser, J.; Beck, C.; Rudolf, B.; Rubel, F. (2006). "World Map of Koppen-Geiger Climate Classification Updated" (PDF). Gebrüder Borntraeger 2006. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  6. ^ "Dataset - Koppen climate classifications". World Bank. Retrieved September 14, 2019.