Central Asia: Iran and Turkmenistan

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  • Scientific Code
    (PA1319)
  • Ecoregion Category
    Palearctic
  • Size
    10,200 square miles
  • Status
    Vulnerable
  • Habitats

Description


Location and General Description

Biodiversity Features

Current Status

Types and Severity of Threats

Justification of Ecoregion Delineation
This ecoregion represents a transitional zone between desert and foothill savannas in Turkmenistan and a small section of northern Iran. It includes the semi-deserts and takyrs (seasonal salt lakes with little to no vegetation) of the Kopet Dag region according to Pereladova’s (1998) map of Central Asian ecosystems. In Iran, the ecoregion contains an adjacent area of Iranian steppe from Zohary’s (1973) geobotanical map of the Middle East. This small area was isolated from similarly designated steppe in the rest of Iran by the Elburz Range, causing the species composition to more closely resemble that of the Kopet Dag.

References
Pereladova, O., V. Krever and M. Williams. 1997. Biodiversity Conservation in Central Asia. Moscow.

Zohary, M. 1973. Geobotanical foundations of the Middle East, volume1,2. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart, Germany.

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