· Deserts of Red and Black
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
· Looking Ahead

Global 200 Snapshot

Globally outstanding. The Central Asian Deserts support the richest desert life in all of Asia. They have unique ecological qualities and support numerous endemic species. The ecoregion includes:

l Central Asian Northern Desert

l Central Asian Riparian Lands and Oases

l Central Asian Southern Desert

Deserts of Red and Black

The sands of the Central Asian Deserts are distinctly colored by black and red minerals. Many unusual species are well adapted to the combination of extremely cold winters and blistering hot summers. The forested river valleys were once the habitat for the now extinct Caspian tiger.

Special Features

The Central Asian Deserts ecoregion is made up of a mosaic of clay, stone, salt, and sandy deserts (sandy deserts support the greatest amount of biodiversity). Two of the deserts here are particularly high in diversity: the Karakum ("Black Sands") and the Kyzylkum ("Red Sands"). The Karakum is bordered by mountain ranges and changes from a high plateau to a wide plain to a chain of salt marshes. Most of the Kyzylkum is a vast plain of sand dotted with high, rocky mountains and a few water basins. As strong winds whip through the hot deserts, sand is pushed up into dunes and ridges, some of which can be as high as 90 meters (300 feet). The long, mighty Amu Darya and Syr Darya Rivers cross through the deserts on their way to the Aral Sea, providing moisture to an area where rainfall is sparse and unpredictable.

The rivers that flow through the Central Asian Deserts lead to the Aral Sea, which used to be the fourth-largest inland body of water in the world. But since the 1960s, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers have been diverted so much for agriculture that they are practically dry by the time they reach the Aral. By 1990, the Sea had lost more than half of its original volume. The water that remains has a high concentration of salt, which makes it impossible for fish to survive. Fortunately, scientists and conservationists from around the world are working hard to restore the Aral.

Wild Side

Many plants and animals thrive here. Different types of grasses and small shrubs have adapted to grow in the sand without much moisture. Gallery forests, locally called tugai, line the riverbanks. These are perfect habitat for the native, endangered Bukhara deer, which shares the ecoregion with two other hoofed creatures, the onager and the goitred gazelle. This ecoregion is also rich in reptile life, harboring a tremendous variety of lizards, such as agamas and geckos, and many snake species.

Cause for Concern

The diversion of water for irrigation and the conversion of land to agriculture are the major threats to the region. Forest exploitation along the tugai Forest is also a problem.

Looking Ahead

Check back soon for more about the conservation of this ecoregion.