Satellite view of the central Tarim Basin, China Photograph by USGS   Central Asia: Western China Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests   21,000 square miles (54,500 square kilometers) -- about twice the size of Maryland Critical/Endangered

· Oasis in the Desert
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Oasis in the Desert

The Tarim River is an oasis that waters a strip 300 miles (500 km) long, running through China’s largest and driest desert, the Taklimakan. In the local Uygur language, tarim means "converging of waters." Among braided channels of water, forests of poplar stabilize the sand and moderate the climate. Much of this habitat, however, has been converted to agriculture, with native poplars planted as windbreaks along the edges of fields.

Special Features

This region is far enough from the ocean to be completely cut off from the effects of the Asian monsoon, and mountains block storms from the north, giving the Tarim Basin the least precipitation of any place in China. Precipitation, mostly in the form of snow, increases dramatically on mountain slopes. The runoff from this snow pack fills oases that historically supported deciduous forests but now provide water for irrigation and human settlement. Deciduous forests still occur in a few riparian areas.

	A camel can survive more than two weeks without drinking, but when water finally is available, it can drink up to 25 gallons in a few minutes to replenish its lost stores. The humps on the backs of camels don’t store water--instead, they store fat that provides energy when food isn’t available.

Wild Side

The Tarim River and its banks support a variety of wildlife that is very different from the surrounding desert. Forests of hutong poplar are widely distributed along the river. This hearty tree is resistant to drought, high winds, nutrient poor soils, and extreme temperatures. The Xinjiang ground jay is one of the birds that can be found in areas where poplar and tamarisk grow on stabilized dunes. Vaurie’s nightjar, however, has not been seen in the ecoregion since 1929. Waterfowl can be spotted in parts of the river that are far from human interference. The moist habitat of the Arjin Mountain Nature Reserve provides rich vegetation that is essential to the survival of many native species such as Tibetan gazelle, Tibetan antelope, Tibetan wild ass, wild yak, wolf, brown bear, snow leopard, pika, bactrian camel, and Himalayan marmot.

Cause for Concern

Many of the forests along the Tarim River have been cleared for agriculture, and much of the river’s water has been diverted for irrigation, causing lakes in the Tarim Basin to evaporate completely. This trend is likely to continue as people relocate to the area from crowded regions of eastern China. Human population growth along the river could magnify these and other threats in coming years. Tapping the vast petroleum reserves present in the basin could also have a highly adverse environmental impact on the region.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.