Satellite view of the Altai steppe in eastern Kazakhstan Photograph by USGS   Western Asia: Eastern Kazahkstan Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands   32,000 square miles (82,900 square kilometers) -- about the size of Maine Vulnerable

· Cranes and Cormorants
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Cranes and Cormorants

Birds here in the Altai Steppe and Semi-Desert ecoregion are as varied as the seasons. From cranes to cormorants, this ecoregion’s species are adapted to life in the extremes. The dry mountains here endure long, severe winters and extremely hot summers.

Special Features

The central features of this ecoregion are the Rudny and South Altai, Kalba, and Saur-Tarbagatai mountain systems. Elevation ranges from 2,624 to 18,000 feet (800 to 4,500 m), with mountain ranges divided by deep hollows. This mountainous-steppe landscape is characterized by shrub and steppe feathergrass vegetation, along with dog rose, bird cherry, honeysuckle, hawthorn, willow, guilder rose, and currant shrubs. At a slightly higher elevation in the south, a forested area contains birch, ash, poplar, cedar, fir, and other species of trees.

	Glossy-black great cormorants fly low over short distances, often in single file. During long flights, however, they fly rapidly at considerable heights and in a V-formation. Then they are frequently mistaken for wild geese.

Wild Side

About 400 species of birds and about 60 species of mammals live in this animal-rich ecoregion. The mammals include bears, squirrels, ermines, gray marmots, weasels, chipmunks, sables, wolves, foxes, argali sheep, wild goats, snow leopards, wild boar, and elk. In the skies and throughout the wetlands of the ecoregion are birds such as black storks, herring gulls, common mergansers, widgeons, red-billed shelducks, demoiselle cranes, and great cormorants.

Cause for Concern

Because Kazakhstan is rich in minerals, mining and manufacturing are chief threats to this ecoregion’s biodiversity. And so is agriculture--livestock grazing threatens the integrity of the grasslands. Furthermore, current social and economic difficulties have led to a sharp decrease in funding for nature conservation activities.

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