Lake Van, Turkey Photograph by Pedro Regato/ WWF MedPO   Asia: Iran, Turkey, and Armenia Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands   64,900 square miles (168,200 square kilometers) -- about the size of Washington Critical/Endangered

· Sustained by Salt
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Sustained by Salt

The two most striking features of this rugged, remote ecoregion are two large salt lakes. These lakes are ecologically important breeding grounds for birds. As a whole this ecoregion is important for the diversity and distribution of some fruit and nut trees.

Special Features

The rolling hills and mountains of this ecoregion, with elevations between 4,600 to 13,780 feet (1,400 to 4,200 m), cover parts of southeastern Turkey, Armenia, and northwestern Iran. The climate is dry and extreme, with very hot summers and especially cold winters. Mountain steppe predominates at altitudes between 7,217 and 8,858 feet (2,200 and 2,700 m). Higher points support thorn-cushion vegetation, primarily consisting of prickly-herb, moss, liverwort, and dwarf shrub species. Above this level is an alpine grassland zone, which gives way to bare rock at the highest elevations. This ecoregion has historically been a center of plant diversity for almonds, hawthorns, and pears, and the genetic diversity of the region acts much like a genetic storehouse. Someday it may prove to be very valuable for these commercially important plants.

	The argali is the largest of all mountain sheep species, standing 4 feet (1.2 m) high at the shoulders and weighing around 380 pounds (160 kg). The most striking features of this animal are the massive curling horns found on older males.

Wild Side

This ecoregion’s salty centerpieces are Lake Urmia in Iran and Lake Van in Turkey. Greater flamingoes breed in large numbers at Lake Urmia, and their numbers appear to be increasing slightly, with perhaps as many as 25,000 breeding pairs in recent years. Lake Urmia also harbors such globally threatened species as the lesser white-fronted goose, speckled teal, white-headed duck, great bustard, and white-tailed eagle. Because this mountainous ecoregion is so remote, some large mammals that are in danger elsewhere are relatively protected here. These include wolves, jackals, brown bears, leopards, wild goats, and wild boars. The ecoregion is also a haven for argali sheep, one of the ancestors of domestic sheep.

Cause for Concern

The remoteness and relatively harsh climate of the ecoregion protects it from large-scale development, and the landscape is generally unspoiled. Local people practice nomadic pastoralism, moving their flocks to higher alpine pastures during the summer. Thus, the main threats in the region are overgrazing and forest degradation, though these pressures are not too severe.

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