Satellite view of the Sayan Intermontane steppe along the Yenisey River, Russia Photograph by USGS   Central Europe: Southern Russia Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands   13,100 square miles (33,900 square kilometers) -- about twice the size of Hawaii Vulnerable

· A Steppe Island
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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A Steppe Island

The Sayan Intermontane Steppe ecoregion is a broad expanse of grasslands and shrublands surrounded on all sides by a mountain forest. For this reason, it is sometimes referred to as a "steppe island." Cold winters, hot summer days, and low precipitation combine to create a landscape filled with hardy shrubs and grasses and inhabited by an interesting assortment of animals.

Special Features

This steppe ecoregion lies in a large depression in the land known as the Tuva Intermontane Depression. Winters are fiercely cold but snowfall is limited. And summers are surprisingly demanding, with very hot days often followed by night frosts. Those frosts limit vegetative growth. Still, a number of different grass communities can be found here, including small tuft steppe, large tuft steppe, meadow steppe, and desert steppe. In addition, the region is the site of a number of lakes.

	Gray herons have a varied diet that includes fish, mice, rats, and young waterbirds. They feed in the water, spearing their prey with their long beaks.

Wild Side

The Sayan Intermontane Steppe represents a transition zone, with species both from the Kazakh steppe zone to the west and Mongolia to the east. Many kinds of reptiles scuttle or slither across the ground, including sand lizards and Eurasian vipers. Some of the local rodents are long-tailed ground squirrels, striped hamsters, and Gobi jerboas. Among the region's more unusual bird species are yellow-billed choughs, Richard’s pipits, and Saker falcons. And around the region's lakes, tall gray herons gather in the company of great cormorants, whooper swans, and ruddy shelducks.

Cause for Concern

Some of this steppe ecoregion is in pristine condition, although most of the meadowed steppes are now used for agriculture. Nomadic herders travel with their grazing cows, camels, horses, deer, sheep, and goats throughout the region, presenting the risk of overgrazing. Other potential threats include expanded land cultivation, irrigation, invasion of exotic species, and mining--especially because there are currently no protected areas within the region.

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