Northeast Badakhshan, Afghanistan Photograph by Jerry Hassinger   South Asia: Northeastern Afghanistan and northern Pakistan Montane Grasslands and Shrublands   10,900 square miles (28,300 square kilometers) -- about the size of Maryland Vulnerable

· The High Life
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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The High Life

High in the Hindu Kush mountain range of northeastern Afghanistan and northern Pakistan are alpine meadows and birch forests teeming with life. Despite the cold temperatures, great quantities of snow, and high elevation, life thrives here. In the region’s meadows and forests roam bears, leopards, ibex, and snow cocks. Unfortunately, a highway through the mountain passes could threaten the biodiversity of this ecoregion.

Special Features

This ecoregion sits in some of the highest and most spectacular mountains in the world. It lies below mountain glaciers where snowmelt creates favorable conditions for plants, many of which are endemic. Most of the ecoregion lies between 9,800 and 13,100 feet (3,000 and 4,000 m), and most of the precipitation here falls in the form of snow. The fertile soils of the region support alpine meadows, sub-alpine scrub forests, and birch forests.

	This ecoregion supports the largest number of snow leopards in the world.

Wild Side

A wide variety of mammals roam the mountains, meadows, and forests of this ecoregion. Adapted to the harsh weather of the mountains, Marco Polo sheep inhabit high mountain plateaus. Himalayan ibex are hunted by snow leopards, while red foxes are hunted by people for their pelts. Brown bears share the region with long-tailed marmots and the Chinese birch mice, whose sharp molars are adapted to cracking hard seeds. In addition, the region is home to a wide diversity of birds, including Himalayan snow cocks, blue whistling thrushes, and rock partridges.

Cause for Concern

The human population is sparse in this ecoregion, which means the region has remained largely intact. But the Karakoram Highway project threatens the survival of most species in the area. Throughout their range, snow leopards and foxes are killed for their fur and because they occasionally prey on domestic animals. There is also high competition for fodder with domestic animals, which creates food scarcities for wild ungulates such as Marco Polo sheep and Himalayan ibex.

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