Satellite view of the central Sulaiman Range on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan Photograph by USGS   Asia: Afghanistan and Pakistan Montane Grasslands and Shrublands   9,200 square miles (23,900 square kilometers) -- about the size of Vermont Relatively Stable/Intact

· The Transition Zone
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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The Transition Zone

Like a bridge from one land to another, this ecoregion represents an important transition zone. Here you can find plants and animals adapted to the Paleoarctic north, but you can also find biological features more common in tropical Indo-Malayan areas.

Special Features

Several mountain ranges, foothills, and valleys are included in this ecoregion. The Sulaiman Hills, for example, contain the only surviving patches of chilghosa pine forest in the world. The oldest woodlands of juniper tree are also found at higher peaks in southern parts of the ecoregion. In dry mountain areas, an alpine steppe forest dominates, where tree cover is sparse and concentrated in gullies. In more moist areas that are influenced by regular monsoons, western Himalayan evergreen forests, which resemble those of the Mediterranean region, are common.

	The markhor has been dubbed the "screw goat" because of its twisted horns. The name "markhor" comes from Persian or Pashto and probably means "snake horn."

Wild Side

In the northern parts of this ecoregion, mammals include Chiltan markhors (wild goats), Sind ibexes, Ladahk urials (a type of sheep), Marco Polo’s sheep, brown bears, Asiatic black bears, and leopards. Two species of foxes, striped hyenas, gray wolves, and Asiatic jackals are found to the south. The markhors, urials, Asiatic black bears, and Marco Polo’s sheep are all vulnerable or endangered. Small mammals and rodents, however, are common. More than 150 species of birds have also been seen in this ecoregion. Although none is strictly endemic, the white-cheeked tit and Kashmir nuthatch are fairly restricted to this ecoregion.

Cause for Concern

The higher reaches of this ecoregion are intact and safe for wildlife because human settlement is scarce. At lower elevations, however, threats such as deforestation, shifting cultivation, urban and industrial development, and introduced species are common. Hunting, habitat loss, and collecting for public animal shows have particularly threatened brown bears and leopards. But conservation initiatives have allowed the population of endangered Chiltan markhors to begin to recover.

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