Little Naryn River, Kyrgyzstan Photograph by Celestial Mountains Tour Company   Palaearctic Montane Grasslands and Shrublands   108,100 square miles (280,100 square kilometers) -- about the size of Nevada Vulnerable

· Meadows of the Celestial Mountains
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Meadows of the Celestial Mountains

If you were to travel to central China, you'd discover that most of the region is a desert. But stretching across this dry land are the Tian Shan, or "Celestial Mountains." Climb up these mountains and you'll be amazed to discover their varied and relatively moist habitats. You'll pass through a parklike landscape of meadows and spruce forests into extensive grasslands and up to high rocky slopes. The Tian Shan Montane Steppe and Meadows ecoregion is home to many rare species, including little bustards, goitered gazelles, and the elusive snow leopard.

Special Features

The Tian Shan Mountains extend for 1,553 miles (2,500 km) east to west across Central Asia. Despite the aridity that makes much of the lower elevations desert, these mountains support abundant vegetation because they are high enough to catch arctic moisture flowing into the region from the northwest. Annual precipitation is about 16 to 32 inches (400 to 800 mm) per year at the higher elevations and supports conifer forests and a variety of steppe and meadow communities. Heavy snowpack at the high elevations also creates numerous oases and rivers in the Tarim Basin.

	Argali are the world's largest species of wild sheep. They may measure 4 feet (1.3 m) high at the shoulders and weigh more than 300 pounds (140 kg).

Wild Side

More than 2,500 plant species grow on the Tian Shan Mountains, many of them grasses, sedges, and wildflowers. Asiatic wildcats and snow leopards stalk prey in the meadows and rocky areas. Hooved animals such as the Asiatic ibex, goitered gazelle, and argali sheep graze on grasses and are important prey for carnivores such as wolves. Brown bears roam through the region. Swans, little bustards, and houbara bustards are among the region's feathered residents.

Cause for Concern

Horses, sheep, and goats have overgrazed much of the higher elevations of this region, and cattle have heavily grazed the lower elevations. Hunting for meat, income, or, in the case of some carnivores, to protect livestock, has reduced some wildlife populations. Snow leopards, if they have remained in this area, are considered especially vulnerable to hunting pressure from the Kazakh herdsmen who graze the high elevations. Mining for coal, iron, lead, and zinc has also disturbed some parts of the region.

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