|
|
Together with the Central Asian Southern Desert, this ecoregion supports one of the highest levels of biological diversity of all the Eurasian deserts. Visit these dry lands, and you could be treated to the sight of sandpipers, sand grouse, monitor lizards, and rare wildcats!
This ecoregion contains four different types of desert, each distinguished by the type of soil it contains. Clay deserts contain many plants that have a brief burst of growth in the spring and complete their life cycles before being dried by the blistering summer sun. Solonchak deserts, which are concentrated in the west of the ecoregion, are inhabited by salt-tolerant plants and include barren salt lakes. Stony deserts are about half-covered with stones and include the large desert tableland of the Ustyurt Plateau, lying between the Caspian and Aral Seas and the Betpak Dala semi-desert to the west of Balkash. Sandy deserts are also found here, but they are more common to the south. Communities of shrubs and semi-shrubs, each adapted to a specific soil type, dominate the ecoregion.
Among the many species that inhabit these desert lands are ten species of small rodents called jerboas, including comb-toed jerboas and three-toed and five-toed dwarf jerboas. Both jerboas and gerbils play an important role here, especially in the clay deserts, by creating deep and numerous burrows that help plants grow. Jerboas feed on insects, seeds, and the bulbs of desert plants. They are in turn are eaten by predators such as owls, steppe ferrets, and foxes. Among the less abundant cats that prowl through the region are the caracal (sand lynx), Pallas cat, African wildcat, and the small sand cat. Yellow gophers inhabit the clay deserts. Larks, sandgrouse, and sandpipers are among the common birds. At one time, saiga and goitered gazelles were common here, but their populations have been drastically reduced. Other rare species include the honey badger, marbled polecat, kulan (wild ass), and hoboara bustard--one of the most endangered bird species in this region. The hoboara bustard migrates from Arabia through Iran and Pakistan to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan and is threatened by elite hunters who spend large amounts of money for the opportunity to hunt it.
The main threats to this region are conversion of habitat to farmland, especially irrigated cotton farms, as well as hunting, poaching, and overuse of woody plants for firewood and silk production. Some areas have been overgrazed by livestock, and these areas are increasing. Unregulated road construction threatens fragile desert ecosystems. And the Aral Sea has been drying up because its source water from the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers is diverted for agriculture. In addition, some forms of wildlife, particularly reptiles, are collected and exported to zoos or sold to private collectors. The capture of venomous snakes has dramatically reduced the numbers of rare species such as the cobra and sand echis, as well as many common species. One of the consequences of the current social and economic difficulties of the region has been a sharp decrease in funding of nature conservation activities. For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report. All text by World Wildlife Fund © 2001
|
More Photos
