Satellite view of the desert in northwest Iraq Photograph by USGS   Western Asia: Northern Iraq into Syria and Jordan Deserts and Xeric Shrublands   81,500 square miles (211,000 square kilometers) -- about the size of Kansas Vulnerable

· Desert Wonders
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Desert Wonders

Visit the Mesopotamian Shrub Desert and you'll be cutting across the Fertile Crescent, the former "cradle of civilization" located in the Tigris and Euphrates River valleys. This ecoregion also encompasses what is known today as the Syrian Desert. The area is as fascinating from an ecological perspective as it is from a cultural one. It’s an important winter stopover for migrating Eurasian birds and a refuge for persecuted, sparse populations of wolves, hyenas, leopards, oryxes, gazelles, wild boars, and more.

Special Features

This ecoregion represents a transition zone between the vast deserts to the south and the steppes to the north. The climate is hot and dry. The topography of the ecoregion is relatively gentle, with no large mountains. Elevations of more than 1,970 feet (600 m) are found at the western edge of the ecoregion, but to the east and into the Tigris and Euphrates valleys, the elevation falls to less than 328 feet (100 m). At the eastern edge of the ecoregion are the Zagros foothills, a diverse rocky and gravelly area where umbrella-thorn acacia trees, shrubby rock-rose species, and woody, dwarf shrubs grow. Both humans and wildlife tend to congregate around the few wetland and river areas in the region. Reeds and rushes grow in the wetland areas, while aspen and tamarisk trees grow along river channels.

	Cheetahs were used in the 19th century by the Bedouin to hunt gazelles. Rather than capturing the cheetahs as kittens, the Bedouin preferred to capture them after their parents had taught them how to hunt.

Wild Side

The wetland, desert, and steppe habitats of this ecoregion are critical areas for migrating birds, both as rest stops on their migrations and as winter habitat. Among the birds that depend on the fresh water of the desert oases are speckled teals, lesser kestrels, and imperial eagles. Some resident desert birds, such as the Houbara bustard, take advantage of intermittent stream areas called wadis. Because the desert steppe is not heavily populated by humans, some large vertebrates have persisted there. These include predators such as wolves, Asiatic jackals, striped hyenas, leopards, caracals, swamp cats, and large prey species such as Arabian oryxes, goitered gazelles, and wild boars. Other characteristic species of this ecoregion are the Euphrates jerboa (similar to a gerbil) and the desert monitor (a lizard).

Cause for Concern

Human impacts and threats are often concentrated in areas of permanent or semi-permanent water. These oases often endure high levels of human activity. Diversion of water for human consumption, agriculture, and livestock (sheep, goats, and camels) reduces the amount available for wildlife. Overgrazing, hunting, and overfishing are also problems in portions of the ecoregion.

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