The Kopet Dag woodlands and forest steppe

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...

(WWF ID: PA1008) coincides with the

Kopet Dag The Köpet Dag, Kopet Dagh, or Koppeh Dagh ( tk, Köpetdag; fa, کپه‌داغ), also known as the Turkmen-Khorasan Mountain Range, is a mountain range on the border between Turkmenistan and Iran that extends about along the border southeast o ...

mountains, straddling the southern border of

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the sout ...

and the northeastern border of

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. The region is one of high biodiversity, as it includes a full range of altitude zones (from semi-desert low hills at to rocky heights over ), and variety of habitats included juniper-wooded slopes, montane grasslands, and

tugay Tugay is a form of riparian forest or woodland associated with fluvial and floodplain areas in arid climates. These wetlands are subject to periodic inundation, and largely dependent on floods and groundwater rather than directly from rainfall ...

(riverine thickets).

Location and description

The region begins at the western foothills of the Kopet Dag, about 100 km east of the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia ...

. It stretches for 650 km from northwest to southeast, with the Turkmenistan-Iran border running mostly down the main central ridge, and ends at the border with

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. The region is only about 100 km wide. The Kopet Dag semi-desert ecoregion wraps around the western third of the ecoregion, the Central Asian southern desert ecoregions lies to the rest of the north, and the

Central Persian desert basins The Central Persian desert basins ecoregion (WWF ID: PA1313) covers the arid steppe and desert basins of central Iran, stretching into northwestern Afghanistan. The ecoregion extends over the Central Iranian Plateau, which is surrounded by mountai ...

ecoregion to the south.

Climate

The climate of the ecoregion is ''

Cold desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

'' (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

(BWk)). This climate features hot desert conditions in the summer, but cooler than hot deserts. Winters are cold and dry. At least one month averages below . Annual precipitation is typically 300 mm.

Flora and fauna

Because the region is surrounded on all sides by desert and semi-desert, the flora and fauna are relatively isolated, with many endemic species. Up to 18% of flowering plants may be endemic; one source notes 332 endemic plant species. A variety of springs and streams support lush grasslands. A characteristic woodland type in the region is the "shiblyak", featuring Turkmen maple ('' Acer tucomanicum''), a short 2-3 meter high tree adapted to the dry conditions and able to regenerate after fire or disturbance. Other plants tolerate of the low moisture (

xerophytes A xerophyte (from Greek ξηρός ''xeros'' 'dry' + φυτόν ''phuton'' 'plant') is a species of plant that has adaptations to survive in an environment with little liquid water, such as a desert such as the Sahara or places in the Alps or the ...

) include the Hawthorne (''

Crataegus ''Crataegus'' (), commonly called hawthorn, quickthorn, thornapple, Voss, E. G. 1985. ''Michigan Flora: A guide to the identification and occurrence of the native and naturalized seed-plants of the state. Part II: Dicots (Saururaceae–Cornacea ...

'') and Jerusalem thorn (''

Paliurus spina-christi ''Paliurus spina-christi'', commonly known as Jerusalem thorn, garland thorn, Christ's thorn, or crown of thorns, is a species of ''Paliurus'' native to the Mediterranean region and southwest and central Asia, from Morocco and Spain east to Iran ...

'').

Protections

Significant protected areas in the ecoregion include: *

Tandooreh National Park Tandooreh National Park () is a protected area located in the northeast of Iran, near the city of Dargaz and the Turkmenistan Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, border ...

, a section of deep valleys and steep, Juniper-wooded slopes, in the center of the Kopet Dag in

. * Ors Sistan protected area, best juniper woodland in the East of Iran *

Köpetdag Nature Reserve Köpetdag Nature Reserve is a nature reserve (''zapovednik'') of Turkmenistan. Established in 1976 for the protection of indigenous flora and fauna ( juniper, wild fruit trees, reptiles, birds, and mammals) it is located in the central part of th ...

, four separate areas in the central Kopet Dag on the Turkmenistan side. *

Sünt-Hasardag Nature Reserve Sünt-Hasardag Nature Reserve is a nature reserve (''zapovednik'') of Turkmenistan. Established in 1977 for the protection of indigenous flora and fauna, it is located in south-western part of the Kopetdag The Köpet Dag, Kopet Dagh, or Koppe ...

, on the western edge of the mountains.

References

{{reflist Ecoregions of Turkmenistan Palearctic ecoregions Ecoregions of Iran Montane grasslands and shrublands