Elburz Range forest steppe

The Elburz Range forest steppe ecoregion is an arid, mountainous 1000-kilometer arc south of the Caspian Sea, stretching across northern Iran from the Azerbaijan border to near the Turkmenistan border. It covers 63,300 square kilometers and encompasses the southern and eastern slopes of the Alborz Mountains as well as their summits. The Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests ecoregion, with its lush green mountainsides and plains that receive moisture from the Caspian Sea, forms this ecoregion's northern border. The vast Central Persian desert basins ecoregion forms its southern border.

etting

The Alborz range is composed of a granite core overlain with sedimentary rock including limestones, shales, sandstones, and [tuff|tuffs] . Metamorphic rocks such as schists, marbles, and amphibolite are also widely foundcite web|publisher=World Wildlife Fund|url=http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/pa/pa0507_full.html|title=Elburz Range forest steppe (PA0507)] . The climate is arid with annual precipitation varying from 150 mm to 500 mm, falling mostly as winter snow.

Elevations typically range from 2,000 to 4,000 meters, and the highest point in the Middle East, 5,610-meter Mount Damavand, is found here. Mount Damavand is also the tallest volcano in Asia and below its summit crater are found fumaroles and hot springs as well as glaciers.

Flora

Juniper ("Juniperus excelsa" subsp. polycarpos) is the most common tree in this ecoregion. It formerly covered south-facing slopes, but logging has greatly reduced its range to inaccessible areas and high elevations. Shrubs in the ecoregion are pistachio ("Pistacia atlantica"), cotoneaster ("Cotoneaster racemiflora"), maple ("Acer turcomanicum"), and almond ("Amygdalus" spp.). Wormwood is a common herbaceous plant.

Fauna

This ecoregion is home to several large mammal species. Brown bears ("Ursus arctos") wander the mountains and hillsides while solitary roe deer ("Capreolus capreolus") feed on grass and berries in and around forests. Groups of native wild boar ("Sus scrofa") forage at night and beech martens ("Martes foina") hunt smaller mammals and search for eggs and worms at dawn and dusk. Red deer ("Cervus elaphus") live in single sex groups most of the year, but rut in the fall, sometimes locking antlers. Canids in this ecoregion are wolf ("Canis lupus"), jackal ("Canis aureus"), and red fox ("Vulpes vulpes"). Felids are leopard ("Panthera pardus"), jungle cat ("Felis chaus"), and lynx ("Lynx lynx"). Goitered gazelle ("Gazella subgutturosa") walk the plains in the southeast. There are also large populations of the globally endangered argali ("Ovis ammon").

Notable birds in this ecoregion are honey buzzard ("Pernis apivorus"), goshawk ("Accipiter gentilis"), black vulture ("Aegypius monachus"), bimaculated lark ("Melanocorypha bimaculata") and Caspian snowcock ("Tetraogallus caspius"). Eagles here are the lesser spotted eagle ("Aquila pomarina") and the golden eagle ("Aquila chrysaetos"). The ecoregion is also a breeding area for the little bustard ("Tetrax tetrax") and black woodpecker ("Dryocopus martius").

Threats and protected areas

Logging and agriculture have reduced the range of the forests in this ecoregion, dams have disrupted river flows, and overgrazing has degraded habitat. Protected areas include

Golestan National Park and Ghorkhod Protected Area – 1,260 km²

References