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: PA1307) covers the middle elevations of a series of mountain ranges of western
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
and northeastern
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 ...
, reaching from the
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel a ...
in the south to the
Hindu Kush
The Hindu Kush is an mountain range in Central and South Asia to the west of the Himalayas. It stretches from central and western Afghanistan, Quote: "The Hindu Kush mountains run along the Afghan border with the North-West Frontier Provinc ...
Mountains and the
Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...
in the north. The characteristic vegetation is xeric (dry) woodlands of shrubs and herbaceous cover. The region has rich biodiversity but relatively few endemic species.
Location and description
In the south, the ecoregion rises from the coastal ranges into the
Makran
Makran ( fa, مكران), mentioned in some sources as Mecran and Mokrān, is the coastal region of Baluchistan. It is a semi-desert coastal strip in Balochistan, in Pakistan and Iran, along the coast of the Gulf of Oman. It extends westwards, f ...
Range and Kirthar Mountains. It proceeds north through the arid desert of Pakistan's
Balochistan Province
Balochistan (; bal, بلۏچستان; ) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southwestern region of the country, Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan by land area but is the least populated one. It shares land ...
along the western border of Pakistan, including the
Zarghun Ghar
Zarghun Ghar ( ps, زرغون غر, lit. "Green Mountain"), or Zarghoon Mountains, is a mountain range located in the east of the Quetta District, in Balochistan Province, western Pakistan. It contains the tallest mountain in the Balochistan r ...
Range,
Sulaiman Range
The Sulaiman Mountains, also known as Kōh-e Sulaymān ( Balochi/Urdu/ fa, ; "Mountains of Solomon") or Da Kasē Ghrūna ( ps, د كسې غرونه; "Mountains of Kasi"), are a north–south extension of the southern Hindu Kush mountain system i ...
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the northwestern region of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ...
Province. Eventually it reaches the base of the
Hindu Kush
The Hindu Kush is an mountain range in Central and South Asia to the west of the Himalayas. It stretches from central and western Afghanistan, Quote: "The Hindu Kush mountains run along the Afghan border with the North-West Frontier Provinc ...
and
Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...
. These mountain ranges are periodically cut by passes and valleys, including the
Bolan Pass
Bolān Pass ( ur, ) is a valley and a natural gateway, through the Toba Kakar range in Balochistan province of Pakistan, south of the Afghanistan border. The pass is an stretch of the Bolan river valley from Rindli in the south to Darwāza n ...
near
Quetta
Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه) is the tenth most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in south-west of the country close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is the capital of th ...
and the
Khyber Pass
The Khyber Pass (خیبر درہ) is a mountain pass in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, on the border with the Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan. It connects the town of Landi Kotal to the Valley of Peshawar at Jamrud by traversing ...
above the
Valley of Peshawar
The Valley of Peshawar ( ps, د لوی پېښور وادي; ur, وادئ پشاور), or Peshawar Basin, historically known as the Gandhara Valley, is a broad area situated in the central part of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The va ...
Northwestern thorn scrub forests
The Northwestern thorn scrub forests, presently known as Aravalli west thorn scrub forests, is a xeric shrubland ecoregion of Pakistan and Northern India, stretching along the border lowlands and hills between the two countries. Once covered in ...
. In the middle of the ecoregion, along the tops of the highest ridges are isolated patches of two wetter ecoregions – the
East Afghan montane conifer forests
The East Afghan montane conifer forests ecoregion ( WWF ID: PA0506) covers a series of unconnected conifer forests along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, at elevations of to above sea level. The ecoregion supports the near-threate ...
gypsum
Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and drywa ...
and are classified as pedocals (high in calcium carbonate and low in organic matter). In the north of the region the soils on the ridges are limestone, clay, gravel and stone.
Climate
The climate of the ecoregion is ''
Hot semi-arid
Hot or the acronym HOT may refer to:
Food and drink
*Pungency, in food, a spicy or hot quality
*Hot, a wine tasting descriptor
Places
*Hot district, a district of Chiang Mai province, Thailand
** Hot subdistrict, a sub-district of Hot Distric ...
'' ( Köppen climate classification(BSh)). This climate is characteristic of steppes, with hot summers and cool or mild winters, and minimal precipitation. The coldest month averages above . Precipitation averages 150 mm/year. Hot winds from the north occur in summer, raising dust storms in the south with velocities up to 110 mph.
Flora and fauna
67% of the territory is bare or sparse vegetation. 9% is shrubland, 8% is herbaceous vegetation, and 9% is cultivated cropland. Below 1,500 meters, the vegetation is steppe in character. From 1,500 to 2,000 meters is found montane open forest of Pistachio trees (''
Pistacia atlantica
''Pistacia atlantica'' is a species of pistachio tree known by the English common name Mt. Atlas mastic tree, Atlas pistachio, Atlantic pistacio, Atlantic terebinth, Cyprus turpentine tree, and Persian turpentine tree.
''P. atlantica'' has thr ...
''), Wild almond (of genus ''
Prunus
''Prunus'' is a genus of trees and shrubs, which includes (among many others) the fruits plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, and almonds.
Native to the North American temperate regions, the neotropics of South America, and the pale ...
''), and Barberry (''
Berberis
''Berberis'' (), commonly known as barberry, is a large genus of deciduous and evergreen shrubs from tall, found throughout temperate and subtropical regions of the world (apart from Australia). Species diversity is greatest in South America an ...
''). Lower brush includes Honeysuckle bush (of genus ''
Lonicera
Honeysuckles are arching shrubs or twining vines in the genus ''Lonicera'' () of the family Caprifoliaceae, native to northern latitudes in North America and Eurasia. Approximately 180 species of honeysuckle have been identified in both contin ...
''), Sage ('' Artemisia'' spp.), and Pashtun juniper (''
Juniperus seravschanica
''Juniperus seravschanica'' is a species of juniper. Common names include Pashtun juniper ( ps, اوبښته ''ōbəx̌ta'', " specieswhich sucks water"; Pashto: پښتني صنوبر).
It ranges from southernmost Kazakhstan through Kyrgyzstan, ...
''). At higher altitudes there is a transition zone of
sclerophyll
Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that is adapted to long periods of dryness and heat. The plants feature hard leaves, short internodes (the distance between leaves along the stem) and leaf orientation which is parallel or oblique to direct ...
trees (woody brush with hard leaves). At still higher elevations are the isolated alpine meadows of other ecoregions.
While the ecoregion does not support a large number of endemic species, it has a rich biodiversity due to the variety terrain, altitude, and landscape aspect. Over 300 species of bird have been recorded, the majority of which are migratory.
Protected areas
About 3.3% of the ecoregion is officially protected. These protected areas include:
*
Chinji National Park
Chinji National Park (shortened as Chinji), established in 1987, is a protected area of IUCN category II (national park) located on Sargodha road in Talagang Tehsil, Chakwal District, Punjab, Pakistan. It covers a total area of . Chinji Nationa ...
Kirthar National Park
The Kirthar National Park ( ur, ), Sindhi (کيرٿرنيشنل پارڪ) is situated in the Kirthar Mountains in Jamshoro District in Sindh, Pakistan. The park was established in 1974, and encompasses over - making it the third largest natio ...
*
Margalla Hills National Park
Margalla Hills National Park ( ur, ) is a national park in Pakistan located in Islamabad Capital Territory, near its northern boundary with Haripur District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The park includes the Margalla Hills, which form the foothills of t ...
Sheikh Badin National Park View of Sheikh Budeen from Picnic Hill (1864) by Henry Brabazon Urmston
Sheikh Badin National Park (also spelled Sheikh Badddin National Park) is located near Darra Pezu in the Dera Ismail Khan and Lakki Marwat districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, P ...
Chumbi Surla Wildlife Sanctuary
Chumbi Surla Wildlife Sanctuary (shortened as Chumbi Surla) is a wildlife sanctuary covering an area of . It is located in Khushab District and Chakwal District, Punjab, Pakistan. It was established in 1978, for the purpose of conserving the thre ...