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Cause for concern across the Eurasian Continent
Palaearctic
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Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands
Central Anatolian steppe
This ecoregion contains two of the most endangered habitat types in the world: grasslands and wetlands. At one time, grasslands covered nearly half of the land area of the terrestrial world. But when people began to cultivate grasses as grain crops and started to domesticate grazing animals for meat and milk, our world's grasslands disappeared rapidly. The Central Anatolian Steppe ecoregion is no exception to this trend. As in many grasslands of the world, both agriculture and cattle ranching are widespread here. Many endangered carnivores that once roamed this region, including the Asiatic wild dog, Anatolian leopard, and European marbled polecat, have not been seen here in many years. In and around the region's wetlands, pristine mountain lakes and marshes are being destroyed by pollution and untreated sewage runoff from surrounding towns. Fertilizers and pesticides from surrounding farms and toxic chemicals from copper plants and bottling plants also make their way to the wetlands and cause harm to the native wildlife. Logging and road construction have destroyed valuable habitat in the mountains, and damming and irrigation practices threaten many of the valleys.
Palaearctic
•
Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands
Altai steppe and semi-desert
Because Kazakhstan is rich in minerals, mining and manufacturing are chief threats to this ecoregion's biodiversity. And so is agriculture--livestock grazing threatens the integrity of the grasslands. Furthermore, current social and economic difficulties have led to a sharp decrease in funding for nature conservation activities.
Northern portions of the region are relatively untouched, due to the lack of human population and resource extraction. But forest fires, mining, reindeer herding, and small-scale logging threaten those areas closer to population centers. Because clear-cut forests are rarely replanted, natural forest habitats are replaced by tundra landscapes.
This ecoregion's taiga landscapes have been relatively untouched by humans. Five national preserves have been established here. However, threats do exist, mainly from forest fires, logging, and mining.
Logging, mining, fossil fuel exploration, and unsustainable hunting are threatening this ecoregion. Old-growth forest is rapidly being depleted, and little of it is preserved in protected areas. Because the forests of this ecoregion absorb so much carbon dioxide, their loss would have worldwide significance in an era of global warming. Delicate ground-layer plants are threatened by increasing recreation and tourism.
One of this ecoregion's native species--Przewalski's horseis extinct in the wild. However, the species has been bred in zoos and private parks for the last 10 to 15 years. The horses are being reintroduced into Mongolia's Hustain Nuruu National Park, located in Mongolia.
The main threats to this ecoregion include clear-cutting of old-growth forests, pasturing, mining, air pollution from the chemical industry, recreation, and agriculture. However, threats differ in various parts of the ecoregion. For example, mountain tundra is significantly altered throughout the ecoregion, except in certain protected areas. Middle and southern-area taiga zones are also heavily altered by forestry and mining. But northern taiga landscapes are still relatively well preserved.
Northern taiga forests in this ecoregion remain relatively untouched. However, the southern taiga has been mostly clear-cut or burnt. Continued timber harvesting and man-made fires, as well as oil and gas drilling, hunting, and poaching are the main threats to this ecoregion's biodiversity.
Palearctic
•
Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands
Alai-Western Tian Shan steppe
A large percentage of Uzbekistan's population is concentrated in this ecoregion. As a result, the foothills have been transformed by intensive agricultural activity. Almost all areas suitable for field crops are plowed, and the grazing pressure on pastures is very high. Extractive industries have led to significant water and soil contamination, destruction of vegetative cover, and other negative impacts. Recently, the declining economy has caused many farmers to abandon their fields in the dry steppes and semi-deserts. This has allowed natural rehabilitation of some ecosystems to take place.
