| Middle East steppe | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Ecoregion territory (in purple) | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Palearctic |
| Biome | temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands |
| Borders | |
| Geography | |
| Area | 132,589 km2 (51,193 sq mi) |
| Country | Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Turkey |
| Coordinates | 36°15′N 39°15′E / 36.25°N 39.25°E |
The Middle East steppe ecoregion (WWF ID: PA0812) stretches in an arc from southern Jordan across Syria and Iraq to the western border of Iran. The upper plains of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers dominate most of the ecoregion. The terrain is mostly open shrub steppe. The climate is arid (less than 250 mm of precipitation per year). Evidence is that this region was once more of a forest-steppe, but centuries of overgrazing and gathering firewood have reduced tree and grass cover to small areas and along the riverine corridors. Despite the degraded condition of the steppe environment, the ecoregion is important for water birds as the rivers and reservoirs provide habitat in the arid region.[1][2][3][4]
- ^ "Middle East steppe". World Wildlife Federation. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- ^ "Map of Ecoregions 2017". Resolve, using WWF data. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
- ^ "Middle East steppe". Digital Observatory for Protected Areas. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
- ^ "Middle East steppe". The Encyclopedia of Earth. Retrieved August 28, 2020.