Tian Shan Desert
The Tian Shan Desert is a unique ecosystem located in Central Asia, specifically within the southern range of the Eurasian steppe belt, adjacent to the Tian Shan Mountains. This area is renowned for its high diversity of flora and fauna, with over 2,000 plant species, many of which are endemic and found nowhere else. The desert's landscape features a mix of foothill plains and diverse habitats, influenced by varying precipitation levels and topography. Notable vegetation includes drought-resistant shrubs like Artemisia and remnants of ancient deciduous forests, which once flourished in the region.
The fauna of the Tian Shan Desert is equally diverse, hosting a range of vertebrate species from steppe, desert, and mountain environments, including rare ungulates and birds of prey. However, this rich ecosystem faces significant threats from human activities such as overgrazing, poaching, and resource extraction, particularly coal and oil. Climate change is also a concern, potentially leading to the expansion of arid areas. In recognition of its ecological importance, the Tian Shan Desert was designated as part of the Xinjiang Tianshan World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2013, highlighting the need for conservation and protection of this remarkable habitat.
On this Page
Tian Shan Desert
Category: Desert Biomes
Geographic Location: Asia.
Summary: This ecosystem contains a diverse flora—many rare, endangered, and endemic species—and represents a special mixture of species from steppe, desert, and mountain areas.
In the southern range of the Eurasian steppe belt, west of the Junggarian Basin, a special ecosystem can be found along the northern and northwestern slopes and foothills of the Tian Shan Mountains. This area, which features the Tian Shan Desert at its core, is situated in the vicinity of the lost cities of the Silk Road of ancient times and represents a high diversity of plant species and communities, many of them endemic to the area, that is, found nowhere else on Earth. The flora of the region is highly diverse, with more than 2,000 species. The fauna, too, is valuable, with many rare and endangered species. Overgrazing and hunting threaten this unique ecosystem, but the biggest danger is the exploitation of coal, oil, copper and iron deposits.
The Eurasian steppe-belt is a wide zone of the once endless grasslands stretching from the Carpathian Basin in central Europe to the Amur River Basin that flows to the Pacific Ocean. It appeared when the Eurasian Mountain System and the Himalaya Mountains emerged to form their rain shadow across the center of the Asian continent.
The steppe narrows at two points, dividing it into three major parts. The Tian Shan Desert and Mountains area extends in the east-west direction as much as 1,553 miles (2,500 kilometers) across central Asia. An extensive mountain system comprises part of the basin-and-range topography of northwestern China.
The western part of the Tian Shan breaks down into a complex series of ridges and lake basins that extend westward toward the steppes of central Asia, away from the steep and dry, basin-and-range topography of northwestern China. Thus, this area is exposed to moist Arctic air from western Siberia. Increased precipitation in the northern and northwestern part of the Tian Shan promotes vegetation at low elevations that is more moisture-friendly than in the southern and southeastern part of the range, where mountains rise from the deserts and semideserts of the Taklimakan and Junggar Basin.
Flora
Most of the area of the Tian Shan Desert ecosystem is covered by raised foothill plains and disjunct loess foothills. Because of somewhat increased precipitation and more erratic topography yielding more diverse habitats, the western foothills of the Tian Shan are richer in plant species than other parts of the range. The flora is varied, rich, and includes many endemics.
The lower areas of the foothill plains are occupied by low vegetation called savannoides. As the altitude increases, high grasses begin to dominate the plant communities. In low areas of the western Tian Shan region, colorful tall herbs are important members of the plant communities. The tall umbellates appear higher in loess foothills.
River basins support a shrub and meadow savanna with poplars and large sand dunes. Grasses along the Ili River in eastern Kazakhstan include feathergrass and fescue. Dominant shrubs are Artemisia species, a drought-tolerant type that is very similar to the sagebrush of the North American Great Basin. Lower foothills support semi-desert vegetation dominated by salt-tolerant shrubs such as tamarisks together with Artemisia steppe.
The higher valleys provide moist places sheltered from cold, dry winter winds but exposed to moist air from the west. Here the remains of ancient deciduous forest can be found, including Sievers’ apple, Ansu apricot, and maple tree species. These trees represent the remnants of broadleaf temperate forests that flourished in this area during the Tertiary, but were nearly extirpated during the Pleistocene glaciations of the past 2 million years. In this altitude, grass diversity is higher than in the eastern desert foothills of the Tian Shan range, and includes an endemic grass species; wild tulips, some of which are endemic; and desert candle.
Fauna
The diversity of vertebrates in the Tian Shan Desert biome includes representative species from the integrated steppe, desert, and mountain zones. This mixed fauna can be characterized with red fox, corsac, jackal, wolf, brown bear, ground squirrels, marmots, pikas, hamsters, voles, mole vole, gerbils, and jerboas.
The ecosystems of Tian Shan and arid steppes also include such rare ungulates as the Asian wild ass, or kulan; goitered gazelle; saiga antelope; Kizylkum wild sheep; Tian Shan argali; and Karatau wild sheep. The kulan has been recently introduced in this ecoregion to the Kapchagai preserve from Turkmenistan, where the only remaining wild population lives in the Badghyz Reserve.
Among the rare carnivores here are hyena, dhole (Asian wild dog), steppe and marbled polecat, and Pallas’s cat. The most spectacular large predator, the Turanian tiger, lived in this ecosystem in the 19th century, but was hunted to extinction about 100 years ago. Rare birds include saker falcon, Barbary falcon, short-toed eagle and steppe eagle, Egyptian and black vulture, white-headed duck, Jankowski’s bunting, and bustard. Notable reptiles include the chalcid skink, sunwatcher toadhead agama, Central Asian tortoise, gray monitor and the Central Asian cobra.
Conservation and Threats
There are numerous protected areas in this ecosystem. This mosaic of habitats which occupies the foothills is characterized by intensive agricultural activity. Almost all areas suitable for field crops are plowed, and the grazing pressure on pastures is very high. Cotton cultivation in the foothill territories is particularly intense.
Throughout the ecosystem, the diversity and density of ungulates, predators, and birds of prey have been seriously affected by poaching and improperly managed hunting tourism. Overgrazing, oil and mineral extraction, and poaching are the major threats to this ecosystem. Some climate scientists agree that the most arid areas of the Tian Shan Desert may be expanding as global warming effects increase. This could offset some of the efforts to preserve species in the grassland and shrub areas at the fringes, but the hilly habitats are thought likely to provide more stable environments for many species.
In 2013, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) included the Tian Shan Desert as part of the Xinjiang Tianshan World Heritage Site. In addition to the arid landscapes of the desert, the site also includes the snow-capped Tian Shan Mountains and the forests and meadows of their foothills. Inclusion on the World Heritage list earmarks an area or cultural monument for special protection. The area around the Tian Shan Desert and Mountains was under conservation management by the Chinese government for years before its UNESCO designation.
Bibliography
Bragina, T. M. and O. B. Pereladova. Biodiversity Conversation of Kazakhstan: Analysis of Recent Situation and Project Portfolio. Alma Ata, Kazakhstan: World Wildlife Fund, 1997.
Lioubimtseva, Elena. Climate Change in Arid Environments: Revisiting the Past to Understand the Future. Allendale, MI: Grand Valley State University, 2004.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration. “NASA Studies Life’s Limits in China’s Extreme Deserts.” www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/multimedia/images/2007/extremedesert.html.
“Xinjiang Tianshan.” United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 2022, whc.unesco.org/en/list/1414/. Accessed 30 Aug. 2022.