Syrian Desert

Category: Desert Biomes.

Geographic Location: Africa.

Summary: Traversing parts of four countries, the Syrian Desert is an ancient land where only a few very hardy plant and animal species survive—and they are threatened by development and climate change.

Also called the Syro-Arabian Desert, the Syrian Desert is a dry wasteland of steppe and true desert situated in southwestern Asia between the coast of the eastern Mediterranean Sea and the Orontes Valley of the Euphrates River. The Syrian Desert accounts for roughly one-third of the area of Syria. Covering a total area of some 193,000 square miles (more than 500,000 square kilometers), this desert also encompasses the Nafud Desert of northern Saudi Arabia, and parts of eastern Jordan, southeastern Syria, and western Iraq.

Most of the land, which receives less than 5 inches (13 centimeters) of rain annually on average, is covered with basalt from the lava flows deposited there by the Jabal al-Druze raised volcanic field in southern Syria. These lava flows isolated the Syrian Desert from the populated areas of the Levant and Mesopotamia for much of its recorded history; they are often a barrier to life getting a foothold here. The northern area of the desert is characterized by dry river channels, known as wadis, that encompass areas ranging from 93 to 186 square miles (150 to 300 square kilometers). Physical conditions in the Syrian Desert can be harsh, with temperatures frequently rising to more than 100 degrees F (38 degrees C) in the day, and becoming quite cool during autumn and winter nights.

Biodiversity

Drought-resistant plants such as the date palm and the wild olive can survive the harsh climate of the desert. In areas where there is some moisture, herbaceous and dwarf shrub sage brush (Artemisia herba-alba) communities tend to dominate in deeper, non-saline soils, and often occur in association with such grasses as Poa bulbosa where disturbed by grazing. Tamarisk, Euphrates poplar, and reeds are found along or near the Euphrates River.

Animals endemic (found nowhere else) to the Syrian Desert include several species of gazelle, oryx, jerboa, viper, and chameleon, as well as the Syrian hamster. Large mammals can be found in areas where human settlements are less dense. Predators such as wolves, Ruppell’s sand fox, caracals, and wildcats are occasionally encountered. Badgers (Melesmeles) can be found in more vegetated areas, and wild boar (Sus scrofa) can be found in reed thickets and semi-desert terrain. Loss of habitat has led to animals such as the striped hyena, honey badger, and jackal becoming extirpated in the Syrian Desert biome.

There is a remarkable variety of bird species found in this desert region, especially in the river valley habitats. Included are the houbara bustard, great bustard, and little bustard; the lesser kestrel; the regionally threatened Eurasian griffon vulture; and the lanner falcon. The Euphrates Valley is a major migration route for waterbirds, providing a narrow corridor between the wetlands of southern and central Turkey and the vast wetlands of Mesopotamia in central and southern Iraq. Greater flamingo, the pygmy cormorant, and marbled teal are known to breed here.

The valley is a very important migration route for terrestrial birds such as the turtle dove; the pin-tailed sandgrouse is common on the adjacent plains and visits the river in large numbers to drink. Also of note, the northern bald ibis was considered extinct in Syria for more than 70 years, but was rediscovered on a remote cliff of the Syrian desert in April 2002.

Human Impact

Within the steppes of the Syrian Desert, degradation and desertification have broadened, threatening endemic animal and plant life, and exacerbating the poverty of the people who live there. The southern section of the Syrian Desert is home to Bedouin nomads who are known for the Arabian horses they breed. In more prosperous times, the Bedouins served as guides for travelers and tourists, but now their way of life is threatened. Many have been forced, by economic and political factors, into permanent settlements where they live in black-goat tents and eke out a living selling trinkets to the few tourists who pass by.

The few animals that can be bred in the desert include camels, cattle, goats, and sheep hearty enough to survive the harsh climate. In ancient times, scattered oases were used as staging posts, but in modern times, a major highway runs from Damascus to Baghdad, and a modern railway system facilitates travel throughout the area. The largest oases are in highly populated areas of Damascus and Palmyra (Tadmor). During the gas shortage of the 1970s, concentrated efforts were made to find oil in the area. After those efforts proved successful, oil companies moved in and began laying pipelines that now criss-cross some northern stretches of the desert, destroying ecosystems and increasing possibilities of major oil spills. Other environmental problems include overgrazing, desertification, mining of phosphates, hunting of wildlife, and damage done by off-road vehicles.

Climate change has impacted this ecoregion, which includes both key urban centers, wide areas of grain farms, and rather large portions that are sparsely inhabited by humans. Recent years of drought across much of the Syrian Desert has been tied to global warming; it has certainly strained the lives of farmers in the region. Plants and wildlife are affected in some areas where the groundwater availability has dwindled, first due to irrigation schemes that diverted the scant flows away, and second due to the settling drought. The biota that has evolved to hug riverine habitats is also under stress, as higher temperatures and lower moisture has pushed their survivability traits to their limits. A 2015 study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggested that climate change was one of the primary causes of Syria’s decade-long civil war that began in 2011. According to the findings, drought conditions forced farmers to leave their fields and migrate to the cities. The added population density combined with unstable political and social conditions to spark the war, which was ongoing as of 2022.

Bibliography

Boland, Mary. “Bedouin’s Way of Life Dying among the Ruins of Palmyra.” Irish Times, October 18, 2010.

Moffet, Barbara. “New Hope for a Rare Bird in the Syrian Desert.” March 18, 2011. http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2011/03/18/northern‗bald‗ibis‗syria.

Talhouk, Salma N. and Maya Abboud. “Impact of Climate Change: Vulnerability and Adaptation—Ecosystems and Biodiversity.” In Arab Environment—Impact of Climate Change on the Arab Countries, edited by Mostafa K. Tolba and Najib W. Saab. Beirut, Lebanon: Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED), 2009.

United Nations Environment Programme. “Cross-Desert Rivers of Non-Desert Sources.” http://www.unep.org/geo/gdoutlook/047.asp.

Welch, Craig. “Climate Change Helped Spark Syrian War, Study Says.” National Geographic, 2 Mar. 2015, www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/150302-syria-war-climate-change-drought. Accessed 31 Aug. 2022.