Hindu Kush alpine meadow
The Hindu Kush alpine meadow ecoregion covers a portion of the Hindu Kush Mountain Range in northern Afghanistan. Most of the terrain is between 3,000 and 4,000 meters in elevation. This portion of the Hindu Kush is very mountainous, with steep slopes. About half of the alpine meadow is bare rock or gravely soils with sparse vegetation. The remainder supports herbaceous cover of grasses and cushion plants. Human habitation is scarce and follows the river courses in the valleys.
Location and description
The ecoregion occurs in two high-altitude sections, bisected by the Paropamisus xeric woodlands ecoregion, which averages 2,000 meters lower in elevation. The highest elevation in the ecoregion is ; the lowest is. To the north, across the border in Tajikistan is the Gissaro-Alai open woodlands ecoregion on a western extension of the Tian Shan mountains. Much of the ground is bare rock or leptosol soil, although the soil is often of high fertility.Climate
The climate of the ecoregion is Humid continental climate - Warm, dry summer sub-type, with large seasonal temperature differentials and a warm summer (no month averaging over, and at least four months averaging over. The driest month between April and September has less than 1/3 the precipitation of the wettest month.Flora and fauna
The plants of the ecoregion have developed adaptations to the harsh, cold, and arid conditions. Because of the fertility of the soil where it exists, and the moisture from snow melt, there are extensive fields of alpine meadows. Cushion plants grow on rocky areas, achieving some protection against the cold by trapping heat against the ground.Over 200 species of vertebrates have been recorded in the ecoregion. Animals of conservation interest include the near threatened Argali, the vulnerable Asiatic black bear, the near-threatened Eurasian otter, the near threatened Markhor, the near threatened Mountain weasel, the vulnerable Common bent-winged bat, the vulnerable Snow leopard, the near threatened Striped hyena, and the endangered White-bellied musk deer.