Central Asian riparian woodlands

Central Asian riparian woodlands
Ili River, in Kazakhstan
Ecoregion territory (in purple)
Ecology
Realm	Palearctic
Biome	Deserts and xeric shrublands
Geography
Area	88,578 km2 (34,200 sq mi)
Country	Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan
Coordinates	43°N 59°E / 43°N 59°E / 43; 59

The Central Asian riparian woodlands ecoregion (WWF ID: PA1311) is spread out across the deserts and plains of central Asia between the Aral Sea and the mountains 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) to the east. The long narrow components of the ecoregion follow the large rivers fed by snowmelt, and provide critical habitat for migratory birds as they travel through the arid region. The vegetation is referred to as tugai, characterized by low tangles of trees and brush along the edges of the rivers and associated wetlands, and fed by groundwater instead of precipitation.^[1][2]