Karakoram-West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe

Karakoram-West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe
Karakoram-West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe near Ladakh, India
Ecology
Biome	Montane grasslands and shrublands
Borders	Pamir alpine desert and tundra North Tibetan Plateau-Kunlun Mountains and alpine desert Central Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows Northwestern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows Paropamisus xeric woodlands
Bird species	172
Mammal species	45
Geography
Area	143,300 km2 (55,300 sq mi)
Countries	India, China, Afghanistan and Pakistan
Conservation
Habitat loss	1.4065%
Protected	18.28%

The Karakoram-West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion found in parts of Pakistan, China, Afghanistan, and India.

The Karakoram-West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe is an area of high-elevation grasslands covering 143,300 square kilometres (55,300 sq mi). It is centered on the Karakoram Range, west of the Himalaya Range. It also includes nearby ranges, such as the Ladakh Range.

The mean annual precipitation in the ecoregion varies from 200 to 900 millimetres (7.9 to 35.4 in), 90 percent in the form of snow.

Most of this ecoregion consists of grasslands and herbaceous plants. Protected slopes and ravines contains Salix denticulata, Mertensia tibetica, Potentilla desertorum, Juniperus polycarpus, Polygonum viviparum, Berberis pachyacantha, Rosa webbiana, and Spiraea lycoides. Where vegetation ceases to grow, around 4,500 metres (14,800 ft), are found Delphinium cashmerianum, Glechoma tibetica, Silene longicarpophora, Potentilla fruticosa, and Nepeta spp.

Shrublands and woodlands are found in valley bottoms. These include Hippophae rhamnoides, Myricaria elegans, Salix viminalis, Capparis spinosa, Tribulus terrestris, Pegamum harmala, Sophora alopecuroides, and Lycium ruthenicum. A few remnant steppe forests of Juniperus macropoda and Juniperus indica are still found here.