Southwestern Arabian montane woodlands

TheSouthwestern Arabian montane woodlandsis axeric woodlandecoregionin the southwesternArabian Peninsula.
The ecoregion covers an area of 86,900 square kilometers (33,600 sq mi), lying above 2000 meters elevations in theSarawat Mountains, which include theAsir Mountainsof southwesternSaudi Arabiaand the Western Highlands ofYemen. These mountains run generally north and south, parallel to theRed Seacoast. To the west the mountains drop steeply towards the Red Sea in a series of escarpments, and descend more gradually to the desert plateaus and basins to the east. The mountains generally decrease in elevation towards the north. The highest peak isJabal An-Nabi Shu'aybin Yemen (3,666 meters), which is also the highest on the Arabian Peninsula.Other peaks includeJabal SawdaandJabal Ferwain Saudi Arabia, which are the country's highest.
Sana'a, Yemen's capital city, is in the ecoregion.
The flora changes with elevation. Evergreen woodland and scrub lies between 2000 and 2500 meters elevation, withOlea europaea subsp. cuspidataandTarchonanthus camphoratusthe predominant trees. Above 2500 meters elevation, cloud forests, composed of large shrubs and small trees, can be found on wetter north-facing slopes, mostly made up ofJuniperus proceraandEuryops arabicus, covered with thelichenUsnea articulata. On the drier south-facing slopes dwarf-shrub forests ofRubus petitianus,Rosa abyssinica,Alchemilla crytantha,Seneciospp.,Helichrysum abyssinicum,Aloe sabae,andEuphorbiassp. are common.
Below 2000 meters, the montane woodlands transition to the drier semi-evergreen open woodlands and thorn scrub of theSouthwestern Arabian foothills savannaecoregion.
TheArabian leopard(Panthera pardusssp.nimr) andArabian wolf(Canis lupusssp.arabs) are critically endangered. Other mammals include thehamadryas baboon(Papio hamadryas),caracal(Caracal caracalssp.schmitzi),rock hyrax(Procavia capensisssp.jayakari), andstriped hyena(Hyaena hyaena).
Several species of birds are endemic to the mountains of southwestern Arabia. They includePhilby's partridge(Alectoris philbyi),Asir magpie(Pica asirensis),Yemen warbler(Curruca buryi),Yemen thrush(Turdus menachensis),Arabian accentor(Prunella fagani),Arabian waxbill(Estrilda rufibarba),Yemen serin(Crithagra menachensis), andYemen linnet(Linaria yemenensis).Juniper berries are an important food source for the Yemen warbler, Yemen thrush, and Yemen linnet, and all three species nest in the juniper trees.Other native bird species with a wider range include theArabian woodpecker(Dendrocopos dorae),Arabian wheatear(Oenanthe lugentoides),Arabian serin(Crithagra rothschildi), andArabian golden-winged grosbeak(Rhynchostruthus percivali).
Raptors include thegriffon vulture(Gyps fulvus),bearded vulture(Gypaetus barbatus),Verreaux's eagle(Aquila verreauxii), andBarbary falcon(Falco peregrinus pelegrinoides).
Residents of the mountains have farmed the steep slopes for over 2000 years, creating terraced fields on the steep slopes. Wheat, barley, and sorghum are historically important crops.
Overharvesting trees for firewood and timber and intensive grazing by domestic and feral cattle, goats, sheep and camels have reduced and degraded the ecoregion's woodlands. Soil erosion from deforested slopes and abandoned terraces is also a threat.
The ecoregion's woodlands been greatly reduced in extent by human activity and livestock grazing. Many of the ecoregion's juniper forests are regenerating poorly. Possible causes include human disturbance, livestock grazing, climate change, and/or infestation of cones by aTortricid moth.
0.43% of the ecoregion is in protected areas.Protected areas include portions of Saudi Arabia'sAsir National ParkandRaydah Natural Reserve.