This mountainous ecoregion is situated entirely in the eastern half of Turkey. It hosts a remarkable floristic feature known as the Anatolian Diagonal whose origins are not completely understood. Many plant species in Turkey occur only to the east or only to the west of this line. This is one of the richest floristic areas of Anatolia. The upper catchments of three major rivers are here, and vulnerable wildlife species such as the otter and wild goat inhabit the rugged landscape along with bear, fox and wolves. Due to centuries of human settlement, however, much of the original forest cover has been eliminated and remaining areas of natural vegetation are threatened by dam construction, afforestation programs and overgrazing. The Munzur Valley National Park was created to protect the region� wildlife and scenic beauty, but additional protected areas are needed. This region is considered one of the most important areas of plant biodiversity in Turkey (Ekim & Güner 1986, Ekim 1987, Boulos et al. 1994). Approximately 3,200 vascular plant species are found here, 725 of which are endemic to Turkey; 82 species are endemic to the Anti Taurus Mountains and about 165 species are endemic to the Upper Euphrates region (Boulos et al. 1994). The Munzur and Anti Taurus Mountains, the Elbistan-Darende region, Kemaliye, Keşiş Mountain, Harput and Hazar Lake are all recognized as biodiversity centers.
This region is home to several species classified by the IUCN as vulnerable, such as the otter (Lutra lutra) and wild goat (Capra aegagrus) (IUCN 2001). Other important mammals live here, such as the lynx (Felis lynx), bear (Ursus arctos), wolf (Canis lupus), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), boar (Sus scrofa), and ibex (Capra ibex). Trout (Salmo trutta) swim in the Munzur and Mercan rivers. Birds include chukar (Alectoris chukar), partridge (Perdix perdix) and eagles (Aquila spp.)(WCMC-UNEP 1988).
