干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

The Trans-Pecos region of western Texas and the Edwards Plateau of central Texas contain the highest density of rare plants and animals in the state. The Desert Scrub sub-region of the Trans-Pecos is most important for rare plants, whereas the Edwards Plateau has the highest density of rare animals. Other regions with a high density of rare species include the Blackland Prairie of east central Texas, the southeastern Gulf Coastal Prairies and Woods, and the South Texas Brush Country. The High Plains of northern Texas and sub-regions within and adjacent to the Grand Prairie of north central Texas (the Grand Prairie, the Eastern and Western Cross Timbers, and the Lampasas Cut Plain) have low densities of rare plants and animals. The eastern and southern portion of the Edwards Plateau is known as the Texas Hill Country, and this area appears most deserving of conservation attention from a regional perspective, since it contains few public lands and is important for both plants and animals, Ashe juniper (Juniperus ashei) dominated forest and woodland cover types of the Hill Country region have more rare plant and animal occurrence records than associated grasslands or more open woodlands. The importance of this evergreen and mixed evergreen/deciduous habitat type to the conservation of rare species is especially significant considering that much of the published scientific literature on J. ashei has been focused on its removal as an undesirable woody plant.