Stepnoi Nature Sanctuary eagle ("Aquila heliaca"), demoiselle crane ("Grus virgo"), black-winged pratincole ("Glareola nordmanni"), little bustard ("Tetrax tetrax"), etc Stepnoi Nature Sanctuary Stepnoi State Nature Sanctuary (Russian: государственный природный заказник "Степной") (also Stepnoy Nature Reserve) is a protected area located in Liman district of Astrakhan Oblast, Russia. The sanctuary was declared in 2000 to ensure maintenance of unique natural complex of Stipa steppe providing habitat for saiga antelope ("Saiga tatarica tatarica") and a number of other endangered species of animals and plants. The sanctuary covers an area of 109.4 thousands of hectares. The monitoring program started in 2004 showed that the sanctuary is
Ascochyta tarda Ascochyta tarda Ascochyta tarda or Phoma tarda is a fungal plant pathogen that causes dieback and leafspot on coffee and was first observed in Ethiopia in 1954 (Stewart, 1957). It poses a potentially serious threat to coffee crops, but climate change may reduce the prevalence of environmental conditions favorable to its spread. Die-back is a condition in which a tree or shrub begins to die from the tip of its leaves or roots backwards, owing to disease or an unfavorable environment). Necrosis of both flowers and rosettes is also observed with this pathogen and this can significantly reduce crop yield.