Fragmentation of the Habitat of Wild Ungulates by Anthropogenic Barriers in Mongolia

Habitat loss and habitat fragmentation caused by anthropogenic activities are the main factors that constrain long-distance movement of ungulates. Mongolian gazelles (Procapra gutturosa) and Asiatic wild asses (Equus hemionus) in Mongolia are facing habitat fragmentation and loss. To better understand how their movements respond to potential anthropogenic and natural barriers, we tracked 24 Mongolian gazelles and 12 wild asses near the Ulaanbaatar–Beijing Railroad and the fenced international border between Mongolia and China between 2002 and 2012. None of the tracked gazelles crossed the railroad, even though gazelles were captured on both sides of the tracks at the start of the study. Similarly, we did not observe cross-border movements between Mongolia and China for either species, even though some animals used areas adjacent to the border. The both species used close areas to the anthropogenic barriers more frequently during winter than summer. These results suggest strong impacts by the artificial barriers. The construction of new railroads and roads to permit mining and other resource development therefore creates the threat of further habitat fragmentation, because the planned routes will divide the remaining non-fragmented habitats of the ungulates into smaller pieces. To conserve long-distance movement of the ungulates in this area, it will be necessary to remove or mitigate the barrier effects of the existing and planned roads and railroads and to adopt a landscape-level approach to allow access by ungulates to wide ranges throughout their distribution.     

Biological assessment of Three Beauties of the Gobi National Conservation Park, Mongolia

Three Beauties of the Gobi National Conservation Park was established in south central Mongolia in 1994. We performed a biological assessment of the parks wildlife and other biological/ecological resources from 1995-to assist in conservation management initiatives. Ground and aerial surveys collected data on 130 vertebrate species, several of which are listed as threatened or endangered globally or in Mongolia. We analyzed group structures and estimated population sizes for goitred gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa), Mongolian gazelle (Procapra gutturosa), ibex (Capra sibirica), and argali (Ovis ammon). We report on 20 species previously not reported in the park, including 17 birds, 2 mammals, and 1 reptile. The park is rich in diversity and abundance of raptors, and we observed 29 species of raptors. Several vertebrates appear to be faring better in the park than in other regions of Mongolia or the world. Under a new protected areas law (1994), the Mongolian Protected Areas Bureau is required to establish management zones within the park. Data from this study should be used to facilitate this process.     

Change in the main components of the destruction link of biological cycle in the series of plain soils of the Great Lakes Depression in West Mongolia

The paper studies transformation of the main components of the destruction link of biological cycle in the catena series of soil in the Great Lakes Depression in West Mongolia. It shows that when the lakes dry the soil series experiences the changes in stores of biomass of soil microorganisms, number and species composition of oribatid mites.