Wildlife of Mongolia

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Dunes in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park; the Gobi desert is the fifth largest desert in the world. Dunes in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park.jpg
Dunes in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park; the Gobi desert is the fifth largest desert in the world.
Bactrian camels in the sand dunes of Khongoryn Els, Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park, in Omnogovi Province. KhongorynElsCamels.jpg
Bactrian camels in the sand dunes of Khongoryn Els, Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park, in Ömnögovi Province.

The wildlife of Mongolia consists of flora, fauna and funga found in the harsh habitats dictated by the diverse climatic conditions found throughout the country. In the north, there are salty marshes and fresh-water sources. The centre has desert steppes. In the south, there are semi deserts as well as the hot Gobi desert in the south, the fifth-largest desert in the world. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

About 90% of the landlocked country is covered by deserts or pastures with extreme climatic conditions. Fauna in the wild includes 139 mammal species, 448 bird species (331 of which are migratory and 119 are resident), 76 fish species, 22 reptile species and 6 amphibian species. [2] [4] [5] Grassland and shrubland covers 55 percent of the country. In the steppe zone, forest covers only 6 percent while 36 percent is covered by desert vegetation, and only 1 percent is used for human habitation and agriculture. [4] The vegetation in the eastern steppe region is grassland (the largest of its type in the world). [6]

Geography

Topography

The country is bounded by Tibet, Afghan Turkestan, Siberia, and Northeast China. This has resulted in a faunal richness that combines the species from each of the border nations. [7] Habitat distribution consists of grassland, shrubland and forest covering 55 percent of the country, while forest cover is 98 percent in the steppe zone[ clarification needed ], 36 percent is covered by desert vegetation.

Water resources

Orkhon River Orchon-mongolei.JPG
Orkhon River
Panoramic view of Lake Khovsgol Panoramic view of Lake Khovsgol.jpg
Panoramic view of Lake Khövsgöl

The drainage pattern is dictated by Asia's continental divide. This separates areas that drain to the Arctic Ocean from those that drain northeast into the Pacific. The Khangai Mountains form another divide between areas that drain into the oceans and those that drain inland. In the western and southern zones, streams flow seasonally into salt water lakes without outlets. Rivers of the northern region are perennial, rising from the mountains. The two major river systems are the Orkhon River (Mongolia's longest inland river within the country, which joins the Selenge River) and the Selenge River (Selenga in Russian). Lakes in the country are mostly saline. The largest by volume is freshwater Lake Khövsgöl, a natural lake formed in a structural depression. [8] It is the second oldest lake in the world and accounts for 65 percent of the fresh water of Mongolia (2 percent of that in the world). [9]

Climate

The climatic conditions dictated by the oceans on one side and the snow-capped mountains (average peak elevation of 5,180 metres (16,990 ft) in high northern latitudes) on the other side, have a significant bearing on the wildlife distribution in the country. The climate patterns are: continental climate with very cold conditions (anticyclones are formed here over Siberia) and cool to hot summers in the deserts and semi deserts. Temperature records indicate a very wide variation between winter and summer, of the order of 80 °F (44 °C) on average in the northern part of the country, and even on a single day the variation can be as much as 55 °F (31 °C). In the Ulaanbaatar area the typical variation reported is −7 °F (−22 °C) in January and 63 °F (17 °C) in July while in the Gobi desert area, the average temperature reported for January is 5 °F (−15 °C) and 7 °F (−14 °C) in July. [8]

Precipitation

Rainfall and snow are also very uneven, dependent on elevation and latitude. Annual amounts range from low-lying desert areas of the south and west where it is less than 4 inches (100 mm) to northern mountainous areas, where it is reported as about 14 inches (360 mm), while at Ulaanbaatar the reported annual rainfall is 10 inches (250 mm). The number of days the sky remains clear and sunny is between 220 and 260 annually. Fierce blizzards occur in the mountain regions and the steppes. During this period a thin layer of snow totally stops grazing in these pastures. [8]

Commercial exploitation increased between the seventeenth and twentieth centuries, necessitating increased legislation. Two laws were enacted in 1995, the Mongolian Law on Environmental Protection and the Mongolian Law on Hunting. [10] The steppe habitat for Mongolian gazelle (Procapra gutturosa), an area of 275,000 square kilometres (106,000 sq mi), is reported to be the "largest remaining example of a temperate grassland ecosystem". [11]

Protected areas

View from the monastery at Gorkhi-Terelj National Park Gorkhi-Terelj National Park 57.JPG
View from the monastery at Gorkhi-Terelj National Park

Immediately after Mongolia attained independence in 1990, there was enthusiasm to declare 100 percent of the country as a national park. However, the goal was set at an achievable 30 percent. But due to economic conditions dictating development of mines, the achievement so far has been of the order of 13.8 percent covering an area of 215,200 square kilometres (83,100 sq mi) spread over 60 protected areas. There are four categories of protected areas, and these are: strictly protected areas (prohibiting hunting, logging and development with no human habitation as the defined areas are very fragile); the national parks, with their historical and educational interest providing for ecotourism in identified areas and with limited access to the local nomads for fishing and grazing; natural and historic monuments with restricted developmental activities; and nature reserves of less important regions providing protection to endangered and rare species of flora and fauna and archeological value with limited access for development within prescribed guidelines. [12] The strictly protected areas are Bogd Khan Uul Biosphere Reserve (established in 1966 covering 67,300 hectares (166,000 acres) including buffer and transition areas [13] ), Great Gobi Reserve (established as a reserve in 1975 and as a biosphere reserve in 1990 covering 985,000 hectares (2,430,000 acres) [14] ), Uvs Nuur Basin Reserve (established 1997 and covering 810,233.5 hectares (2,002,131 acres) [15] ), Dornod Mongol Biosphere Reserve (designated in 2005 and covering 8,429,072 hectares (20,828,690 acres) [16] ) and Khustain Nuuru Reserve (established in 2003 covering 50,600 hectares (125,000 acres)). They are all under the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme. [12]

Some of the other protected are: [17]

Strictly protected areas
Otgon Tenger Mountain in the strictly protected reserve Otgon tenger uul 2009.jpg
Otgon Tenger Mountain in the strictly protected reserve
National parks
PrezHorseHustai.jpg
Takhi Hustai.jpg
Left: herd of Przewalski horse or takhi in Hustai National Park; right: closeup
National reserves
National monuments

Flora

Saxaul (Haloxylon ammodendron) in Omnogovi Province, Haloxylon ammodendron.jpg
Saxaul ( Haloxylon ammodendron ) in Ömnögovi Province,

The flora in the wildlife area of Mongolia is of pasture lands in three-fourths of the country, which is the main source of feed for the large quantity of livestock. Forests and barren deserts cover the remaining area in the country. [18] There are four vegetation zones. Coniferous forest form the taiga region of the northern areas with alpine noted at higher zones. In the mountain forest-steppe zone vegetation is dense on the northern slopes; Siberian larches (grows up to 45 metres (148 ft) height [19] ), Siberian cedars, interspersed with spruces, pines (Siberian and Scotch pines), and firs along with deciduous vegetation of white and brown birches, aspens, and poplars are noted to dominate the area. The inter-montane basins, wide river valleys and the southern slopes of the mountains have steppe vegetation. Pastureland have a cover of feather grass, couch grass, wormwood, and several species fodder plants. In the semi desert and Gobi desert areas, the vegetation is scanty but just adequate for the camels, sheep and goat populations to survive. Saxaul is a xerophytic (drought-tolerant) species which provides firewood. Elms and poplars are also found near springs and underground water resources. [8] Saxaul shrubs dominate the deserts and they anchor the sand dunes and prevent erosion. It grows to height of 4 m, over a period of 100 years, with very dense wood that sinks in water. Rhododendrons bloom with red, yellow and white flowers and edelweiss is also reported. More than 200 plant species are reported to be under threat. [19]

Fauna

There are 139 mammal species found in Mongolia, and 448 species of birds. [2]

Mammals

A snow leopard (Uncia uncia) Uncia uncia.jpg
A snow leopard ( Uncia uncia )

Mongolia has a number of large mammals, including gray wolves and Siberian ibex (Capra sibirica), as well as more endangered species such as the wild Bactrian camel (Camelus ferus), the snow leopard (Uncia uncia), the Gobi bear, (rarest and unique to the desert region), the takhi (both wild and domestic types of horses) and the Asiatic wild ass (the largest numbers in the world are found in the Gobi desert). [2]

The saiga antelope, once a common species, has been reduced by pressures including hunting, livestock grazing, and high Chinese medicinal value, with the Mongolian subspecies reaching a critically endangered level, with fewer than 5,000 individuals left in the wild. [5] Przewalski's wild horse, in particular, had almost become extinct (not seen for more than three decades) and was therefore reintroduced from captive sources. Other species of mammals reported include: argali (Ovis ammon) (in the rocky mountains of the Gobi desert), common wolf, Mongolian saiga (Saiga tatarica mongolica), musk deer (Moschus moschiferus), Pallas's cat (Felis manul) or manul, black tailed gazelle (Gazelle subgutturosa), stone martin ( Martes foina ), and wild cats in the Altai ecoregion; wild boar (Sus scrofa nigipes), red deer (Cervus elaphus), roe deer in the forest areas and muskrat, red fox, steppe fox, and sable in the forest and steppe margin areas. [2] [20]

Under the World Wildlife Fund-Mongolia conservation programme (a four-year project), snow leopards, Altai argali sheep, saiga antelope and gazelle of eastern Mongolia are receiving special attention. [20] The Zoological Society of London has taken interest in conservation of the Bactrian camel, long-eared jerboa (Euchoreutes naso), Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) and saiga antelope. [21]

Birds

Royal Spoonbill mouth open.jpg
Great Egret Fish.jpg
Left: A spoonbill; right: a great white egret

The bird species in Mongolia include several that are very large. Six species of cranes present in Mongolia account for half the numbers in the world. [5] There are 22 endangered species of birds including hawks, falcons, buzzards, cranes and owls. Though cranes are not hunted for superstitious reasons, they are still threatened due to habitat degradation and only 5,000 breeding pairs are reported, mostly in Dornod's Mongol Daguur Biosphere Reserve. In eastern Mongolia, a critically endangered species of crane is the white naped crane (Tsen togoru). [22] Overall there are 469 species of birds, including domesticated species linked to wild ancestral species. Of these, 330 are migratory and 119 are seen throughout the year. [6] Species identified include: [20] golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), lammergeyer (Gypaetus barbatus), spoonbills (Platalea leucorodia), Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus), great white egrets (Egretta alba), whooper swans ( Cygnus cygnus ), great black-headed gulls (Larus ichthyaetus), black storks (Ciconia nigra), swan goose (Anser cygnoides) and Altai snowcock (Tetraogallus altaicus). [20]

Aquatic life

Yellow perch YellowPerch.jpg
Yellow perch

The rivers and lakes of Mongolia are reported to have 76 species of fish, including trout, grayling (khadran; Arctic grayling, Mongolian grayling, [23] ), roach, [24] : 213  lenok (zebge), Siberian sturgeon (khilem, pike [24] : 210  (tsurkhai), perch (algana), Altai osman (endemic to the rivers of Mongolia [23] ) and the taimen (a huge Siberian salmon relative, growing up to 1.5 m in length and 50 kg in weight). [22]

Threats and conservation

In a country where Russia was supporting the economy with grants until it became independent in 1990, the situation drastically changed after independence. The country's revenue then depended more from the wildlife resources and its landscape, which were subject to serious exploitation necessitating a policy change towards ecotourism to generate revenue to preserve the remaining biodiversity of the country. [25] Other than official action to raise resources of the state, other major threats faced are illegal hunting (for musk deer, elk, boars, squirrels and marmot for illegal trade), grazing of pasture livestock and related needs of water resources (due to large increase in livestock population since 1990), climate change, fires in steppe and forests (resulting in death of many animal species) and severe cold and drought. [26]

For conservation of the rich biodiversity of the country, the government of Mongolia has established national parks and nature reserves supplemented with laws on hunting regulations and other conservation measures, and also on hunting and fishing for sport and for commercial purposes. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Mongolia</span>

Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, located between China and Russia. The terrain is one of mountains and rolling plateaus, with a high degree of relief. The total land area of Mongolia is 1,564,116 square kilometres. Overall, the land slopes from the high Altai Mountains of the west and the north to plains and depressions in the east and the south. The Khüiten Peak in extreme western Mongolia on the Chinese border is the highest point. The lowest point is at 560 m (1,840 ft), is the Hoh Nuur or lake Huh. The country has an average elevation of 1,580 m (5,180 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Gobi desert steppe</span> Ecoregion in the Gobi desert

The Eastern Gobi desert steppe is a deserts and xeric shrublands ecoregion in Mongolia and northern China. It is the easternmost of the ecoregions that make up the larger Gobi Desert. It lies between the more humid Mongolian–Manchurian grassland on the north, east, and southeast, and the drier Alashan Plateau semi-desert to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ordos Desert</span> Desert in Inner Mongolia

The Ordos Desert is a desert/steppe region in Northwest China, administrated under the prefecture of Ordos City in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region. It extends over an area of approximately 90,650 km2 (35,000 sq mi), and comprises two sub-deserts: China's 7th-largest desert, the Kubuqi Desert, in the north; and China's 8th-largest desert, the Mu Us Desert, in the south. Wedged between the arable Hetao region to the north and the Loess Plateau to the south, the soil of the Ordos Desert is mostly a mixture of dry clay and sand, and as a result is poorly suited for agriculture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bayankhongor Province</span> Province (aimag) of Mongolia

The Bayankhongor Province or Bayanhongor Aimag is one of the 21 aimags (provinces) of Mongolia. It is located in the southwest of the country and, at 116,000 square kilometers, it is one of the largest aimags. The capital of the aimag shares the provincial name, Bayankhongor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zavkhan Province</span> Mongolian province

Zavkhan is one of the 21 aimags (provinces) of Mongolia, located in the west of the country, 1,104 km from Ulaanbaatar. Its capital is Uliastai. The aimag is named after the Zavkhan River, which forms the border between Zavkhan and Gobi-Altai aimag.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mongolian–Manchurian grassland</span> Ecoregion in East Asia

The Mongolian-Manchurian grassland, also known as the Mongolian-Manchurian steppe or Gobi-Manchurian steppe, in the temperate grassland biome, is an ecoregion in East Asia covering parts of Mongolia, the Chinese Autonomous region of Inner Mongolia, and Northeast China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of Niger</span>

The wildlife of Niger is composed of its flora and fauna. The wildlife protected areas in the country total about 8.5 million hectares, which is 6.6 percent of the land area of the country, a figure which is expected to eventually reach the 11‑percent target fixed by the IUCN with the addition of more areas under the reserve category. Conservation of wildlife is ensured by laws and regulations enacted by the Government of Niger, which has enforced a permanent ban on hunting so that animals such as lions, hippos and giraffes are safe in the wild.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uvs Lake Basin</span> Endorheic basin in Tuva, Russia and Mongolia

Uvs Lake Basin is an endorheic basin located on the territorial border of Mongolia and Tuva, a republic of the Russian Federation. The basin is part of the Central Asian Internal Drainage Basin and is named after Uvs Lake, a large saline lake situated in the western part of its drainage basin and is one of the last remnants of the mammoth steppes. Uvs Lake is a shallow lake with an area of 3,350 km2 (1,290 sq mi). Its entire basin, which includes several smaller lakes, is 70,000 km2 (27,000 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gobi Desert</span> Desert in East Asia

The Gobi Desert is a large, cold desert and grassland region in northern China and southern Mongolia and is the sixth largest desert in the world. The name of the desert comes from the Mongolian word Gobi, used to refer to all of the waterless regions in the Mongolian Plateau, while in Chinese Gobi is used to refer to rocky, semi-deserts such as the Gobi itself rather than sandy deserts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Asian northern desert</span>

The Central Asian northern desert is an ecoregion in the deserts and xeric shrublands biome, located in the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The annual precipitation ranges from 100 to 150 mm, the winters are cold at −10 to −15 °C and the summers hot at around 25 °C (77 °F). There are a range of habitat types including salt flats, clay desert, rocky desert and some sand desert. The vegetation consists of scanty xeric shrubs including Artemisia and Salsola. The fauna is varied, as well as mammals and birds, there are a large number of reptiles and many species of invertebrate. Some protected areas are included in this ecoregion but other parts are being degraded by conversion to farmland, overgrazing and poaching.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of Russia</span>

The wildlife of Russia inhabits terrain that extends across 12 time zones and from the tundra region in the far north to the Caucasus Mountains and prairies in the south, including temperate forests which cover 70% of the country's territory. Russia's forests comprise 22% of the forest in the world as well as 33% of all temperate forest in the world.

Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area is a nature reserve in Gobi desert, situated in the south-western part of Mongolia at the border with China. A similar reserve in a drier part of the Gobi exists further to the east - the Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area.

The Southern Siberian rainforest is an area of temperate rainforest in South Central Siberia that occurs primarily along the Altai and Sayan mountain ranges in Khakassia and Tuva as well as a small area in the Khamar-Daban Mountains near Lake Baikal in Buryatia. The forest encompasses a total area of approximately 6,000 square kilometres (2,300 sq mi). The larger portion of the forest in the Altai and Sayan Mountains runs across a latitude range that encompasses between 51.5 degrees to 56 degrees north latitude, and a longitude range running between 86 degrees to 95 degrees east longitude. The region overlaps with the Golden Mountains of Altai World Heritage Site. Ecological zones range from hemiboreal forest to a forest-steppe ecotone and include a wider variety of plant species than surrounding areas.

The Altai-Sayan region is an area of Inner Asia proximate to the Altai Mountains and the Sayan Mountains, near to where Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan come together. This region is one of the world centers of temperate plant diversity. Its biological, landscape, historical, cultural and religious diversity is unique. 3,726 species of vascular plants are registered in the region including 700 threatened or rare species, 317 of which are endemic; fauna consists of 680 species, 6% of which are endemic. Its ecosystem is comparatively unchanged since the last ice age, and it is the host of endangered species that include the saiga, nerpa, and snow leopard. It is the focus of ongoing international and regional environmental conservation initiatives.

The Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area is a nature reserve in the Gobi Desert, situated in the southwestern part of Mongolia at the border with China. A similar reserve in the Gobi exists farther to the west - the Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area. Both reserves form one unit, the Great Gobi Strictly Protected Area (SPA), which encompasses a total of 53,000 km2 (20,000 sq mi). Great Gobi A is one of the last refuges for critically endangered animals such as the wild Bactrian camel and the Gobi bear.

The Ikh Nartiin Chuluu Nature Reserve, commonly shortened to Ikh Nart Nature Reserve is a protected area in the East Gobi Province of Mongolia. It occupies part of two counties, Dalanjargalan and Airag. The nature reserve has an area of about 66,000 hectares and was established in 1996. It consists of rocky outcrops surrounded by dry grassland and semi-desert steppe and is one of the places in which the rare argali wild sheep can be found.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katon-Karagay National Park</span>

Katon-Karagay National Park is the largest national park in Kazakhstan, located on the eastern edge of the country, in the Southern Altai Mountains. The park fills the west side of the "X" where the borders of Kazakhstan, Russia, China, and Mongolia meet. The highest peak in Siberia, is on the Russian border in the Katun Range. The park is in Katonkaragay District of East Kazakhstan Region, 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) southeast of the capital city of Astana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gobi Lakes Valley desert steppe</span>

The Gobi Lakes Valley desert steppe ecoregion covers the narrow, flat valley in southwestern Mongolia that lies between the Khangai Mountains, and the Gobi-Altai Mountains. The region is known as the "Valley of the Lakes" because runoff from the mountains collect in lakes that have no outlet to the sea. Although the valley is a semi-arid desert steppe, it has areas of wetlands near the lakes that are important habit for water birds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ikh Bogd Uul National Park</span>

Ikh Bogd Uul National Park is centered on Ikh Bogd, the highest mountain in the Altai-Gobi Mountains, a southeastern spur range of the Altai. The middle and high elevations feature alpine meadows and montane steppe. The range, with semi-arid deserts to the north and south, supports rare species, such as the near-threatened argali and Pallas's cat.

References

  1. ↑ "What's the largest desert in the world? (Hint: It's not the Sahara)". ZME Science. 15 July 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Wild life". National Geographic Offroad Expeditions Wild life. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  3. ↑ Guek Cheng Pang (2010). Mongolia. Marshall Cavendish. pp. 58–. ISBN   978-0-7614-4849-5 . Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  4. 1 2 Michael Kohn (2008). Mongolia. Ediz. Inglese. Lonely Planet. pp. 49–. ISBN   978-1-74104-578-9 . Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 "Mongolia". Wildlife Conservation Society. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  6. 1 2 "Wild Life Issues in Mongolia". Iberia nature.com. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  7. 1 2 "Mongolia: Animal life". Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Mongolia: Drainage". Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  9. ↑ Kohn 2008, pp. 50–51.
  10. ↑ Badarch, Dėndėviĭn; Zilinskas, Raymond A.; Balint, Peter J. (2003). Mongolia Today: Science, Culture, Environment and Development. Psychology Press. pp. 41–. ISBN   978-0-7007-1598-5 . Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  11. ↑ Olson, Kirk A. (2008). Ecology and Conservation of Mongolian Gazelle (Procapra gutturosa Pallas 1777) in Mongolia. University of Massachusetts Amherst. ISBN   978-0-549-78947-5 . Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  12. 1 2 Kohn 2008, p. 52.
  13. ↑ "Bogd Khan Uul Biosphere Reserve". UNESCO. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  14. ↑ "Great Gobi Biosphere Reserve". UNESCO. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  15. ↑ "Uvs Nuur Basin, Russian Federation, Republic of Tuva and Mongolia". Encyclopaedia Earth Organization. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  16. ↑ "Dornod Mongol Biosphere Reserve". UNESCO. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  17. ↑ "The National Parks and Nature Reserves of Mongolia". Nationalparks-worldwide.info. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  18. ↑ "Mongolia". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  19. 1 2 Kohn 2008, p. 51.
  20. 1 2 3 4 "Wildlife in Mongolia:Species Conservation work with WWF Mongolia". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  21. ↑ "Mongolia". The Zoological Society of London. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  22. 1 2 Kohn 2008, p. 50.
  23. 1 2 Blunden, Jane (2008). Mongolia: The Bradt Travel Guide (2 ed.). p. 208. ISBN   9781841621784.
  24. 1 2 Petr, T., ed. (1999). Fish and fisheries at higher altitudes : Asia. Rome: FAO. ISBN   92-5-104309-4.
  25. ↑ Kohn 2008, p. 48.
  26. ↑ "Wild Life Issues in Mongolia" (PDF). WWF Mongolia Programme Office. Retrieved 2 May 2013.

Bibliography

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