The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Mongolia has formalized enhanced collaborations with the provincial governments of Umnugobi, Dornogobi, and Sukhbaatar through newly signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs). Collectively, these provinces encompass over 23% of Mongolia's territory, stretching from the arid Gobi Desert to the eastern grasslands.
These strengthened partnerships underscore the vital role of local governance and community engagement in preserving Mongolia's diverse ecosystems and migratory species.
WCS's renewed engagement in Sukhbaatar province, where the organization previously supported community conservation efforts a decade ago, marks a return to conservation action in the Eastern Steppe.
In Dornogobi, the focus continues to be supporting functional mobility of nomadic wildlife and initiating new community-led conservation initiatives to promote ecological connectivity.
Meanwhile, in Umnugobi, WCS is actively collaborating with over five herder groups on climate adaptation strategies and the protection of wildlife refuges.
“Local governments are central for sustainable conservation. These MoUs align WCS Mongolia Program Strategy 2030 and our support for locally led conservation,” shares Bolortsetseg Sanjaa, WCS Mongolia's Conservation Governance & Community Manager.
Sukhbaatar: Safeguarding the Eastern Steppe
WCS Mongolia Director Dr. Justine Shanti Alexander and Governor of Sukhbaatar Province M. Iderbat
In Sukhbaatar province, the newly signed MoU represents the first formal collaboration between WCS and the provincial government in 10 years. This region contains vital calving grounds and migration routes for Mongolian gazelles, goitered gazelles, and the expanding population of khulan moving eastward into their historical range.
Noting that the eastern steppe is a critical stronghold for wildlife, the Sukhbaatar Environmental Department emphasized prioritizing restoration of migration routes and protecting ungulate calving grounds.
Key activities under the partnership include initiating SMART ranger patrol monitoring outside protected areas in priority sites. The focus is on working with local governments to prevent threats such as illegal hunting and promote conservation awareness among communities living alongside wildlife.
Dornogobi: Addressing Infrastructure and Mining Pressures
Governor of Dornogobi Province O. Batjargal and WCS Mongolia Conservation Governance and Community Manager S. Bolortsetseg
In Dornogobi, where WCS has supported conservation for over 20 years, the renewal of its MoU responds to the province’s increasing ecological pressures. With infrastructure corridors and mining rapidly expanding across the landscape, the partnership will focus on mitigating habitat fragmentation, strengthening law enforcement, and ensuring ecological corridors remain connected for wildlife.
The Dornogobi Environmental Department noted that as one of the provinces most affected by mining and roads, the province is seeking to balance development with conservation.
Umnugobi: Enhancing Ecological Integrity and Creating Space for Wildlife
WCS Mongolia Director Dr. Justine Shanti Alexander and Governor of Umnugobi Province N. Enkhbat
In Umnugobi province, WCS is collaborating with five herder groups to protect a vital wildlife corridor between the Small Gobi A and Gurvansaikhan Strictly Protected Areas. This corridor is essential for maintaining ecological integrity by providing safe passage for species such as the snow leopard, goitered gazelle, and argali sheep. By partnering with local herders, WCS aims to create space for wildlife through sustainable land use practices and habitat restoration efforts.
In addition to community engagement, WCS is partnering with protected areas to enhance the effectiveness of these conservation areas. This collaboration focuses on improving habitat management and increasing monitoring efforts.
The Umnugobi Environmental Department highlighted the importance of protecting species such as the goitered gazelle, not only for biodiversity but for local cultural and ecological identity. With WCS’s scientific support, they will focus on improving wildlife monitoring to inform conservation action.
Enabling Landscape-level Conservation
Highilighted in blue are the three provinces of Umnugobi, Dornogobi and Sukhbaatar.
These MoUs represent a strategic scaling of landscape-level conservation in Mongolia. By unifying efforts across adjacent provinces, WCS alongside partners is helping build a more resilient network of protected areas, wildlife corridors, and community partnerships that reflect the ecological realities of highly mobile species in Mongolia’s open landscapes.
In a country where wildlife migrations can cover thousands of kilometers, and where threats such as habitat fragmentation, climate change, and illegal hunting cross administrative borders, coordinated action is critical.
“Partnerships are vital for conservation success. We’re thankful to provincial governments for prioritizing biodiversity conservation at the landscape level. Our collaboration enables us to better protect the ecological integrity of Mongolia’s fragile Gobi and steppe ecosystems,” reflects WCS Mongolia Country Director Dr. Justine Shanti Alexander.