WCS Mongolia https://mongolia.wcs.org RSS feeds for WCS Mongolia 60 https://mongolia.wcs.org/About-Us/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14654/Country-Reports-Predict-Project.aspx#Comments 0 https://mongolia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5560&ModuleID=10898&ArticleID=14654 https://mongolia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=14654&PortalID=110&TabID=5560 Country Reports-Predict Project https://mongolia.wcs.org/About-Us/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14654/Country-Reports-Predict-Project.aspx In Mongolia, the PREDICT project focused on improving the national capacity for wild bird surveillance and early detection of avian influenza in order to help address threats to domestic animals and human health. Wild birds are the evolutionary hosts for influenza viruses which cause a range of signs in people from mild illness to death. FAO estimates the global economic costs of losses in the livestock/poultry sector from highly pathogenic avian influenza since 2003 are in the billions of US dollars. Located geographically where three major migratory flyways (East Asian-Australasian, Central Asian, and West Asian-East African Flyway) overlap, Mongolia is key importance in understanding the role wild birds play in the maintenance and spread of influenza viruses including highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1. Within Asia, Mongolia is a particularly ideal location to study the dynamics of wild bird influenza virus because the country has very low densities of domestic poultry compared to neighboring countries, support large concentrations of waterfowl, and has important breeding, molting, and pre-migratory staging areas, thus the relative absence of poultry within the country provides a near unique opportunity to study the epidemiology of the virus in the absence of domestic influence.  btsolmon Thu, 30 Jul 2020 02:06:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:14654 https://mongolia.wcs.org/About-Us/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14316/After-65-years-a-Desert-Nomad-Crosses-a-Railroad-Track-and-Makes-History.aspx#Comments 0 https://mongolia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5560&ModuleID=10898&ArticleID=14316 https://mongolia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=14316&PortalID=110&TabID=5560 After 65 years, a Desert Nomad Crosses a Railroad Track and Makes History https://mongolia.wcs.org/About-Us/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/14316/After-65-years-a-Desert-Nomad-Crosses-a-Railroad-Track-and-Makes-History.aspx The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) released a photo today of a single Asiatic wild ass or khulan (Equus hemionus hemionus) crossing a previously impenetrable barrier along the Trans Mongolian Railroad – the first known crossing by this near-threatened species into the eastern steppe in 65 years. The crossing is part of the new Trans Mongolian Railroad ‘Wildlife Friendly’ Fence Corridor, a project that creates simple modifications to existing fence designs that run the length of the railroad. In this initial pilot phase, gaps at two locations now provide safe passage for khulan, with plans for more follow. The project was implemented by WCS, in partnership with the Ulaanbaatar Railroad Authority, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, and funded by Oyu Tolgoi LLC, the Secretariat for the Convention on Migratory Species, Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism, Ministry of Roads Transportation Development. The photo was taken some 750 kilometers from the capital city Ulaanbaatar by one of 85 remote cameras set up along the railroad by WCS conservationists. In addition to khulan, hundreds of herds of Mongolian gazelle and goitered gazelle have been documented using the crossings. Said WCS Mongolia Conservation Director Dr. Kirk Olson: “The documentation of the return of khulan to the eastern steppe is an event that should be heard around the world. A seven-decade old barrier dividing one of the remotest places on the planet is coming down and a starting point for reconnecting the Gobi-Steppe Ecosystem and revitalizing the spectacular wildlife migrations that dwarf the more celebrated Serengeti Ecosystem.” Since completion of the Trans-Mongolian Railroad in 1955, khulan have been blocked from accessing what was their former range in the eastern grasslands of Mongolia. Each year thousands of Mongolian gazelles are entangled in the corridor fencing and many more starve after being prevented from reaching quality pasture during their nomadic movements. Habitat fragmentation, resulting from the onslaught of the construction of highways, railroads, and pipelines around planet is one of the leading contributors to biodiversity loss. The Gobi-Steppe Ecosystem is one of the largest grazing ecosystems on the planet and is threatened with fragmentation due to the construction of new transportation corridors to facilitate international trade. The population of khulan in Mongolia is estimated at around 60,000 individuals and classified by the IUCN as 'Near threatened' with extinction. The population stronghold, centered in Mongolia's South Gobi Desert, had been steadily shrinking from habitat degradation and a growing tangle of development and population expansion across its former range. There are an estimated 1,000,000 Mongolian gazelles across nearly 850,000 square kilometers. ### btsolmon Thu, 11 Jun 2020 07:12:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:14316 https://mongolia.wcs.org/About-Us/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/13052/With-new-protections-saiga-antelope-may-continue-to-be-a-symbol-of-Central-Asia-commentary.aspx#Comments 0 https://mongolia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5560&ModuleID=10898&ArticleID=13052 https://mongolia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=13052&PortalID=110&TabID=5560 With new protections, saiga antelope may continue to be a symbol of Central Asia (commentary) https://mongolia.wcs.org/About-Us/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/13052/With-new-protections-saiga-antelope-may-continue-to-be-a-symbol-of-Central-Asia-commentary.aspx The saiga antelope has great cultural, historical, and ecological importance to Mongolia. So I was proud to be advisor to the Mongolian Government Delegation at the 18th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Geneva to ensure that the saiga received critically needed extra trade protections that will safeguard its survival for generations to come.Saiga antelope are classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN “Red List” of threatened species. Disease and poaching have taken their toll on this ancient animal. Saiga antelope historically ranged into Yukon and Alaska and co-existed with woolly mammoths during the Ice Age. Today, they roam the vast areas of Eurasia, including Mongolia, but they are facing significant threats to their survival.The majority of the 183 governments that are Parties to CITES gathered this week for their global meeting to regulate or prohibit commercial trade in threatened and endangered species. The Mongolian Government introduced a proposal to transfer the saiga antelope from CITES Appendix II to Appendix I. Appendix II allows sustainable and legal international trade; Appendix I prohibits all international commercial trade and thus provides strengthened protection.Mongolia has been a Party to CITES since 1996, and this was our first CITES proposal. We are a small and developing country, but we are rich in the precious biodiversity of Central Asia. Global saiga populations used to be widespread and numbered well over 1 million individuals in the 1970s. However, the species repeatedly experienced drastic declines, reaching an all-time low of 50,000 animals in the early 2000s. btsolmon Wed, 11 Sep 2019 04:21:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:13052 https://mongolia.wcs.org/About-Us/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/8146/International-Workshop-seeks-to-address-the-impact-of-linear-infrastructure-on-the-migratory-mammals-of-Mongolia.aspx#Comments 0 https://mongolia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5560&ModuleID=10898&ArticleID=8146 https://mongolia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=8146&PortalID=110&TabID=5560 International Workshop seeks to address the impact of linear infrastructure on the migratory mammals of Mongolia https://mongolia.wcs.org/About-Us/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/8146/International-Workshop-seeks-to-address-the-impact-of-linear-infrastructure-on-the-migratory-mammals-of-Mongolia.aspx Between August 24-28th, WCS provided technical assistance and support to ‘Implementing wildlife-friendly measures in infrastructure planning and design in Mongolia’, an international workshop, which was organized by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), German Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB), the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) secretariat, and the Mongolian Ministry of Environment, Green Development and Tourism.   Substantial strides have been made in this field since the 2003 International Meeting1 organized in Vilm, which produced a Declaration of Intent. WCS has followed the Vilm declaration closely and delivered on many of its action plans. WCS helped produce the new Railway standard, which was approved in June 2015, organized two national infrastructure and wildlife workshops, created a documentary on crossings, and established anti-poaching teams for wildlife monitoring research. The Mongolian Government, private companies, and conservation NGO-s have all come to recognize the importance of migratory corridors. Subsequently, the CMS Central Asian Mammals Initiative (CAMI) was launched internationally. However, on the ground results have yet to be seen among the migratory mammals in Mongolia, which face frequent barriers in their daily movement and require further actions and decisions to be made.   At this international workshop, the different parties convened with the goal of creating a declaration (possibly entitled the Ulaanbaatar declaration of intent) similar in structure to the successful Vilm declaration. Some of the major concerns have included making sure that the new standard is actually enforced, that productive agreements take place with the authorities of the existing Trans-Mongolian railway, that capacity building needs are all determined, and that measurable and concrete commitments are made for the upcoming years.   The workshop ended with a one-day excursion along the Trans-Mongolian railway south towards Choir city. Sightings of cranes, livestock, gazelle carcasses, and observations of the railway fence and underpass designs were interesting elements of this visit. The conference ended in a hopeful note, where government, non-government and corporate agencies all recognized that the cause of the workshop is something that is complex, time-sensitive, but critically important. WCS Mongolia is dedicated to making sure that all future linear infrastructure projects are permeable, and do not threaten wildlife populations. Mongolia is playing one of the leading roles in incorporating appropriate policies to ease wildlife movements, so it is crucial that this momentum is not slowed down.    1 “Minimize Conflicts between Migrating Wildlife and Mining in Central Asia” onon Sun, 06 Sep 2015 22:21:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:8146 https://mongolia.wcs.org/About-Us/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/6533/The-Second-National-workshop-on-Mitigating-the-impacts-of-linear-infrastructure-on-the-movement-of-wildlife.aspx#Comments 0 https://mongolia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5560&ModuleID=10898&ArticleID=6533 https://mongolia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=6533&PortalID=110&TabID=5560 The Second National workshop on Mitigating the impacts of linear infrastructure on the movement of wildlife https://mongolia.wcs.org/About-Us/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/6533/The-Second-National-workshop-on-Mitigating-the-impacts-of-linear-infrastructure-on-the-movement-of-wildlife.aspx This past Novemeber, WCS initiated and co-organized the second workshop on “Mitigating the impact of linear infrastructure on the movement of wildlife”. This workshop follows up on the first national workshop on “Road and railway crossings in Mongolia”, which took place in May 2013. The first national workshop shone the spotlight on this longstanding issue concerning linear infrastructure and its impact on wildlife movement, and was able to publically garner political will among key players and agencies to address this issue while it is still possible to mitigate potential impacts.   The workshop culminated in the creation of the Joint Ministerial Working Group to address this issue within the legal framework, and to oversee other supporting activities. In the second workshop, the joint efforts of WCS, the Ministry of Road and Infrastructure (MRT), the Ministry of Environment and Green Development (MEGD), WWF, and the Institute of Biology was able to congregate a meeting consisting of railway companies, environmental impact assessment companies, government agencies, and civil society.   One of the main goals of the workshop was to introduce the work outcomes of the Joint-Ministerial Working Group, these include: 1) the ‘General requirements for over and underpasses built to allow migratory ungulates’, a new standard, which is in the process of development, 2) the ongoing study to identify the most optimal fence removal points along the existing UB Railway line to allow wildlife to cross, and 3) existing international policies and technologies surrounding this issue. Additionally, the Ulaanbaatar Railway and the Mongolian Railway spoke about the environmental policies upheld in their respective companies. Speakers included B.Buuveibaatar (WCS), B.Lhagvasuren (Institute of Biology), Lee Jong Yeol (Samsung LLC), B.Zorigtsaikhan (Ulaanbaatar Railway), Yo.Onon (MEGD), D.Gerelnyam (MRT), D.Batbold (MEGD), and B.Byambajav (MRT). The workshop ended on a strong note. The government agencies and the railway companies came to a common understanding that the movement of wildlife in Mongolia needs to be accommodated if we want to maintain healthy populations of the affected species. Thus, the infrastructure companies promised their willingness to cooperate on these issues; while the ministries and other concerned organizations showed that they were committed to carrying out the necessary work to make uninhibited movement a real possibility. The new standard still needs to be ratified, and the fence removal project still needs to be implemented, but tangible progress has taken place to ensure that Mongolia’s infrastructure does not stop our wildlife from thriving. onon Fri, 26 Dec 2014 01:22:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:6533 https://mongolia.wcs.org/About-Us/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/2699/Crossing-Documentary-Opening.aspx#Comments 0 https://mongolia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5560&ModuleID=10898&ArticleID=2699 https://mongolia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=2699&PortalID=110&TabID=5560 Crossing Documentary Opening https://mongolia.wcs.org/About-Us/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/2699/Crossing-Documentary-Opening.aspx On World Environment Day (June 5th) of 2014, the Wildlife Conservation Society launched their newly released documentary titled 'Crossings'. This documentary introduces the challenges of promoting development that also respects conservation concerns. Mongolia has various migratory ungulates (namely the Mongolian gazelle, goitered gazelle, saiga antelope, and the khulan) that are being affected by existing railway and highway infrastructure. This documentary introduces both solutions (taken from international case studies), and the places where improvement can be made to legislation and standards related to rail lines in Mongolia. The documentary was met with praise and support from the audience, who were all in agreement that it is possible to make appropriate changes to legislation, and create new standards that mitigate the barrier effect of rail lines to the movement of the spectacular animals in Mongolia. In attendance were the Minister of Environment and Green Development (Mrs Oyun Sanjaasuren), and high-level officials from the Ministry of Road and Infrastructure. The documentary can be viewed here.  onon Mon, 27 Oct 2014 03:28:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:2699 https://mongolia.wcs.org/About-Us/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/2603/Wildlife-Movements-at-a-Crossroads-in-Mongolia.aspx#Comments 0 https://mongolia.wcs.org/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=5560&ModuleID=10898&ArticleID=2603 https://mongolia.wcs.org:443/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=2603&PortalID=110&TabID=5560 Wildlife Movements at a Crossroads in Mongolia https://mongolia.wcs.org/About-Us/News/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/2603/Wildlife-Movements-at-a-Crossroads-in-Mongolia.aspx Mongolia’s wildlife consists of nomadic species, which require vast expanses of land to thrive and survive. The varied and unpredictable distribution of food and water each year makes it necessary for certain animals to be highly mobile. However, mobility requires free open space, and is not possible if enough barriers exist along important corridors for movement.The movement of four nomadic ungulates is most vulnerable to infrastructure development such as railway and highway projects, although there are many other species, which will also be affected. These four ungulates are the khulan, Mongolian gazelle, goitered gazelle, and the saiga antelope. For these species, their habitats are expected to see massive transformation when planned railway lines are built across the country to support the export of mineral resources.Regulatory environmentBased on the precedent that has been set by the existing railway connecting Mongolia to its two neighbors, the railway line will create barriers to ungulates attempting to cross to the other side. The extent to which it will constrain wildlife movements will depend on the regulatory changes that may be made prior to the construction of the railway.Current standards require barbed wire fencing along the two sides of railway lines, while failing to require the construction of wildlife passages in the form of underpasses or overpasses. The fences, which were designed to restrict access to wildlife and livestock, have been fatal to hundreds of gazelles that have attempted to cross the railway.In June 2013, the Joint Ministerial Working Group consisting of the Ministry of Environment and Green Development and the Ministry of Road and Transportation was established with the aim of incorporating changes in the railway standard to allow wildlife more opportunities to cross the railway lines via under and overpasses, areas with no fencing, fencing with no barbed wire and various other methods.The standards that would need changes are MNS 6060: 2010 Requirements on Railway Strip Land and MNS 6229: 2010 General Technical Requirements to include sections on the right of wildlife to cross railway barriers, among others.Wildlife friendly under/over passes. Canada: on top(transwildalliance.org)                                             Germany: at the bottom (environment.fhwa.dot.gov) Threats of linear infrastructure As one can see from the map of the long-term railway plan,the country will be divided into at least 10 segments by the time all construction is complete. The existing Ulaanbaatar Railway alone has restricted the range of Khulan to the western part of Mongolia, and has extirpated the small population that had remained in eastern Mongolia.Fortunately for Mongolia, there are a lot of crossings technologies that are available worldwide, which our country can draw from. It is very normal for developed countries to have under and overpasses for different species along highways and railroads. In Denmark, for example, there are even crossings that allow rodents to safely cross railway lines. Required actionsIf all goes as planned, the ~1500 km railway project in Eastern Mongolia will begin in 2015. This leaves policymakers few months to make necessary amendments to railway regulations in a timely manner that willallow the railway company to plan appropriately spaced crossings along the railway line.The Wildlife Conservation Society in Mongolia, which has been working in Mongolia for over twenty years, is concerned about the threats to wildlife posed by infrastructure. WCS has organized a study tour to the US to learn from the best practices there, organized workshops, and carried out research in the movement patterns of ungulates. WCS will also be shortly debuting the documentary called ‘Crossing’ to the public.Substantial effort from scientists and organizations has already gone into the goal to mitigate the impact of railways on wildlife populations. For more information about this issue, please read the research of Tahekito Ito, Kirk Olson, Petra Kaczensky, Lhagvasuren Badamjav and many other important scientists in this field.It is critical that policy making happens soon to allow appropriate time for planning. Otherwise, it may be too late or too costly for change.   Mon, 04 Aug 2014 00:51:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:2603