Mongolian Journal of Biological Sciences 2004 Vol. 2(2): 47-49 [Short Communications] Recent Management and Conservation Initiatives for Mongolian , Mongolian Saiga , and Gobi Bear

Peter Zahler

Wildlife Conservation Society, P.O. Box 485, Post Office 38, Ulaanbaatar 211238, ; e-mail: [email protected] Introduction to inform management decisions, including population size, trends, breeding biology, migration, Three international workshops were recently and behavior. An expert-driven priority setting held on threatened wildlife in Mongolia. Each mapping exercise was held to identify historic and workshop developed a series of international best- present distribution of and locate areas practice recommendations for management and where more information is needed or conservation conservation of these species. This paper reports interventions are required. Presentations were also on the rationales, results and recommendations of given on international best practice in grassland these workshops. ecology, land use, modeling, and management to International Research Symposium/ determine how Mongolia (and its neighbors) might Management Workshop on Conservation and proceed with economic opportunities while ensuring Management of the Mongolian Gazelle sustainability of this unique steppe grassland On October 25-27, 2004, a three-day ecosystem. Four working groups developed “International Workshop on Conservation and recommendations on 1) development issues; 2) land Management of the Mongolian Gazelle” was held use issues; 3) protected areas; and 4) transboundary in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Mongolian gazelles opportunities with China and Russia, including the ( gutturosa) are the last great migratory potential of creating one or more transboundary herd of ungulates in Asia, rivaling the Serengeti gazelle peace parks and the agreement on a draft (Connochaetes taurinus) and Alaskan MoU between China, Russia, and Mongolia. caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in their size and Outputs were a set of recommendations that importance (Schaller 1998). They also form a together have formed a formal Mongolian Gazelle critical part of the economy of steppe herders, and Management and Action Plan. Further outputs may provide a commercial opportunity for Mongolia include specific recommendations to the Mongolian, if managed correctly (Zahler et al. 2004). Chinese and Russian governments on international Unfortunately, evidence suggests that Mongolian best-practice management of the gazelles; and a gazelles are decreasing in number from Memorandum of Understanding between Mongolia, unsustainable hunting – in Kazakhstan, saiga China, and Russia outlining specific actions the antelope were reduced from over a million three countries should take and methods of to below 40,000 in only ten years (Milner-Gulland collaboration to ensure the conservation of the last et al. 2001, pers. comm.), and there is the possibility of the great ungulate herds in Asia. that Mongolian gazelles may be facing a similar Conservation and Management of the decline. Mongolian The main goal of the workshop was to create On October 30, 2004, a workshop was held in recommendations that will ensure long-term Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on “Current Status, sustainable gazelle management. A total of 22 Problems, Conservation Needs, and Management international experts from the US, Japan, UK, of Mongolian Saiga.” The Mongolian saiga (Saiga Belgium, China, and Russia participated, along with tatarica mongolica) is a critically endangered Mongolian scientific colleagues. Talks were antelope and is an endemic subspecies to Mongolia. presented to an audience of roughly 140 people The saiga faces numerous threats that are causing consisting of government officials, resource a large-scale population decline (Milner-Gulland et managers, protected areas staff, NGOs, local al. 2001). Recent estimates suggest a drop from community members, and other relevant over 5,000 to less than 800 (an 85% decline) over stakeholders. Topics included recent and on-going the last five years, primarily caused by poaching, Mongolian gazelle research findings that are critical habitat loss due to livestock grazing, and 47 http://dx.doi.org/10.22353/mjbs.2004.02.16 P. Zahler environmental change (WWF 2004, pers. comm.). the Convention on International Trade in Poaching for the Chinese medicinal trade appears Endangered Species (CITES), to which Mongolia to be the most immediate threat. The present is a signatory country. A PVA analysis performed situation of the Mongolian Saiga is alarming and in 1998 suggested that the bears will very possibly requires intensive management and conservation go extinct in 15-20 years (Steinberg 1998). activities at all levels to avoid losing this important However, accurate data on numbers, breeding, and member of Mongolia’s natural heritage. other relevant factors are scarce or nonexistent, The main goal of the workshop was to produce and population estimates vary by a factor of at least recommendations to ensure the survival of the last 2, ranging from less than 20 to 40 or more (Balint population of Mongolian saiga, including and Steinberg 2003). The bears appear to face conservation and management activities and numerous threats, ranging from lack of food and cooperation at the local, national, and international water to inbreeding and fragmentation of the few levels. The one-day workshop brought together remaining breeding adults. The region where the representatives of Mongolian government and local bears are found is now a Strictly Protected Area area authorities, herders, rangers, biologists, and but is also used by local people and their livestock, also antelope experts from around the world. During and the bears may face numerous human-induced the workshop, discussions were held on the current threats ranging from overgrazing to lack of access status of saigas, problems and threats that saigas to water sources to habitat destruction from illegal face, what needs to be done to preserve the miners to direct persecution. Mongolian saiga, and ways to implement The lack of data about the Gobi bear and its conservation activities. Recommendations included potential threats, the critically low population and targeted anti-poaching efforts, better survey dismal forecasts for survival, the varied alternatives methodologies, radio and satellite collaring of saigas for conservation, and the social, political, and to determine movements and behavior, and economic ramifications of various initiatives prove improved winter feeding to avoid catastrophic that there is a critical need for international best declines from inclement weather. A Mongolian practice to inform conservation and management Saiga Antelope Action Plan is in development, decisions about the Gobi bear. The workshop and the Mongolian Government will also be convened experts in bear conservation and submitting a request to the Convention on management from around the world to analyze International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) existing knowledge about the Gobi bear and for listing of the Mongolian subspecies on determine how best to move forward to ensure its Appendix I. survival. Gobi Bear Management Workshop Outputs from this workshop were a set of An “International Gobi Bear Management recommendations for policy and actions that will Workshop” was held on November 2-3, 2004 in form the basis of a Gobi Bear Management Plan. Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The Gobi bear is one of Recommended actions included camera trap the most critically endangered large in monitoring and satellite collaring to determine the world. This small, pale bear is found only in the status, distribution, trends, movements, habitat use, Gobi desert region of southwestern Mongolia feeding ecology, and causes of mortality of (McCarthy 1999). It lives in one of the most hostile remaining bears; genetic analysis to determine regions on earth where temperatures can vary by taxonomic status for investigating potential future over 80ºC during a single year. With scant conservation actions (e.g., augmentation from vegetation, little food or cover, and virtually no neighboring populations, captive breeding) if other water, the Gobi bear has managed to eke out a interventions are not successful; working with local living in these barren hills in apparent isolation for communities and border guards to minimize thousands of years. disturbance; and improving supplemental feeding While there is still much disagreement over the stations to provide extra food to the bears in their taxonomic status of the Gobi bear, it is universally barren habitat at critical times of the year. At the agreed that the is severely threatened. It is same time, international participants agreed that listed as “very rare” in the Mongolian Red Book they will review and make recommendations on a (MNE 1997) and is included as an Appendix I draft version of the Great Gobi A Strictly Protected species (critically threatened with extinction) under Area Management Plan as part of the process to 48 Recent Management and Conservation Initiatives ensure that the best possible management structure Environment, and Development. Routledge is put in place for this globally critical protected Curzon, London, UK. area and its unusual and threatened wildlife. McCarthy T.M. 1999. Status and management of the Gobi bear in Mongolia. Pages 131-136 in: Acknowledgements Servheen C., Herrero S. & Peyton B. (Comps), Bears. Status survey and conservation action These workshops were funded by the plan. IUCN/SSC Bear and Polar Bear Mongolian Ministry of Nature and Environment, Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), WWF- Cambridge, UK. Mongolia, the United States Agency for Millner-Gulland E.J., Kholodova M.V., Bekenov International Development (USAID), the A.B., Bukreeva O.M., Grachev I.A., Amgalan Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), the L. & Lushchekina, A. A. 2001. Dramatic Institute of Biology of the Mongolian Academy of declines in saiga antelope populations. , Sciences, UNDP-GEF Great Gobi Project, UNDP- 35(4): 340-345. GEF Eastern Steppe Biodiversity Project, the MNE. 1997. Mongolian Red Book. Mongolian International Bear Association, and ALERTIS. Ministry for Nature and the Environment, Special thanks must go to Minister U. Barsbold, B. Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Lhagvasuren, A. Enkhbat, J. Chimeg, the 34 Schaller G. 1998. Mongolia’s golden horde. Wildlife international experts who provided their time and Conservation. 101(6): 36-41 expertise, and to the numerous Mongolian experts, Steinberg J. 1998. A population viability analysis government personnel, agency staff, park guards, of the Gobi brown bear. Paper presented in NGOs and local stakeholders who were critical in the graduate program in Sustainable each workshop’s success. Full reports on each Development and Conservation Biology, workshop will be available upon request in English University of Maryland. USA. or Mongolian from the WCS-Mongolia and WWF- WWF. 2004. Saiga Antelope. WWF Position Mongolia offices. Paper for the 13th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES, Bangkok, Thailand. References Zahler P., Olson K., Ganzorig K., Boldbaatar B., Schaller G.B., Grigg G., Pople T., Payne N., Balint P.J. & Steinberg J.A. 2003. Conservation Draisma M., Hopwood P. & Odonkhuu D. case study of the Gobi bear. Pp. 238-257 in: 2004. Management of Mongolian gazelles as a Badarch D., Zilinskas R.A. & Balint P.J., (eds). sustainable resource. 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