USAID/Mongolia :: Programs

The Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild lands through careful science, international conservation, education, and the management of the world’s largest system of urban wildlife parks. Together, these activities change individual attitudes toward nature and help people imagine wildlife and humans living in sustainable interaction on both a local and a global scale. WCS is committed to this work because we believe it essential to the integrity of life on Earth.

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USAID/Mongolia
P.O. Box 1021
Ulaanbaatar-13
MONGOLIA
Phone: 976-11-312390
Fax: 976-11-310440
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November 2008

Eastern Steppe Living Landscape Project - Sustaining Wildlife and Traditional Livelihoods in the Arid Grasslands of Mongolia

Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
www.wcs.org

Living Landscapes Program (LLP)

The WCS Eastern Steppe project staff spent much of November compiling and finalizing activity reports and meeting with experts and partner organizations. More details are provided below.

Eastern Steppe Conservation Planning and Reporting: The WCS Mongolia Remote Sensing/GIS analyst completed the report on the GIS training held in September for staff from the Protected Areas Authority and Land Agency offices. Much of November was also spent pre-processing SPOT imagery data for further conservation planning under the Eastern Steppe Living Landscapes Program. Information about the distribution and habitat locations of Asiatic grass frogs and some bird species was compiled for planning and review from species experts. This information will be used to improve conservation planning in the Eastern Steppe for these species. In December the WCS Mongolia Remote Sensing/GIS analyst will work to improve some species models for the Eastern Steppe’s landscape species suite, especially for the Asiatic grass frog and Taimen.

Eastern Steppe Community-based Conservation: A draft report of the Volunteer Ranger Training which took place in Sept. 2008 has been translated into Mongolian and is being distributed to herder communities in Dornod, Sukhbaatar and Khentii aimags. A WCS/USAID staff member and Eastern Mongolian Community Conservation Association manager are currently visiting these communities to review wildlife protection methods and conduct field patrols in herder community areas. This team will return on Nov. 6th. The field trip report from the July/August visits to 14 herder communities is currently being edited and is anticipated to be completed in early Nov. Several meetings were held in November with potential partners to discuss collaboration on pasture management training for herder communities, and how to improve the community partnership proposal approval process through local governments.

WCS Field Veterinary Program

Avian Influenza: Testing of samples collected during the 2008 field season continued during November. The first resighting of Bean Geese was informed from East Dongting Hu, China in November. The two Bean Geese that were resighted are P81, a female and P82, a male bird. Both were caught together on Sangiyn Dalai Nuur, Hovsgol aimag on 2 July 2008 (approx. N: 49.26023, E: 99.0688). Swan Geese collared in Mongolia have also been resighted in Poyang Lake, China. A whooper Swan, which was originally banded in Darkhad this past summer, was also recently sighted in China.

Mongolian Gazelle and Foot and Mouth Disease: In September 2008, 36 serum samples were collected from Mongolian gazelle during the capture and collaring efforts conducted as part of the research project on the movement and migration of Mongolian gazelle. In October the serum was submitted to the Institute of Veterinary Medicine in Ulaanbaatar and tested for evidence of exposure to the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) virus. All of the samples were negative for FMD wild type antibodies indicating that these animals had no recent exposure to the FMD virus. There are plans to prepare a health panel of 10 diseases this winter.