Eastern Steppe Living Landscape Project—USAID

Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
www.wcs.org

During June, Eastern Steppe Project staff completed a training entitled “Wildlife Monitoring in Community-Managed Areas” in Dornod aimag.  In addition, the WCS Mongolia Remote Sensing/GIS specialist attended meetings to plan for the 3rd International Conference for Application of Geo-informatics, which will be held at the National University of Mongolia at the end of the month.

Living Landscapes Program (LLP)

Report Drafting:  In June, WCS Spatial Ecologist and Conservation Planner Dr. Karl Didier arrived in Mongolia to work with the WCS Remote Sensing/GIS specialist on finalizing landscape maps and preparing materials for the final LLP report, among other work related to other projects (see below).  This report is a required document for completion of the USAID LLP project and will summarize the outcomes of the Living Landscapes Project with suggested areas for conservation action.  The report will articulate a strategic direction for future conservation activities.

Community Based Conservation Training: The Eastern Steppe team carried out training entitled “Wildlife Monitoring in Community-Managed Areas” from May 31st – June 4th in northern Dornod.  A total of 21 participants (19 male, 2 female) attended, from four different agencies and organizations.  The goal was for volunteer rangers to develop skills for recording wildlife monitoring data in their community-managed areas.  Through this training volunteer rangers learned: (1) about the importance of wildlife and pertinent legislation regarding wildlife; (2) how to use equipment in the field for wildlife monitoring; and (3) methods for monitoring wildlife.  This training completes the suite of skills necessary for communities to monitor and protect wildlife in their community-managed areas. This information can be used for future management of resident wildlife populations in community areas, thereby conserving important biodiversity in Mongolia’s Eastern Steppe.

During this field work, WCS staff were also able to meet with local partners and discuss future initiatives.  The Eastern Mongolian Protected Areas Administration would like to partner with WCS on ranger training and protected area surveys in the future.  In addition, the director of Choibalsan’s Technological and Technical Collage is interested in partnering with WCS to develop ranger training curriculum and to train field veterinarians.

WCS TransLinks

The WCS Mongolia Remote Sensing/GIS specialist prepared for a visit from Dr. Karl Didier, WCS Spatial Ecologist and Conservation Planner.  They will visit sites in the Eastern Steppe that are under, or planned for, cropland development and meet with partners and agency representatives. This includes collection of information on the size of farms, crops being used, and farming practices.  These efforts are part of an ongoing three-year assessment of the sustainability of cropland development in Mongolia.  This project will assess the extent and potential impact of cropland development on biodiversity.  It will also provide an assessment of the sustainability of current practices and provide recommendation for development of best farming practices.

WCS Global Health Program

Avian Influenza Surveillance:  The WCS avian influenza (AI) surveillance team has been monitoring events closely since the return of H5N1 to Mongolia in May—the first time in three years. Last month, the team conducted surveys twice around lakes with the central aimags of Hovsgol, Bulgan and Arkhangai, including lakes where previous outbreaks had occurred.    Following the initial reports at Doit Nuur in Ogii Nuur soum, no further mortality has been recorded. On 13 June, however, we received information from Russian media sources that virologists in Tuva were investigating wild bird mortalities on Uuvs Nuur and suspected H5N1. WCS veterinarian Martin Gilbert subsequently spent four days surveying the Mongolian shores of the lake in coordination with aimag veterinarians and the local National Emergency Management (NEMA) office. The WCS-NEMA survey team located small numbers of dead birds around the lake shores (primarily Pallas and Black-headed Gulls, with a single Great Crested Grebe) and collected samples. One freshly dead Pallas Gull was sent to the State Central Veterinary Laboratory for testing, and results are pending. The AI team is preparing for the main sampling season, running from July-September, targeting swans and geese in Khovsgol, Bulgan and Arkhangai aimags.