Eastern Steppe Living Landscape Project Update
Wildlife Conservation Society

posted by Skip Waskin on Tuesday, December 13, 2005, 8:13PM

In November, WCS combined a series of site visits in the Eastern Steppe with efforts to open and staff its Ulaanbaatar office. The goals of the site visits were to engage with project partners and local stakeholders, solicit their reactions to work carried out in 2005, and introduce project plans for 2006. Updates on various conservation initiatives and infrastructure development plans were obtained.

PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT
Nomrog Bridge Plans Off: In the summer of 2005, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Mongolian MP Zorigt (Choibalsan) and a representative from Xinganmeng Prefecture, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, of the People’s Republic of China, which revived plans to build a bridge across the Nomrog River within the Nomrog Strictly Protected Area (SPA), in eastern Mongolia. If built, the bridge and associated road would require the de-gazetting of 2,400 hectares of Nomrog SPA. In November, Mr. Myagmasuren, governor of Sumber soum, reported that plans to build the bridge and associated road had been halted. MP Zorigt visited Sumber in October and announced that the central government did not support the Nomrog bridge initiative for economic reasons. As an alternative the Bayankhoshoo border point (west of Nomrog SPA and the buffer zone) in Khalkh gol bag, Sumber soum, was reopened.

Nomrog Strictly Protected Area (SPA) Access: WCS was denied permission to access Nomrog SPA in August 2005 by the State Border Defense Agency (SBDA) offices in Ulaanbaatar. In November this issue was raised in Choibalsan, Dornod aimag, with the chief of the protected area administration (PAA), Mr. Dashdorj. The PAA has also been denied access to Nomrog SPA for “security reasons”. Mr. Dashdorj reported that discussions were underway between the Ministry of Nature and Environment and the SBDA to allow access to Nomrog SPA but little progress has been made.

Buir Nuur Lake: Buir Nuur is the largest lake in the eastern steppe. It has been designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) and a Ramsar (internationally important wetland) site. Efforts, initiated by the Sumber soum governor and the local community, are currently underway to designate Buir Nuur a National Reserve with additional protection for the spawning areas in the lake. The governor and community have requested assistance from WCS in the management of this area. WCS will focus its community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) efforts in Buir Lake in 2006, with assistance from specialists in CBNRM.

FIELD RESEARCH
Gazelle Field Work: Data from the satellite collars place on four Mongolian gazelle captured to the east and west of the Mongolia-China railroad in October have been successfully downloaded. This collaborative effort between WCS, the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, and Dr. Ito Takehiko from the Arid Land Research Center in Tottori University, Japan, will improve our understanding of gazelle movements and habitat requirements in this yet unstudied region of the Eastern Steppe and will continue through 2006.

PetroChina (Daqing) Oilfield Company: The American SOCO oil exploration company pulled out of the eastern steppe in 2005 and was replaced by PetroChina (Daqing) Oilfield Company. WCS met with the new management of Daqing at their field camp in Dornod aimag in November. Current and planned oil drilling in the region overlaps significantly with Mongolian gazelle habitat, calving grounds and migration routes. Mr. Pei, Daqing site manager, voiced interest in receiving information from WCS on Mongolian gazelle and other conservation concerns in the region. WCS will continue to engage with this stakeholder to provide input that will inform infrastructure development and drilling plans so that impacts on wildlife population dynamics on the eastern steppe are minimized.

Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) Study: All of the Mongolian gazelle tissue and serum samples required for the WCS Field Veterinary Program study of the role of Mongolian gazelle in FMD epizootics on the Eastern Steppe were successfully collected in late November. The samples are being stored and prepared for transport to the Plum Island Foreign Animal Disease Laboratory in the United States.

COUNTRY PROGRAM OFFICE
WCS Office Opened: WCS moved into its new office space on the 3rd floor of the Enternom Bookstore Building, #2 Amar St., Sukhbaatar District, in November. The office provides much-needed working space, and will increase accessibility and facilitate the strengthening of partnerships with local and international members of the conservation community.

GIS/RS Specialist: WCS completed interviews for the full-time geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) analyst position posted in late October. A well qualified candidate has been selected. The hiring process will be completed in December and the candidate will begin work with the WCS-Mongolia program to develop, organize, and maintain a GIS for the eastern steppe and acquire and analyze remotely sensed data for application in conservation and research.

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION
ZSL Conference: In November, WCS participated in the Mongolian Mammal Biodiversity Databank Workshop organized by the Zoological Society of London and the National University of Mongolia. IUCN (World Conservation Union) criteria were used to assess the regional conservation status of Mongolian mammals. The Mongolian gazelle, classified globally as “vulnerable” was moved up to a classification of “endangered” regionally based on the rate of Mongolian gazelle population decline in Mongolia and the lack of initiatives to mitigate the threats that would change this trend.

Convention on Migratory Species COP7 Meeting: The Mongolian gazelle was included on the agenda of the 7th Conference of Parties of the Convention of Migratory Species meeting held in Nairobi, Kenya, in November. The WCS-USAID workshop on Mongolian gazelle held in Ulaanbaatar in 2004 contributed to the raising of awareness among the CMS community of the conservation status of this species. Mongolian gazelle biologist Dr. B. Llagvasuren from the Mongolian Academy of Sciences attended the meeting in Nairobi.

Eastern Steppe Living Landscape Project Update
Wildlife Conservation Society

posted by Skip Waskin on Friday, November 9, 2005, 8:07PM

In October, the Eastern Steppes Project moved forward with plans to hire a full-time GIS and remote sensing specialist and to establish a working office in Ulaanbaatar. Reaching full staffing levels and increasing its accessibility will facilitate the strengthening of partnerships with local and international members of the conservation community. The increased visibility will also improve the project’s effectiveness in translating the findings of field-based projects into national level policy that will sustain wildlife, preserve biodiversity, and improve the livelihoods of the people of the Eastern Steppe.

WCS Recruiting a GIS/RS Specialist. The successful candidate for the GIS/remote sensing specialist will develop, organize, and maintain a GIS for the Eastern Steppe, acquire and analyze remotely sensed data for application in conservation and research, model habitat quality and use of the steppe by wildlife, and model the distribution of human activity. Candidates will be interviewed in November, and the position is expected to be filled by December 1, 2005.

Gazelle Field Work. Four Mongolian white-tailed gazelle were successfully captured and fitted with satellite collars along the Mongolia-China railroad in October. This work was a collaborative effort among the WCS/Mongolia team, the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, and Dr. Ito Takehiko from the Arid Land Research Center in Tottori University, Japan. Data from satellite tracking of the gazelles will improve our understanding of gazelle movements and habitat requirements in this yet unstudied region of the Eastern Steppe.

International Collaboration. The gazelle satellite collaring project moves forward the work outlined by the international white-tailed gazelle working group established during the WCS-sponsored Gazelle Workshop held in 2004. The gazelle-based work on the Eastern Steppe also benefited in October from a visit by two biologists from the WCS North America Program, Dr. Joel and Kim Berger, who specialize in the study and conservation of long-range migratory species.

BBC “Great Plains” Documentary Update. The grasslands and gazelle migration of Mongolia’s Eastern Steppe will be featured as the lead segment of the BBC “One Planet” series featuring grasslands around the world, in a “Great Plains” documentary due to air in the summer of 2006. WCS helped the film crew gather footage of the region over the past three years. The final program will raise international awareness of this unique grassland ecosystem, and the Mongolian gazelle herds that represent the last great migration spectacle in Asia. In addition, Mongolia-based material from the documentary filming will be made available to WCS for use in educational material.

WCS Field Veterinary Program. Dr. Damien Joly from the WCS Field Veterinary Program was in Mongolia in October to initiate the Conservation Endowment Fund-sponsored small grant project, designed to examine the role of Mongolian gazelle in foot and mouth (FMD) epizootics on the Eastern Steppe. Dr. Joly was also able to meet with Mongolians in the veterinary and public health sectors who collaborated with WCS on the avian influenza investigation of migratory birds in Mongolia, and share findings from the field study conducted in August of 2005.

Eastern Steppe Living Landscape Project Update
Wildlife Conservation Society

SO1: PRIVATE SECTOR-LED ECONOMIC GROWTH
posted by Skip Waskin on Friday, October 21, 2005, 3:57 AM

The Eastern Steppe Project wrapped up its summer field season in September, and shifted focus to analyzing data collected during the summer and finalizing reports in preparation for next year’s activities.

Avian Influenza Update. The WCS FVP wrote up its investigation into the role of wild migratory birds in the epidemiology of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1), conducted in Mongolia in mid-August. The presence of H5N1 was confirmed in a sample collected from one dead whooper swan on Erhel Lake, Hovsgol Aimag, by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Poultry Research Laboratory in Athens, Georgia. This information has been shared with the international public health community.

Aerial Gazelle Survey Postponed. Plans to perform an aerial survey of the white-tailed gazelle population in the Eastern Steppe this fall have been postponed due to difficulties associated with permission to fly the survey plane. WCS will continue to pursue opportunities to reschedule the aerial survey. The information from the aerial survey will be used to validate and refine the population estimate generated by the long-distance driving transects performed this summer.

Nomrog Bridge Update. WCS has organized a series of informal meetings with representatives from WWF, UMENGO, the Governor of Sumber Soum, Dornod, and other concerned individuals in the scientific/conservation community to determine the facts behind renewed efforts to build a bridge in or near the Nomrog Strictly Protected Area (SPA) in the Eastern Steppe. Efforts to ensure transparency in the decision process associated with this important issue will continue to be pursued.
SANREM Proposal Submitted. A proposal for a long-term collaborative research and training program focused on the interface of livestock, wildlife, and human health was submitted to the Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (SANREM), Collaborative Research Support Program (CRSP) of USAID on September 30th by WCS and Michigan State University. The proposal was accompanied by letters of support from USAID/Mongolia and the U.S. Embassy in Mongolia.