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Mongolia Carnivore Project

The steppes of Mongolia harbour a unique and diverse community of carnivores. Among the species that range across the grassland and semi-desert steppes include the corsac fox (Vulpes corsac), red fox (V. vulpes), Pallas' cat (Otocolobus manul), Eurasian badger (Meles meles), and wolf (Canis lupus lupus). These species are thought to be vital to the health of steppe ecosystems, yet little is known of their local ecology or community-level interactions. Carnivores also face a myriad of threats in the steppes and receive little protection outside of 'Strictly Protected Areas'. In many regions, the current level of hunting of carnivores for fur, body parts, and live animals has become unsustainable, and may result in localised extinctions and severely altered environments if not dealt with swiftly. Our project aims to understand the fundamental community ecology of carnivores in grassland and semi-desert regions and the biological impacts of hunting on remaining populations. The results of our study will be used to implement one of the first conservation and monitoring programmes for carnivores in Mongolia.

Why is this project important?

This project is important from a theoretical perspective as it aims to understand how steppe carnivores coexist, compete, and interact at a community-level. Our findings will be among the first for carnivores living in grassland and semi-desert steppe environments. More importantly, however, the project will provide valuable information that can be applied to conservation immediately. The project will yield much needed data on the distribution and abundance of carnivores in steppe habitats, resources relied upon by carnivores, how populations respond to hunting, and the magnitude of over-hunting and poaching. Information gathered by the project will be implemented into action through a conservation programme in conjunction with our partner organisations including the Mongolian Academy of Sciences and Mongolian Conservation Cooperative. The programme will develop science-based management policies that benefit carnivores, curb the impacts of hunting and illegal poaching, and provide training and tools that will enable rural Mongolians to manage wildlife.

What are we doing?

Our research efforts focus mainly on corsac and red foxes, Pallas' cats, and Eurasian badgers in grassland and semi-desert steppe ecosystems. Our ecological research investigates how these species compete with one another for resources in the environment. The project involves extensive radio tracking to quantify patterns of habitat and space use and activity patterns in each species. In addition, we analyse carnivore faeces to evaluate competition for prey resources and survey small mammal populations each season to understand trophic-level dynamics. We are also evaluating the direct and indirect effects of hunting on each species. This work involves surveying the abundance of all carnivores inside and outside of protected areas and interviewing herders to determine harvest rates, the species most at risk, and socio-economic factors driving hunting pressure. Our conservation programme is also under development and will include workshops that train herders in wildlife censussing techniques, provide educational opportunities, and raise awareness. The programme seeks to develop wildlife management policies, strengthen hunting regulations, and bolster protection of the study area.


Pallas' cat (Otocolobus manul) in the Ikh Nartiin
Chuluun Nature Reserve

How is this project making a difference?

Deliverables

The project began in September 2004 and will continue on an on-going basis. Our work is already making a positive difference in the study region, which includes the Ikh Nartiin Chuluun Nature Reserve in Dornogov aimag (province), Mongolia. Since September, we have gathered some of the first information on the ranging behaviour and food habits of steppe carnivores, as well as the abundance and distribution of small mammal species. We have also fostered strong collaborative ties with local herders in the area and Mongolian universities, and assembled a multi-national team with expertise ranging from small mammal specialists to veterinarians.

Cascade effects

Our results will provide a baseline for monitoring population trends and hunting pressure in the reserve and other grassland and semi-desert steppe regions across Mongolia. The results will also be used to evaluate the conservation status of carnivores in Mongolia. This is particularly important for the corsac fox, the biology of which is little known, and Pallas' cat which is an IUCN Near Threatened and CITES Appendix II species. All results from the project will be reported in the scientific press and disseminated to involved parties and government agencies with the aim of promoting the conservation of Mongolian carnivores range-wide.

 

How can you help?

Our project is a cooperative effort involving the Mongolian Academy of Sciences and Mongolian Conservation Cooperative, Mongolian universities, and local herder communities. The Denver Zoological Foundation provides core financial support for the project. However, we are seeking £5,000 GBP in additional funding. The funding will be used to purchase equipment including radio telemetry receivers, a laptop computer for our field station, and a projector for our training courses and workshops. It will also help to develop an educational programme in Dornogov and allow other Mongolian students to participate in the research. If you are interested in supporting our work, please contribute using the online donation link below. Tax deductible donations to the project may also be sent to the Denver Zoological Foundation, Conservation Biology Department, 2900 East 23rd Avenue, Denver, Colorado 80205 USA.


Tserendorj Munkhzul of the project releases a corsac
fox (Vulpes corsac) in the grassland steppes of the Ikh
Nartiin Chuluun Nature Reserve.


YOU CAN HELP THIS PROJECT
Target to be raised
£5,000

You can find out about the budget for this project by contacting us. See our contact details.

If you are interested in finding out more about the science involved in this project, we would be happy to send you further information.

WildCRU is part of the University of Oxford, a tax- exempt charity. To maximise tax benefits to both donors and WildCRU, please see Donations.

Links:
James (Jed) D. Murdoch
james.murdoch@zoology.ox.ac.uk
Mongolia Carnivore Project web site

Principal funders
Denver Zoological Foundation
Trust for Mutual Understanding
Small Cat Conservation Alliance
Private donors.

Partners
Mongolian Academy of Sciences
Mongolian Conservation Cooperative.

Sponsorship
XPOS Performance Outerwear

Text by Jed Murdoch