This ecosystem is under threat by human activities, including the presence of the
Ulaanbaatar–Beijing Railway and its further development. The name of the railway
is deceptive, because it actually connects Russia with China, going through
Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar. In doing so, it bisects the country (Fig. 14.2),
Fig. 14.1 A herd of Mongolian gazelles moving along the Ulaanbaatar–Beijing Railway
Fig. 14.2 Existing and planned railways in Mongolia and the distributions of the Mongolian
gazelle, goitered gazelle, and Asiatic wild ass. Data of the wildlife distribution were downloaded
from the IUCN red list website (http://www.iucnredlist.org)
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