forming a barrier to the movements, including migrations, of several animals, and
particularly the Mongolian gazelle. Since 2002, we have been studying the impact
of the railway on the Mongolian gazelle by using satellite tracking methods to
follow individuals of this species. Our results show that the railway is a barrier to
migrations of the gazelle, contributing directly and indirectly to its mortality. Harsh
winters in Mongolia force the Mongolian gazelle and other ungulates to perform
long-distance movements to find food and the presence of the railway acts a barrier
preventing animals from accessing certain food sources.
Here, we report the results of our studies on the impact of the Ulaanbaatar–
Beijing Railway on the movements of the Mongolian gazelle and the spatial distribution of gazelle carcasses that results from the presence of this barrier.
Moreover, we assess the impact of further development of the railway network in
Mongolia and the need to implement mitigation measures if we want to preserve the
great migrations of ungulates across the Mongolian grasslands.
Environments of Mongolia’s Gobi-Steppe Ecosystem
Mongolia’s Gobi-Steppe Ecosystem is the world’s largest area of intact grassland
(827,000 km
2
), and it is much larger than other globally famous grasslands as
wildlife habitat, such as the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (108,000 km
2 ) in the
western United States and the Serengeti-Mara Ecosystem (25,000 km
2 ) in East
Africa (Batsaikhan et al. 2014). The Gobi-Steppe Ecosystem is a wide and intact
steppe and semi-desert ecosystem in northern China, Mongolia, and southern
Russia where great migrations of wild ungulates still occur. Nomadic pastoralism
has been the main lifestyle of the Mongolian people for several thousand years, and
the grassland ecosystem has been maintained in relatively good condition compared
to that in other regions thanks to low human and livestock densities, low grazing
pressure, and movements of people with their livestock between grazing sites to
take advantage of better grazing conditions in different seasons and years.
Mongolia has one of the smallest human populations in the world and, although
the population is growing, its density in the countryside outside of the capital city
was only 1.1 ind./km
2 in 2015 (National Statistical Office of Mongolia 2016),
mainly because half of the country’s population is concentrated in the capital city,
Ulaanbaatar. The number of livestock, especially goats, has increased since the
capitalist system replaced the communist system in 1991, and grassland degradation
by overgrazing has been reported in some areas (e.g., Sasaki et al. 2008), although
relatively fine and continuous habitats for wildlife remain.
The Gobi-Steppe Ecosystem dominates most of Mongolia, except in mountainous
areas and in the northern forests, and is characterized by relatively flat topography.
Annual average precipitation in this area is less than about 350 mm, but its interannual
variation is large (Vandandorj et al. 2015; Yu et al. 2004), which is typical for
drylands. Because precipitation and snowfall increase and temperature decreases
from south to north (Morinaga et al. 2003; Nandintsetseg and Shinoda 2011), vegetation correspondingly changes from desert to drylands and forest steppe
14 Habitat Fragmentation by Railways as a Barrier to Great …
231
particularly the Mongolian gazelle. Since 2002, we have been studying the impact
of the railway on the Mongolian gazelle by using satellite tracking methods to
follow individuals of this species. Our results show that the railway is a barrier to
migrations of the gazelle, contributing directly and indirectly to its mortality. Harsh
winters in Mongolia force the Mongolian gazelle and other ungulates to perform
long-distance movements to find food and the presence of the railway acts a barrier
preventing animals from accessing certain food sources.
Here, we report the results of our studies on the impact of the Ulaanbaatar–
Beijing Railway on the movements of the Mongolian gazelle and the spatial distribution of gazelle carcasses that results from the presence of this barrier.
Moreover, we assess the impact of further development of the railway network in
Mongolia and the need to implement mitigation measures if we want to preserve the
great migrations of ungulates across the Mongolian grasslands.
Environments of Mongolia’s Gobi-Steppe Ecosystem
Mongolia’s Gobi-Steppe Ecosystem is the world’s largest area of intact grassland
(827,000 km
2
), and it is much larger than other globally famous grasslands as
wildlife habitat, such as the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (108,000 km
2 ) in the
western United States and the Serengeti-Mara Ecosystem (25,000 km
2 ) in East
Africa (Batsaikhan et al. 2014). The Gobi-Steppe Ecosystem is a wide and intact
steppe and semi-desert ecosystem in northern China, Mongolia, and southern
Russia where great migrations of wild ungulates still occur. Nomadic pastoralism
has been the main lifestyle of the Mongolian people for several thousand years, and
the grassland ecosystem has been maintained in relatively good condition compared
to that in other regions thanks to low human and livestock densities, low grazing
pressure, and movements of people with their livestock between grazing sites to
take advantage of better grazing conditions in different seasons and years.
Mongolia has one of the smallest human populations in the world and, although
the population is growing, its density in the countryside outside of the capital city
was only 1.1 ind./km
2 in 2015 (National Statistical Office of Mongolia 2016),
mainly because half of the country’s population is concentrated in the capital city,
Ulaanbaatar. The number of livestock, especially goats, has increased since the
capitalist system replaced the communist system in 1991, and grassland degradation
by overgrazing has been reported in some areas (e.g., Sasaki et al. 2008), although
relatively fine and continuous habitats for wildlife remain.
The Gobi-Steppe Ecosystem dominates most of Mongolia, except in mountainous
areas and in the northern forests, and is characterized by relatively flat topography.
Annual average precipitation in this area is less than about 350 mm, but its interannual
variation is large (Vandandorj et al. 2015; Yu et al. 2004), which is typical for
drylands. Because precipitation and snowfall increase and temperature decreases
from south to north (Morinaga et al. 2003; Nandintsetseg and Shinoda 2011), vegetation correspondingly changes from desert to drylands and forest steppe
14 Habitat Fragmentation by Railways as a Barrier to Great …
231