Railway Development as a Threat to Wildlife
Mongolia’s Gobi-Steppe Ecosystem is facing the threats of new railway development (Batsaikhan et al. 2014). Large mining projects are being developed in
southern Mongolia, and there are plans to develop a railway network to transport
mining products and connect cities. In fact, construction has already started in some
regions. The new railways run through the central distribution ranges of the
Mongolian gazelle, the goitered gazelle, and the Asiatic wild ass (Fig. 14.2). If the
new railways have barrier effects similar to those of the existing railway, then the
ungulates’ habitat will be further fragmented into smaller areas. The railways also
cross the distribution ranges of the critically endangered wild Bactrian camel
(Camelus ferus), the reintroduced Przewalski’s horse (Equus ferus przewalskii), and
the saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica). Przewalski’s horse was once extinct in the wild,
but it is currently only ranked as an endangered species by the IUCN Red List
because its populations have successfully increased after its reintroduction (King
et al. 2016). However, future recovery of the distributions and population numbers
of these endangered ungulates may be threatened by the new railways.
Railways also attract human activities to their vicinities that have potential negative impacts on wildlife. Olson et al. (2011) reported that in eastern Mongolia, the
Mongolian gazelle density was lower in areas with households than in areas with no
households. One detrimental impact of an increased human population is the increase
in livestock. Mongolian gazelles have food habits similar to those of domestic sheep
and goats (Campos-Arceiz et al. 2004; Yoshihara et al. 2008), and the food habits of
the Asiatic wild ass are similar to those of the domestic horse (Taro Sugimoto,
personal communication). Thus, food competition between wild ungulates and
livestock would likely become more severe if the livestock density increases.
Hunting and poaching by humans may also decrease populations of wild ungulates.
Habitat fragmentation has caused regional extinctions of many animal species in
various regions of the world (see Chap. 4). Even if the ungulate populations in
Mongolia’s Gobi-Steppe Ecosystem persist in the smaller habitat fragments produced by railways, their great migrations might disappear in the future. These
spectacular migrations need both continuous vast areas and large animal populations. To maintain large wild ungulate populations in Mongolia, it is essential that
the accessibility to wide ranges is maintained, due to the high environmental
unpredictability in this region.
To maintain accessibility after the construction of new railways, it will be
necessary to construct suitable wildlife crossings at regular intervals. Sections
without fences in areas with low livestock densities will be also effective. In
addition, maintaining the ecosystem in good condition is also necessary, for
example, by avoiding land-use changes to farmland, human residential areas, or
road networks and by avoiding land degradation due to overgrazing by livestock.
Maintaining good conditions of the ecosystem across wide ranges will be effective
for the conservation of both wild ungulates and biodiversity in the ecosystem.
14 Habitat Fragmentation by Railways as a Barrier to Great …
243
Mongolia’s Gobi-Steppe Ecosystem is facing the threats of new railway development (Batsaikhan et al. 2014). Large mining projects are being developed in
southern Mongolia, and there are plans to develop a railway network to transport
mining products and connect cities. In fact, construction has already started in some
regions. The new railways run through the central distribution ranges of the
Mongolian gazelle, the goitered gazelle, and the Asiatic wild ass (Fig. 14.2). If the
new railways have barrier effects similar to those of the existing railway, then the
ungulates’ habitat will be further fragmented into smaller areas. The railways also
cross the distribution ranges of the critically endangered wild Bactrian camel
(Camelus ferus), the reintroduced Przewalski’s horse (Equus ferus przewalskii), and
the saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica). Przewalski’s horse was once extinct in the wild,
but it is currently only ranked as an endangered species by the IUCN Red List
because its populations have successfully increased after its reintroduction (King
et al. 2016). However, future recovery of the distributions and population numbers
of these endangered ungulates may be threatened by the new railways.
Railways also attract human activities to their vicinities that have potential negative impacts on wildlife. Olson et al. (2011) reported that in eastern Mongolia, the
Mongolian gazelle density was lower in areas with households than in areas with no
households. One detrimental impact of an increased human population is the increase
in livestock. Mongolian gazelles have food habits similar to those of domestic sheep
and goats (Campos-Arceiz et al. 2004; Yoshihara et al. 2008), and the food habits of
the Asiatic wild ass are similar to those of the domestic horse (Taro Sugimoto,
personal communication). Thus, food competition between wild ungulates and
livestock would likely become more severe if the livestock density increases.
Hunting and poaching by humans may also decrease populations of wild ungulates.
Habitat fragmentation has caused regional extinctions of many animal species in
various regions of the world (see Chap. 4). Even if the ungulate populations in
Mongolia’s Gobi-Steppe Ecosystem persist in the smaller habitat fragments produced by railways, their great migrations might disappear in the future. These
spectacular migrations need both continuous vast areas and large animal populations. To maintain large wild ungulate populations in Mongolia, it is essential that
the accessibility to wide ranges is maintained, due to the high environmental
unpredictability in this region.
To maintain accessibility after the construction of new railways, it will be
necessary to construct suitable wildlife crossings at regular intervals. Sections
without fences in areas with low livestock densities will be also effective. In
addition, maintaining the ecosystem in good condition is also necessary, for
example, by avoiding land-use changes to farmland, human residential areas, or
road networks and by avoiding land degradation due to overgrazing by livestock.
Maintaining good conditions of the ecosystem across wide ranges will be effective
for the conservation of both wild ungulates and biodiversity in the ecosystem.
14 Habitat Fragmentation by Railways as a Barrier to Great …
243