 Mongolia, often called the "land without fences," provides the last remaining refuge for a number of migratory species that require large areas of habitat.
The Asiatic wild ass, or khulan, is one such species. A member of the horse family (Equidae), the khulan has suffered an immense reduction in range and numbers over the last century.
One large population remains in the sparsely populated Gobi region of Mongolia, but it, too, is threatened by the growing human population in the region and the consequent increase in exploitative economic activities, such as mining and road construction, in this area.
This report analyzes the key features of khulan ecology as well as the interactions between these animals and humans in the Gobi desert in Mongolia. The report also identifies management recommendations that would facilitate the protection of khulan habitat and mitigate khulan-human confilct, enabling long-term survival of this threatened species.
They include the need for strategic planning on a landscape scale, improved enforcement of existing regulations, raising awarness of wildlife issues in the Gobi, and the establishment of a database of habitat, infrastructure and land use, as well as an effective livestock monitoring system.
Read full report (2.22mb .pdf)
September 2006
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