Mongolia’s vast and diverse landscape has traditionally been a refuge for a rich and unique assemblage of mammals. However, over the past two decades Mongolia has undergone significant social and economic change, and during this time period many of Mongolia’s mammals, such as argali (Ovis ammon), red deer (Cervus elaphus), and Siberian marmot (Marmota sibirica) have experienced rapid declines. These declines have been relatively well documented for a few species, although prior to this Red List, the overall conservation status of Mongolian mammals was poorly understood. This Red List contains all known native Mongolian mammals and highlights their status within Mongolia, accompanied by other information such as their global and regional distribution, legal status, and dominant threats. Species have been assessed using the ‘IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria’ (IUCN, 2001), which incorporate quantitative thresholds to categorize species in terms of their risk of extinction (Least Concern, Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct in the Wild, and Extinct). These assessments were carried out by over 70 of the world’s leading experts on Mongolian mammals at the Mongolian Biodiversity Databank workshop from October 31st to November 4th 2005. Both threatened and non-threatened Mongolian mammals are presented in this document, in order to clearly identify all species that have been assessed and to provide an indication of the overall status of the country’s mammals. It also provides an excellent field guide of all mammals found in Mongolia. However, only those species listed as Vulnerable, Endangered, or Critically Endangered are considered to be threatened with extinction, and are designated as official Red List species. The specialists involved in the production of this Red List also helped to develop the Mongolian Biodiversity Databank for mammals, available from the Department of Zoology at the National University of Mongolia, which contains detailed information on species distributions, ecology, habitat preferences, threats, and conservation measures. This databank also contains information on all Mongolian fishes and will, in the near future, contain data for all Mongolian vertebrates. Summary conservation action plans were also composed, providing detailed information on all threatened mammals and actions necessary to ensure their future survival. These summary conservation action plans are published in a separate document, and electronic versions will be available through the Zoological Society of London library ( http://library.zsl.org) and http://www.regionalredlist.com. The production of the Mongolian Red List of Mammals is a milestone for conservation in Mongolia, as it sets the fi rst baseline from which it will be possible to assess whether conditions are improving. It also provides policy makers with the most up-to-date information on threatened mammals, allowing informed decisions to be made, and gives conservationists essential information required to develop detailed conservation action plans and set priorities. The Red List demonstrates that a large number of species have recently become threatened with extinction. This highlights the importance of conducting regular monitoring and conservation assessments, to ensure that species do not move toward extinction unnoticed. The Red List also highlights the importance of addressing the dominant threats to Mongolian mammals, overexploitation (for trade) and habitat degradation due to overgrazing. These are fortunately reversible threats that can be addressed through legislation, economic incentives, and education. The emerging potential threat of climate change will be much more difficult to address. Finally, by defining the current state of knowledge, the Red List helps to identify where future research is most needed. This document is only the first step, and it is hoped that it will encourage research and conservation of what is a very poorly known, but extremely interesting group of mammals.  Read full report (pdf format 5.64MB)
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