Mongolia harbors one of the largest remaining migration systems worldwide, including species with exceptionally large area requirements that are currently at risk from industrial development. Several studies show that animal migrations are not just a spectacular natural phenomenon, but that they also provide critical ecosystem functions for biodiversity. However, migrations are at risk of extinction worldwide due to human-induced land use change. When the loss of migration does occur, it is often irreversible.
At least one million Mongolian gazelles (Procapra gutturosa), and one of the largest populations of Goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) move hundreds or thousands of kilometers across this dryland ecosystem each year. Mongolia’s climate is characterized by extremes, with cold winters, hot summers and an extreme unpredictability of conditions. For its people, i.e. nomadic pastoralists, as well as for wildlife, i.e. migrating herds, mobility is key to cope with high variability in space and time of resources.
At least one million Mongolian gazelles (Procapra gutturosa), and one of the largest populations of Goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) move hundreds or thousands of kilometers across this dryland ecosystem each year. Mongolia’s climate is characterized by extremes, with cold winters, hot summers and an extreme unpredictability of conditions. For its people, i.e. nomadic pastoralists, as well as for wildlife, i.e. migrating herds, mobility is key to cope with high variability in space and time of resources.
Modern GPS tracking technologies facilitate mechanistic modeling of animal movement that allows forecasting movements and evaluating landscape changes due to alteration in movement behaviors.
Loss of mobility can reduce the number of animals the ecosystem can sustain of both wild herbivores – which could mean the cessation of one of the last and longest animal migrations worldwide – and domestic herbivores, which are critical for the sustainable land-use of rural communities.
The loss of mobility is driven by societal changes that lead to industrial development, which then creates movement barriers for wild herbivores and leads to formerly-nomadic pastoralists remaining in one place. For wild herbivores the likelihood that larger populations could be again supported after a loss of mobility is unrealistic because once movement barriers are in place, the mitigation or removal is extremely unlikely. In addition, the movement abilities of local animal populations may be culturally transmitted, meaning that this knowledge may be quickly and irreversibly lost. Without mobility these species cannot exist or may only survive in very low numbers that cannot provide their ecosystem function or societal benefits.
The loss of mobility is driven by societal changes that lead to industrial development, which then creates movement barriers for wild herbivores and leads to formerly-nomadic pastoralists remaining in one place. For wild herbivores the likelihood that larger populations could be again supported after a loss of mobility is unrealistic because once movement barriers are in place, the mitigation or removal is extremely unlikely. In addition, the movement abilities of local animal populations may be culturally transmitted, meaning that this knowledge may be quickly and irreversibly lost. Without mobility these species cannot exist or may only survive in very low numbers that cannot provide their ecosystem function or societal benefits.
