Abstract
Studies on mammal diversity and distribution are an important source to develop conservation and management strategies. The area located in southern Mongolia, encompassing the Alashan Plateau Semi-Desert and the Eastern Gobi Desert-Steppe ecoregions, is considered strategic for the conservation of threatened species. We surveyed the non-volant mammals in the Small Gobi-A Strictly Protected Area (SPA) and its surroundings, by using camera trapping, live trapping, and occasional sightings. We recorded 18 mammal species belonging to 9 families and 6 orders. Among them, 4 are globally threatened or near-threatened, 2 are included in the CITES Appendix I, and 2 are listed in the Appendix II. Moreover, we provide the southeasternmost record for the Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) in Mongolia, supported by photographic evidence. Our study highlights the importance of this protected area to preserve rare, threatened, and elusive species.
Highlights
Deserts cover 17% of the world’s land mass, hosting a high biodiversity (Ward 2010), which includes some of the most endangered species in the world (Durant et al 2012)
The area located in southern Mongolia, encompassing the Alashan Plateau Semi-Desert and the Eastern Gobi Desert-Steppe ecoregions, is considered strategic for the conservation of threatened species
We recorded 18 mammal species out of 31 non-volant mammal species potentially occurring in the study area (Batsaikhan 2014)
Summary
Deserts cover 17% of the world’s land mass, hosting a high biodiversity (Ward 2010), which includes some of the most endangered species in the world (Durant et al 2012). A larger effort is needed to improve the knowledge on the desert ecosystem, as it would benefit biodiversity conservation at a global level. The Mongolian desert hosts several globally threatened and charismatic species of mammals, such as the Wild Bactrian Camel (Camelus bactrianus Linnaeus, 1758), the Saiga Antelope Because the Mongolian faunal inventories are hardly available to a large audience (Lebedev et al 2016), with data often derived from broader studies (Murdoch et al 2006), an inventory of the mammal species would help fill the so-called Wallacean shortfall (Whittaker et al 2005, Lomolino et al 2010)
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