The protection of nature
Mongolia now has over a hundred protected areas covering around 20% of its territory. They are divided into four levels of protection: strictly protected areas, national parks, nature reserves and natural monuments.
Strictly protected areas. Created in 1965, Mongolia's strictly protected areas aim to protect and conserve regions with fragile ecosystems and unique biological or historical features. In principle, a permit is required to access them. There are currently 19, including four in the Gobi Desert and one around Lake Uuv.
Bogd Khan Uul, one of the four mountains surrounding Ulaanbaatar, could be the world's very first protected site, almost a century before the creation of the famous Yellowstone National Park in the USA. As early as 1783, the Qing dynasty, then in power, made it a protected site both for religious reasons and for its beauty. Revered since at least the 13th century, the mountain was declared a Biosphere Reserve by Unesco in 1996.
National parks. There are over twenty of these throughout the country. Their purpose is to protect regions and their ecosystems, while promoting tourism and charging an entrance fee. Among the most famous is Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, just 50 km from Ulaanbaatar, with its impressive rock formations, steppes, rivers and forests.
Nature lovers will be delighted by Mongolia's national parks. One of the country's most beautiful lakes, commonly known as White Lake, is located in the Khorgo Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur National Park. Surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, it is home to a rich flora and fauna. Its counterpart, the famous Lake Khövsgöl, Mongolia's most touristic lake, has given its name to the national park that shelters it. The Tsaatan people make their home on its taiga-covered shores.
The Khustai Nuruu nature reserve, which became a national park following the reintroduction of Przewalski's horse in the early 2000s, is home to over 40 species of mammal and 217 species of bird.
For picturesque landscapes, visit the Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park, with its desert steppe and sand dunes, or the Altai Tavan Bogd National Park, with its glaciers and home to the rare snow leopard. This park also owes its fame to the petroglyph ensembles of the Mongolian Altai, rock paintings and funerary monuments dating from 11,000 to 6,000 BC and classified as a Unesco World Heritage Site since 2011.
Nature reserves and natural monuments. Smaller than national parks, nature reserves aim to protect a particular fauna or flora. Mongolia has 19 of them, the most notable being Sharga Mankhanii Tal, created in 1994 to protect the natural habitat of the saiga antelope, and Ugtam Uul, which includes two sacred mountains and the ruins of ancient monasteries.
Six historical and natural monuments have been protected by the Mongolian authorities since 1965. Among them, the Suikhent petrified forest, formed during the Jurassic period in the Dornogoviaimag, is well worth a visit. Another site of interest is the eight-lake Khuisyn Naiman Nuur region, in the province of Ovörkhangaï, with its volcanic landscapes and abundant wildlife.
A rich fauna
Fish and fishing. Mongolia is home to 75 species of fish, 8 species of amphibians and numerous invertebrates. The 4,000 rivers that criss-cross the country and feed the 30 or so lakes are ideal for fishing. The most common species are similar to those found in Europe, but they are more abundant and the fish are generally larger.
You can fish for lenok trout, a species of wild salmon, or Siberian perch and grayling. In the Selenge, you can catch omul, the small fish known to inhabit the waters of Russia's Lake Baikal. Thrill-seeking anglers can try their hand at taimen, also known as Siberian salmon. This freshwater fish is the largest of the salmonids: it can reach 1.50 meters in length and weigh up to 30 kg! It is mainly caught by fly-fishing, often with barbless hooks to avoid injuring the animal and preserve the species, which reproduces slowly.
Reptiles. Mongolia is home to 22 different species of reptiles. Snakes, lizards and geckos have adapted well to the steppe and desert climate, and their populations are stable.
Birds. Mongolia's avifauna is rich: 436 species of birds have been recorded in the country, and there are 70 important birding regions. Mongolia is situated on migratory routes; in spring and autumn, it is a stopover for many bird species, some of which are rare and protected. Only 81 species are sedentary.
On the steppes, birdwatchers can spot cranes, the most common being the grey crane, but also the damselfly crane, the white-necked crane, the Siberian white crane and the monk crane, which lives on the lakes.
Birdwatching is possible in the Gobi. These include the houbara bustard, a rare migrant, the saxaul sparrow, which usually lives near the shrubs from which it takes its name, and the endangered black vulture.
Among the rarest species to be found in the country are the black stork, the curled pelican, the swan goose, the snow cock, the great crested grebe and the white nutsedge. The mountainous Khentii region, with its woodlands, lakes and rivers, is home to over 250 bird species, including halo sparrow, capercaillie, saker falcon, black-headed grouse, blue nightingale, blue tit, black kite and corn quail.
Last but not least, the endless open spaces are the ideal place to observe numerous birds of prey: bearded vultures, eagles, falcons, vultures, owls and buzzards reign supreme over Mongolia's blue skies.
Mammals
Mongolia is home to some 130 species. The country's wilderness is the last refuge of some rare and even endangered animals. Some 30 species are protected in the country.
The Gobi desert and arid steppes are home to a number of mammals endemic to Central Asia, such as the mazaalai, Bactrian camel, Przewalski's horse and hemione, which have adapted well to the region's hostile climate.
The mazaalai, also known as the Gobi bear, is endemic to Mongolia. It is a very rare animal, threatened with extinction: only a few dozen individuals remain, living in protected areas of the desert.
Przewalski's horse, takh in Mongolian, is the last wild horse in the world. It owes its name to the explorer Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalski, who discovered the species in Dzungary in 1879. Although it lives in the Gobi, it can also be found in Khustain Nuruu National Park, where it was reintroduced to the wild in the 1990s. Another equine species found in the desert, the khulan is a wild Mongolian donkey, a subspecies of the hemione. Particularly useful to man - and indeed other animals - in arid zones, the khulan is capable of digging holes in dry riverbeds and springs to find water.
As for the Bactrian camel, there are around a thousand in the wild in the Gobi Desert. Domesticated for its many qualities, this mammal has adapted to the hostile conditions of the desert. Very strong, it can carry heavy loads and serves as a pack animal for nomads. It also provides meat, milk and fur, and its excrement is used as fuel.
The northernSiberian taiga is home to many Nordic-type animals, such as lemmings, otters and elks. Deer, wild boar, squirrels, foxes and hares also roam the northern woodlands.
The mountainous regions are home to ibex and mouflon, including the argali, the world's largest wild mouflon. This sheep can reach 1.6 m at the withers and weigh up to 120 kg. Threatened in its native habitat - the high mountains - it is killed by man for its meat and spiral horns, which can weigh up to 22 kg. It is also prey for wolves and snow leopards.
In serious danger of extinction, the snow leopard population is also in decline. There are between 500 and 1,700 in Mongolia, distributed between the Altai and Khangai ranges. Killed for their fur by poachers or by herders because of the threat they pose to their herds, these felines live at altitude, on high mountain peaks, and are also suffering from the degradation of their natural habitat.
The country'scentral plains are home to a large number of marmots, as well as various species of gazelle, including the goitered gazelle and the saiga antelope, which thrive mainly on arid steppes. The saiga, recognizable by its arched snout, is the world's only Eurasian antelope. It is a very fast and hardy animal, reaching peak speeds of 80 km/h and running for several kilometers at nearly 40 km/h. Poaching and recurrent züds have decimated part of the saiga population, which is threatened with extinction.
The steppes are also home to the manuul, or Pallas cat, a wild cat with its own genus, the Otocolobus. Unlike other felines, it has round pupils and a third eyelid to protect it from the wind and sandstorms. Aggressive and solitary, it has been little studied. Once hunted for its fur, it is now protected and considered an endangered species. The trade in its fur is strictly regulated in an attempt to safeguard its population.
While the populations of most mammals are in decline, such as snow leopards, manuuls, gazelles and even marmots, this is not the case for the wild horse and wolf. With over 30,000 individuals, Mongolia has the second largest wolf population in the world. Although feared by herders, the wolf is also considered the "doctor of the steppes". In fact, wolves only hunt sick, injured or fragile animals, and are therefore known for their ability to keep herds healthy.
Pets
In Mongolia, domestic animals are the livestock of nomadic herders. Nicknamed the "five muskets", they include five species of cattle (cows and yaks), goats, sheep, horses and camels. Reindeer are also raised by the Tsaatan in the north of the country, particularly around Lake Khövsgöl.
The flora
There are almost 2,800 species of plants in Mongolia, 975 of which are used in traditional local medicine and 200 to make medicines for modern medicine. Around 150 species are endemic, i.e. found only in Mongolia. Only 1% of Mongolia's territory is used for agriculture. The rest can be divided into three zones.
The northern taiga is a forest consisting mainly of larches, which can reach 45 m in height, birches and pines. There are also berry- and fruit-bearing shrubs, such as juniper, used to make incense.
The grassy steppe covers almost half the country. In spring and summer, geraniums, edelweiss, gentians, carnations, peas and rhododendrons bloom here... However, overgrazing is endangering some 200 flower species. To the south, grassy plains give way to the arid expanses of the Gobi.
The desert is home to some fascinating species, which have developed special characteristics to survive the extreme climatic conditions. The saxaul is a thorny, leafless shrub with deep, succulent roots. They can plunge to depths of up to 30 m in search of water. Its wood is waterlogged and very dense, so much so that it doesn't float. Saxaoul forests help fix dunes and prevent erosion, as well as slowing down sandstorms. This shrub is found only in Central Asia, and its population is declining due to human activity and climate change.
