Landlocked between Russia and China, Mongolia is the least densely populated country in the world, with 1.7 people per sq. km (4.4/sq. mi). It is also home to diverse wildlife including 469 bird species and 139 mammal species. Ninety percent of the land area is pasture or desert, 9% is forested, and 1% is arable land. Mongolia’s wildlife reside in extreme climatic conditions, ranging from +40°C to -40°C, and varied habitats. In the Eastern Steppe, Mongolian gazelles continue to migrate across what is perhaps the world's largest intact grassland ecosystem. In the west, the towering Altai Mountains are home to snow leopards and argali sheep. These mountains descend to the plains of the Gobi Desert where a critically endangered endemic subspecies of saiga antelope resides.

The Human Aspect
Most Mongolian citizens are of Khalkh decent, although Buriat, Kazakh and Tuvan ethnicities are also represented, with Tibetan Buddhism as the predominant religion. In 2007, the human population reached 2.9 million, of which one-third resides in Ulaanbaatar, the national capital. The Mongol people have historically been sparsely distributed throughout the country and engaged in nomadic livestock production. Today approximately 30% of the population is nomadic or semi-nomadic. A burgeoning trade in wildlife and their products, created by economic decline and increasing demand in foreign markets, has resulted in serious declines in Mongolia's rich fauna.

Threats
• The fur trade threatens a number of species in Mongolia, primarily Siberian and Altai marmot, wolf, red fox, corsac fox, red squirrel, snow leopard, brown bear, lynx and Pallas' cat.
• Rampant marmot trapping for the fur trade has led to a 50% decline in the Siberian marmot population over the past 5 years in the eastern part of the country.
• Poaching for male saiga antelope has been intense due to the high value of saiga horn in the Chinese medicinal market.
• Heavy grazing by livestock impacts many threatened and endangered wildlife species in Mongolia.

WCS Activities
Eastern Steppe Living Landscapes Program:
With support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a suite of eight Landscape Species have been selected that represent the threats to biodiversity and the diverse habitats of the Eastern Steppe landscape. In concert with this project, herder groups are developing wildlife management, protection and monitoring plans for their community-managed areas.

Wildlife Conservation Research:
WCS Mongolia has been conducting Mongolian gazelle research in the Mongolia’s Eastern Steppe since 1999, and has estimated the overall population at more than one million gazelles. In addition, a survey was recently completed to determine the prevalence of Foot and Mouth Disease in gazelle calves and livestock. A marmot survey was conducted from 2004-2007 to estimate marmot densities and population numbers, and to assist wildlife managers. WCS Mongolia is pioneering the world's first telemetry study of wild saiga antelope to collect critical data on their movements and habitat use patterns. From 2005 through 2007 a team of scientists from the WCS Field Veterinary Program worked to survey Mongolia for outbreaks of the Avian Influenza H5N1 virus.  Important Bird Areas (IBAs) have been mapped for the Eastern Steppe, including the locations and descriptions of an additional 21 proposed sites.

Wildlife Conservation Policy:
WCS Mongolia is working to clarify and strengthen Mongolia's law on hunting through the amendment process, and to review legislation related to wildlife trade. In August 2007 an international workshop took place in the northern province of Hovsgol that brought together the full range of stakeholders to investigate resource management options for Mongolia's reindeer people (Tsaatan).