Global 200 Ecoregions

Land of Blue Sky: Asia's Ecological Crossroads The Daurian Steppe & The Altai-Sayan Montane Forests


 
Major Habitat Type
Temperate Conifer & Broadleaf Forests
Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands

Biogeographic Region
Palearctic

Location
Eastern, central Asia,
between Russia and China



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Biological Diversity

The People

The Threat

The Challenge

The Response


Summary

Mongolia boasts an incredible range of habitats, from its northern border with Russia, to its southern border with China, highlighting its position as the ecological crossroads of Asia.

Mongolian ecosystems include: the great Siberian coniferous taiga forests, the largest forest system on earth; the vast Asian high-altitude grasslands, or steppes, the most extensive prairie lands remaining anywhere (which biologist George Schaller called "the last great unspoiled grazing ecosystem in the world"); the forbidding, arid expanse of the Great Gobi Desert; and immense wetlands that are havens to rare migratory birds.

The Mongolian people have a heritage of sustainable use of nature, and the current government has decided to set aside 30 percent of the country as protected areas. These, and other factors, indicate that nature conservation has a promising future in the country, provided Mongolia gets the technical and financial support it has requested.


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