Batbayar Nyambayar Ulz river valley is one of 70 sites identified in the newly published Directory of Important Bird Areas in Mongolia Zoom In

IBAs guide Mongolia's sustainable development

19-03-2009

Mongolia has one of the world's oldest traditions of protected areas, dating back to Chinggis (Ghenghis) Khan in the early 13^th Century. The country retains vast areas of relatively unspoiled natural habitats, including boreal forest, steppe grassland, desert and semi-desert, and many important wetlands. One quarter of Mongolia’s territory falls into one or more categories of what the World Bank defines as 'critical natural habitats'.

These habitats still support healthy populations of species that have declined or disappeared elsewhere, including large mammals such as Saiga Saiga tatarica, Goitered Gazelle Gazella subgutturosa and the last wild populations of Bactrian Camel Camelus bactrianus and Prezwalski’s Horse Equus ferus przewalskii, and internationally significant populations of White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala (Endangered), Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus, and Relict Gull Larus relictus (Vulnerable). Mongolia supports significant numbers of 18 threatened bird species, including Swan Goose Anser cygnoides, Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni, and White-necked Crane Grus vipio (all Vulnerable), Saker Falcon Falco Cherrug (Endangered), and most of the global breeding population of White-throated Bushchat Saxicola insignis.

But as the country experiences economic growth, Mongolia's natural habitats look set to enter a period of unprecedented pressure. With funding from Japanese consultant trust funds, The World Bank - which works with the Government of Mongolia on matters relating to sustainable economic development - contracted BirdLife Asia to undertake a study of the impacts of mining, infrastructure and tourism development on Mongolia’s critical natural habitats.

BirdLife is the only organisation that is currently identifying important sites for conservation worldwide in a way that is consistent with the World Bank's Operational Policy on Natural Habitats. Working with the Wildlife Science and Conservation Center (a Mongolian NGO), the Institute of Biology at Mongolia’s Academy of Sciences, and Mongolia's Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism, BirdLife has completed the Directory of Important Bird Areas in Mongolia, which was launched in the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar, in February 2009. The 70 IBAs identified cover around 5% of Mongolia's territory.

The same event, attended by senior staff of the Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism, and the World Bank’s Mongolia Country Manager, saw the launch of Mongolia: Safeguarding Important Areas of Natural Habitat Alongside Economic Development, a technical report prepared by BirdLife Asia and the Wildlife Science and Conservation Center on behalf of the World Bank.

"The work successfully completed by BirdLife in Asia is based on a great deal of consultation within the country and it is both comprehensive and objective" —Tony Whitten, World Bank

"The World Bank gives attention to critical natural habitats (of which IBAs are one kind) as a means to ensure that biodiversity is mainstreamed into sustainable development", explained Jack Tordoff of the Rio Tinto-BirdLife International Programme, a co-author of the IBA directory, and a contributor to the technical report. "We carried out a policy analysis, and looked at current regulations, and at areas where more checks on development needed to be introduced, to ensure biodiversity is taken into account. We found that public consultation needs to be strengthened, and the maps of IBAs and the information associated with them need to be used in screening projects for environmental impacts. Our proposals were well received by both the World Bank and the Mongolian government."

He added that the use of IBAs will help ensure that Mongolia’s protected areas cover all aspects of the country’s biodiversity. "Mongolia already has a well established protected area system, but these tend to be either desert, or boreal forest –areas with low population density and little economic activity. Wetlands and grasslands are quite a gap in the network. Most of those we have identified as IBAs are small in comparison to the existing protected areas, but bringing more of them in to the protected area system would address gaps in coverage."

BirdLife compiled information from the IBA directory, the existing protected areas and Mongolia's many sacred natural sites, and prepared a map and inventory of sites which met the World Bank’s definition of critical natural habitats.

"Quite a lot of incompatible activities are being planned for some IBAs, because nobody knew their importance”, said Jack Tordoff. "But some developments, for example roads, can be rerouted to avoid them. Where the development involves mining minerals of high value, there may be little choice about where to site a mine, so mitigation and compensation are needed to minimise any impacts then offset any residual impacts that remain; for example controlling livestock grazing in designated areas, strengthening the management of existing protected areas, or establishing new ones."

Tony Whitten, the World Bank’s Environment Sector Coordinator for Mongolia, commented: "The work successfully completed by BirdLife in Asia is based on a great deal of consultation within the country and it is both comprehensive and objective. The map layers produced are available for use by anyone wishing to perform spatial analyses and this allows the quality and depth of work on environmental impact assessments to be raised significantly."

The next step will be to take the analysis and apply it in more detail in Mongolia's southern Gobi region. This region, which borders China, has the highest density of planned mining and infrastructure development. BirdLife will work with the World Bank to recommend modifications to the design and routing of roads, railways and other infrastructure, so as to ensure the minimum impact on biodiversity.