The Mongolian Wildlife and Climate Change Project
The Mongolian Wildlife and Climate Change Project has three goals:
- Establish baseline information and longer-term monitoring and conservation plans for little-known Mongolian species that might be experiencing climate change effects.
- Build capacity among Mongolian environmental professionals, students, Buddhist monasteries, and local communities to monitor environmental change and enhance participation in environmental decision-making.
- Create a global network of researchers working on similar species and issues in similar ecosystems.
Summer of 2010 represents a pilot project with four objectives:
- Refine data on distribution of wolverine and Mongolia’s four pika species and collect genetic samples for analysis.
- Engage with communities to share wildlife stories and better understand local management practices.
- Assess sites for long-term community-based monitoring of wildlife.
- Work with students, professors, and Buddhist monastics in select communities to bolster ecology and environmental education opportunities.
NRCC project manager Rebecca Watters, who served as a Peace Corps environment volunteer in Mongolia from 2000-2002, will coordinate the project. NRCC executive director Jason Wilmot, who has a decade of experience working on wolverine projects in the US Rockies, will travel to Mongolia as lead wolverine biologist. Embere Hall, research director of the Teton Science Schools Conservation Research Center and coordinator of the Conservation Research Center’s pika project in Grand Teton National Park, will serve as lead pika biologist. In Mongolia, we will work in cooperation with the American Center for Mongolian Studies, and explore partnerships with the Mongolian National University, Erdene Zuu Monastery, and other institutions.
Stay up to date with project developments and the unfolding adventures at The Wolverine Blog.
Photo by Rebecca Watters