Mongolian Gobi Desert

The large mammal fauna consists of several rare or globally threatened species, namely the wild Bactrian camel (Camelus batrianusferus), the Gobi bear (Ursus arctos gobiensis), the snow leopard (Uncia uncia), the argali wild sheep (Ovis ammon) and the Asiatic wild ass (Equus hemionus). In particular, the Gobi desert is an important stronghold of the Asiatic wild ass (Equus hemionus, khulan in Mongolian) and the country has a global responsibility to ensure their conservation. Rapid expansion and development in the mining sector coupled with extensive national road construction plans could have drastic impacts on biodiversity in the Gobi.