INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF PASTORAL SYSTEMS

Research
Khulan Phase II is an extension of the first Khulan project. This ongoing project strives to further define the complex relationship between herders and Khulan in the Gobi DesertWith the introduction of capitalism and the market economy in the 1990s, new threats to Mongolian biodiversity and traditional livelihoods are emerging. These threats include: 1) fragmentation of fish and wildlife habitat as infrastructure development accelerates to accommodate the global economy, 2) rampant poaching and sale of wildlife meat and body parts, both for “sport” and as a source of income, 3) lack of an enforcement capability to prevent destruction of wildlife populations and degradation of habitat, and 4) changes in population and income demographics that encourages degradation of natural resources.This project constituted one of the first examinations of the Asiatic Wild Ass, or Khulan. Using GPS tracking collars, Dr. Sheehy and Dr. Kaczensky found that not only do the Khulan require thousands of kilometers for migrations, they are within ten years of extinction. Funded by the Netherlands trust for the environment.
This web course combines the power of documentary video with the ease and accessibility of modern web applications. It focues on four areas of grazing management; 1) range ecology, 2) foraging behavior, 3) animal nutrition, and 4) ranching systems.The wildlife of Mongolia are diminishing. There is a strong need to build awareness of these issues and begin laying the foundations of a working conservation program in Mongolia. This film is currently in development.The Hells Canyon Sustainable Rangelands Project (HCSRP) is a community-based research and adaptive management planning initiative to review the interactions between large herbivore grazing, habitat conservation and recreation needs, and to promote and implement credible science as the basis for improved decision making in natural resource management in Wallowa County.
This project proposes that research be conducted in three study areas in the Gobi desert that will greatly increase our understanding of the Khulan and herder interaction using a greater number of GPS collars, increased ecology understanding, and a much greater involvement of the local resources including the herders who live in these areas.During the fall of 2000, more than 70 people, including county commissioners and representatives from the US Forest Service, Wallowa Resources, the Nez Perce tribe, several state agencies and the local Natural Resource Advisory Council (NRAC) met to find ways we could work together to address natural resource issues. The goal was to decide where and how we should take on restoration and land stewardship projects.
This project is aimed at developing a sustainable ranching model that encorporates the existing cultural structure of Mongolian families, ecology and wildlife of present in the landscaep, and emerging needs of Mongolia's agriculural  exports. This is the project website where you will find drafts of the project report, the complete 1/2 movie, and information about the researchers.
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