Environmental researchers and conservation experts are urging the Mongolian government to take policy-level action to ensure the free movement of the Mongolian wild ass, or Khulan—a species listed in the appendices of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. The issue was a central focus of a consultative meeting held last Friday and jointly organized by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and the General Authority for Border Protection.
Mongolia’s Gobi Desert is home to approximately 80 percent of the world’s total Khulan population. With its limited habitat and dwindling numbers, the species’ future depends heavily on Mongolia’s conservation strategies and land-use decisions. In recent years, pressures from mining operations, infrastructure development—including roads and railways—overgrazing due to livestock overpopulation, and climate events such as droughts and zuds (severe winter disasters) have severely disrupted the Khulan’s migratory routes.
During the meeting, participants raised concerns that new transportation corridors, especially rail and road projects, are increasingly fragmenting Khulan habitats. These developments force the animals to abandon their traditional grazing areas, separate from their herds, or cross dangerous roads and fences. Non-wildlife-friendly fencing, including barbed wire, has resulted in injuries and fatalities among the migrating herds. Experts also noted a worrying trend: the core Khulan population in the southern Gobi is beginning to migrate eastward, toward its historic range, likely in search of undisturbed habitat.
Known as one of the “Six Wonders of the Gobi”, the Khulan holds great ecological and symbolic value. Experts stressed that the first step in protecting this iconic species is conducting detailed research on its current range and migration patterns. This knowledge can then inform the creation of protected wildlife corridors that reduce human impact and allow for uninterrupted migration—an essential requirement for the species’ survival.
