Valley of Gobi Lakes, Mongolia Photograph by © WWF-Canon/Hartmut JUNGIUS   Eastern Asia: Central Mongolia Deserts and Xeric Shrublands   53,800 square miles (139,400 square kilometers) -- about the size of Florida Vulnerable

· A Desolate Land
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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A Desolate Land

Mongolian gazelles and nomadic herders wander this northern flank of the Gobi Desert. At about 3,300 feet (1,000 m) above sea level, the gently rolling landscape is dotted with lakes, small depressions, and scattered saltpans. Once in awhile, an isolated mountain or rocky outcrop forms a landmark on the mostly treeless plain.

Special Features

This dry ecoregion is a harsh environment. Annual precipitation here is only 4 to 5 inches (100 to 125 mm). Droughts are frequent, as are strong winds and violent dust storms. In spite of these rough conditions, nomadic herders roam here with their livestock, setting up comfortable gers (or yurts, as they are called outside of Mongolia) as a home and shield against the elements. Much of the region is made up of steppes covered with wild onions, feather grass, and pea shrubs.

	Mongolian gerbils are ancestors of most pet gerbils. In 1935, about forty Mongolian gerbils were captured in eastern Mongolia and Manchuria. Twenty years later, the first gerbils where brought to the United States to be used in scientific research. These gerbils were considered so pleasant and interesting that soon others were brought in to be sold as pets.

Wild Side

Among the resident mammals are Przewalski’s horses, saiga antelopes, and Mongolian gazelles. There are many rodents, including the Gobi jerboa and the Mongolian hamster. Lakes such as Bon-Tsagan Nur, Orok Nur, and Beger Nur are the best places to find rare birds. Here you might see demoiselle cranes, Pallas’s sandgrouses, Mongolian finches, lammergeyers, and greater sand plovers. Across the steppes anabasis, saltwort, bindweed, and potash plants are also commonly found.

Cause for Concern

Desert steppe regions are the most vulnerable ecosystems in Mongolia. Soils are especially thin, and excessive grazing by livestock leads to soil erosion and compaction. Edible plant species are eaten up and replaced by inedible species. The diversity of plant species in and around settlements can drop by as much as 80 percent.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.