Altai-Sayan Mountain Ecoregion

The Altai Sayan Ecoregion is well-known for its natural scenery with the rocky mountain vistas rich in biodiversity; relatively intact left natural environment and local communities representing 16 ethnic groups of Western Mongolia.

The Mongolian Altai-Sayan region is an integral part of the trans-boundary Greater Altai-Sayan ecoregion stretching across the territory of 4 countries, namely Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China.  It covers over 20% of the country’s total land area comprising of 87 soums (counties) of 6 western provinces.

Demographic and Socio-Economic Features
With a population of 356,000 people (approximately 15% of Mongolia’s total population), the region is sparsely populated with a density of 1.2 persons per sq km.

• Annual population growth (average): 1.4%;
• Major Economic activities: 75% of population engaged in traditional nomadic herding;
• 15% employed in civil service;
• A nationwide urban to rural migration in 1990s and vice versa in 2000s left footprints on the ecoregion.
• Living Standards vary: In general, poverty is major social issue due to the region’s remoteness.

Specific features of the Ecoregion:

• The region is a home to globally endangered and threatened species of snow leopard , Altai Argali wild sheep, Siberian Ibex, Saiga antelope and Dalmatian Pelican.
• Spectacular Mongol Altai Mountain range and the highest peak in Mongolia - the Khuiten mountain reaching 3,474m;
• Magnificient watershed areas containing Lake Khovsgol, one of the world’s largest fresh water reservoirs, the Darkhad Depression containing more than 300 lakes, rivers and springs fed by mountain glaciers; and the Shishged River –a tributary to the Yenisei river in Russia.
• Internationally important wetlands such as: Lakes of Khar; Khar Us, Dorgon, Airag; Uvs and Achit
• Mongolian and Russian common World heritage sites: cluster protected areas in Uvs Lake Basin

Protection Status & Threats:
17% of land area in Altai Sayan ecoregion is protected. Uvs Lake Basin designated as World Heritage Site; Man and Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO Great Lakes Basin (Airag; Dorgon, Uvs, Khar Us and Khar Lakes) designated as Ramsar sites

Primary Threats to biodiversity and ecological integrity of the Mongolian Altai-Sayan region include:

• impacts of global climate change & warming;
• over harvesting of natural resources (wildlife trade; illegal hunting; retaliation killings; human-wildlife conflicts; deforestation; exhaustion of water resource; degazetting and opening of existing protected areas to exploitation);
• overgrazing and economic development projects such as extractive industry with adverse impacts on ecosystems and habitat integrity.

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