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	<channel>
		<title>Conservation news</title>
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		<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/mongolia/</link>
		<description>Environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Fri, 14 Aug 2026 13:37:22 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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	<url>https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/05/16160320/cropped-mongabay_icon-32x32.png</url>
	<title>Mongolia environmental news</title>
	<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/mongolia/</link>
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				<item>
					<title>Scientific &#038; traditional knowledge are key for effective &#038; community-centered conservation (commentary)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/scientific-traditional-knowledge-are-key-for-effective-community-centered-conservation-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/scientific-traditional-knowledge-are-key-for-effective-community-centered-conservation-commentary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Jul 2026 15:52:54 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Charudutt Mishra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Erik Hoffner]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/07/20151938/Tsetsen-Collared-Snow-Leopard-Tost-Mongolia-by-Lkhagvasumberei-Tomorsukh-Snow-Leopard-Trust-SLCF-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=324063</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Bhutan, Central Asia, China, Global, Himalayas, India, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Cats, Commentary, Mammals, Snow Leopards, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A group of women often climbs steep cliffs to set up camera traps for snow leopards around Kibber in Spiti Valley, India. The senior women know the landscape intimately, like what areas the animals use and where cameras are likely to capture movement. They have walked these mountains all their lives and know how to [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A group of women often climbs steep cliffs to set up camera traps for snow leopards around Kibber in Spiti Valley, India. The senior women know the landscape intimately, like what areas the animals use and where cameras are likely to capture movement. They have walked these mountains all their lives and know how to navigate the most rugged and inaccessible terrain safely, even in snow and ice. This is a kind of access that visiting researchers simply cannot replicate.  Back at the village, they gather around two computer screens. The younger women, who are typically more adept at handling technology, organize and sort the photographic data. Together, they identify individual snow leopards from their coat patterns, building scientific monitoring skills over time. Their work contributes directly to regional and global assessment and monitoring of snow leopard populations. Women hold up their camera traps after completing training. Image courtesy of Kibber women/NCF/HPFD. Who are these scientists conducting camera-trap monitoring of snow leopards? They are not trained researchers. They are women from the Indigenous community of Kibber in Spiti Valley. This work is done alongside their other chores: Livestock rearing, farming, household responsibilities, and community work. They do this, because they are interested in knowing how many snow leopards they are helping protect on their community lands; they take pride in learning research techniques; and they see themselves as part of the global effort to study and protect them.  Lobzang Yangchen, the coordinator of the Kibber team of 11 women, says,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/scientific-traditional-knowledge-are-key-for-effective-community-centered-conservation-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/scientific-traditional-knowledge-are-key-for-effective-community-centered-conservation-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-324063</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Mapping underground fungal networks: Interview with SPUN’s Toby Kiers</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/mapping-underground-fungal-networks-interview-with-spuns-toby-kiers/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/mapping-underground-fungal-networks-interview-with-spuns-toby-kiers/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Feb 2026 10:16:46 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Abhishyant Kidangoor]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sarahengel]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/02/10233608/Banner-Image-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=314068</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central America, East Asia, Global, Latin America, Mongolia, and Panama]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Biodiversity Hotspots, carbon, Carbon Dioxide, Carbon Sequestration, Climate, Conservation, Ecosystems, Environment, Fungi, Interviews, Plants, Research, Soil Carbon, Symbiotic Relationships, Technology, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[All around her, scientists had their eyes set on studying flora and fauna that lived aboveground. But Toby Kiers’s interest always lay in the oft-overlooked biodiversity that existed beneath it. It was the mysterious nature of the vast mycorrhizal fungal networks that so fascinated Kiers. “It’s so alive, but humble and quiet,” Kiers, an evolutionary [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[All around her, scientists had their eyes set on studying flora and fauna that lived aboveground. But Toby Kiers’s interest always lay in the oft-overlooked biodiversity that existed beneath it. It was the mysterious nature of the vast mycorrhizal fungal networks that so fascinated Kiers. “It’s so alive, but humble and quiet,” Kiers, an evolutionary biologist and co-founder of the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN), an organization that’s working to map mycorrhizal fungi around the world, told Mongabay in a video interview. Mycorrhizal fungi, found in almost every soil system on the planet, have a crucial symbiotic relationship with plants. They live on plant roots and extract nitrogen, phosphorus and water from the soil for the plants. The plants, in return, feed carbon dioxide absorbed during photosynthesis to the fungi, which need it for their growth. As a result, a massive amount of CO2 — more than 13 billion metric tons, according to a 2023 study — moves from plants to these fungal networks, making them a crucial tool in carbon sequestration. But there’s more to it than meets the eye. The movement of nutrients and carbon between plants and fungal networks is a calculated barter system in which the fungal networks allocate nutrients for plants based on how much they get in return. “We still don’t understand how they are doing it,” Kiers said. “It’s almost like watching the best poker players in the world play a game of poker.” To understand more about these complicated&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/mapping-underground-fungal-networks-interview-with-spuns-toby-kiers/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/mapping-underground-fungal-networks-interview-with-spuns-toby-kiers/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-314068</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Meet the 2025 Goldman Environmental Prize Winners</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/04/meet-the-2025-goldman-environmental-prize-winners/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/04/meet-the-2025-goldman-environmental-prize-winners/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Apr 2025 16:56:35 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay.com]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Erik Hoffner]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/04/21163449/Besjana-Guri-and-Olsi-Nika-014-Credit-Goldman-Environmental-Prize-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=297905</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Asia, East Asia, Europe, European Union, Mongolia, North Africa, Peru, and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Conservation, Conservation leadership, Environment, and Happy-upbeat Environmental]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Seven environmental activists from around the world will be awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize on April 21. Known as the “Green Nobel Prize,” the Goldman Prize honors activists from the six inhabited continental regions. This year’s winners include a scientist and educator who fought illegal trafficking of Italian household waste to Tunisia; an electrical engineer [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Seven environmental activists from around the world will be awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize on April 21. Known as the “Green Nobel Prize,” the Goldman Prize honors activists from the six inhabited continental regions. This year’s winners include a scientist and educator who fought illegal trafficking of Italian household waste to Tunisia; an electrical engineer who campaigned to protect a region in the Gobi Desert from mining for copper and other minerals; a social worker and an ecologist from Albania who together campaigned to protect the Vjosa River from hydroelectric dam construction; an activist who pressured a polluting plastics company in New England to shut down; a former civil engineer who campaigned to protect a marine protected area in the Canary Islands from port construction; and an activist who won legal personhood for Peru&#8217;s Marañón River in a landmark court case. “It’s been a tough year for both people and the planet,” Jennifer Goldman Wallis, vice president of the Goldman Environmental Foundation, said in a press release. “There’s so much that worries us, stresses us, outrages us, and keeps us divided. However, for me, these environmental leaders and teachers — and the global environmental community that supports them — are the antidote.&#8221; The winners will be honored at a ceremony in San Francisco on April 21, at 5:30 p.m. local time, hosted by Rue Mapp, founder of environmental education nonprofit Outdoor Afro, and musical guest Rueda con Ritmo featuring Son Chévere. The event will be livestreamed on the Goldman Prize YouTube channel. The&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/04/meet-the-2025-goldman-environmental-prize-winners/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/04/meet-the-2025-goldman-environmental-prize-winners/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-297905</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Rio Tinto-linked mine still not fulfilling promises to Mongolian herders</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/08/rio-tinto-linked-mine-still-not-fulfilling-promises-to-mongolian-herders/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/08/rio-tinto-linked-mine-still-not-fulfilling-promises-to-mongolian-herders/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Aug 2024 15:09:38 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sonam Lama Hyolmo]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Latoya Abulu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/08/28143855/B-Battsengel-Lkhamdoorov-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=286609</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Asia, and Mongolia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Copper, Degraded Lands, Deserts, Environment, Environmental Law, Gold Mining, Governance, Human Rights, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Land Conflict, Land Grabbing, Land Rights, Mining, Pollution, public lands, Rivers, Social Justice, Traditional People, Water Pollution, and Water Scarcity]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In 2004, nomadic herders in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert faced a daunting prospect. One of the world’s largest copper-gold mines, Oyu Tolgoi, was settling in, and herder communities were being forced to resettle without consultation. For many of them, everything fell apart that year when they faced the prospect of losing access to water and lush [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In 2004, nomadic herders in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert faced a daunting prospect. One of the world’s largest copper-gold mines, Oyu Tolgoi, was settling in, and herder communities were being forced to resettle without consultation. For many of them, everything fell apart that year when they faced the prospect of losing access to water and lush pasturelands. But they turned to an accountability group for help, filed two complaints against Oyu Tolgoi — and, in a rare success story, reached a deal with the mining company in 2017. Herders, local government officials and company representatives met, formed a three-party council to resolve disputes, and reached an agreement on 60 separate commitments. “It was the least we could do. The water wells and springs that the herders and animals survived on were drying right in front of our eyes after the mining operated,” says Battsengel Lkhamdoorov, one of the herders who lost his occupation and initiated the complaint. “We were not consulted before the mining operation and impacts, so we had to speak up.” But years later, experts say important commitments remain unmet. A report by the three-party council, Accountability Counsel (an NGO that advocates for communities affected by internationally funded projects) and the NGO Oyu Tolgoi Watch found that two-thirds of the commitments were either complete or in progress as of June 2020. Four years on, little has changed, they tell Mongabay. Some of the most significant commitments — on ensuring herders’ access to water, pasture and markets — are making&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2024/08/rio-tinto-linked-mine-still-not-fulfilling-promises-to-mongolian-herders/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/08/rio-tinto-linked-mine-still-not-fulfilling-promises-to-mongolian-herders/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-286609</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>On the Mongolian steppe, conservation science meets traditional knowledge</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/06/on-the-mongolian-steppe-conservation-science-meets-traditional-knowledge/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/06/on-the-mongolian-steppe-conservation-science-meets-traditional-knowledge/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Jun 2021 15:51:46 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jacopo Pasotti]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2021/06/02100510/Header-image-herder-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=243234</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Evolving Conservation and Finding Common Ground]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, East Asia, Gobi Desert, and Mongolia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Cattle, Climate Change, Community-based Conservation, Conservation, Culture, Deserts, Earth Science, Ecology, Environment, Grasslands, Land Use Change, Livestock, Natural Resources, Pasture, Ranching, Research, Science, Soil Carbon, Traditional Knowledge, Traditional People, and Women In Science]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Vast terrains dominated by grasses, shrubs or sparse trees, rangelands are more than unproductive places where reticent herders graze their livestock and wildlife browse dry — or green, if lucky — meadows. They host about a quarter of Earth’s human population, provide forage to some 75% of domesticated livestock, and contribute to economies, especially in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Vast terrains dominated by grasses, shrubs or sparse trees, rangelands are more than unproductive places where reticent herders graze their livestock and wildlife browse dry — or green, if lucky — meadows. They host about a quarter of Earth’s human population, provide forage to some 75% of domesticated livestock, and contribute to economies, especially in less industrialized countries. Yet, their potential for mitigating climate change is generally undervalued. After decades of underestimating the role of local peoples, if not neglecting their knowledge altogether, scientists are increasingly including traditional ecological knowledge in their assessments. With her team, a Mongolian ecologist is at the forefront in this change. A herder with his camel in the Gobi Desert. Image by Jacopo Pasotti for Mongabay. Rangelands, a landscape dominated by uncertainties Prairies, steppes, desert shrublands, savannas and tundras — the various types of rangelands — cover about 40% of the Earth&#8217;s continental area, not including Antarctica. They also store some 10-30% of global carbon in Earth&#8217;s soils. But some rangelands are under threat. Scientists warn that the Mongolian steppe is creeping toward an ecological and cultural tipping point. Climate change together with increased livestock and grazing are inducing plant species shifts and loss. Though irreversible degradation thresholds have not yet been crossed, there is an urgent need for reducing pressures and supporting local economies to adapt to changes. Tunga Ulambayar, country director of the Mongolian office of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), has pioneered environmental conservation in Mongolia since the early 1990s, when&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2021/06/on-the-mongolian-steppe-conservation-science-meets-traditional-knowledge/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-243234</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Animal crossing: A wild ass makes history</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/06/animal-crossing-a-wild-ass-makes-history/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/06/animal-crossing-a-wild-ass-makes-history/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Jun 2020 17:11:34 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/06/25101109/Khulan_RR3.jpg-768x512.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=231836</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, East Asia, and Mongolia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Camera Trapping, Conservation, Conservation Technology, Environment, Green, Habitat Loss, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Mammals, Migration, Poaching, Wildlife, and Wildtech]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[An Asiatic wild ass made history when it became the first of its species to cross into the eastern steppe in Mongolia in nearly seven decades. The Gobi-Steppe is among the largest grazing ecosystems in the world and home to a unique diversity of migratory animals. However, since 1955, the Trans-Mongolian Railroad has stood as [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[An Asiatic wild ass made history when it became the first of its species to cross into the eastern steppe in Mongolia in nearly seven decades. The Gobi-Steppe is among the largest grazing ecosystems in the world and home to a unique diversity of migratory animals. However, since 1955, the Trans-Mongolian Railroad has stood as an impenetrable barrier to some of the large animals that once moved freely across the massive region, including the Asiatic wild ass or khulan (Equus hemionus hemionus). A photo released by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Mongolia shows the khulan crossing the railroad through a new “wildlife-friendly fence corridor” on March 16 this year. The corridor was created by modifying and removing fencing in three locations along the railway. WCS implemented the project in partnership with the Ulaanbaatar Railroad Authority and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences. Camera trap image showing the first known khulan to cross the tracks into the eastern steppe in 65 years. Photo by Kirk Olson/WCS. “The documentation of the return of khulan to the eastern steppe is an event that should be heard around the world.” WCS Mongolia conservation director Kirk Olson said in a statement. “A seven-decade old barrier dividing one of the remotest places on the planet is coming down and [is] a starting point for reconnecting the Gobi-Steppe Ecosystem and revitalizing the spectacular wildlife migrations that dwarf the more celebrated Serengeti Ecosystem.” The khulan crossed the line 750 kilometers (466 miles) from the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar, and was&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/06/animal-crossing-a-wild-ass-makes-history/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-231836</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>With new protections, saiga antelope may continue to be a symbol of Central Asia (commentary)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2019/08/with-new-protections-saiga-antelope-may-continue-to-be-a-symbol-of-central-asia-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2019/08/with-new-protections-saiga-antelope-may-continue-to-be-a-symbol-of-central-asia-commentary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Aug 2019 12:53:27 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Enkhtuvshin Shiilegdamba]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mike Gaworecki]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2019/08/30120739/saiga-antelope_1210px-768x451.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=222077</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Asia, and Mongolia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Commentary, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Endangered Species, Environment, Illegal Trade, Poaching, Research, Species recovery, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Traditional Medicine, Wildlife, and Wildlife Trade]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The saiga antelope has great cultural, historical, and ecological importance to Mongolia. So I was proud to be advisor to the Mongolian Government Delegation at the 18th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Geneva to ensure that the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The saiga antelope has great cultural, historical, and ecological importance to Mongolia. So I was proud to be advisor to the Mongolian Government Delegation at the 18th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Geneva to ensure that the saiga received critically needed extra trade protections that will safeguard its survival for generations to come. Saiga antelope are classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN “Red List” of threatened species. Disease and poaching have taken their toll on this ancient animal. Saiga antelope historically ranged into Yukon and Alaska and co-existed with woolly mammoths during the Ice Age. Today, they roam the vast areas of Eurasia, including Mongolia, but they are facing significant threats to their survival. The majority of the 183 governments that are Parties to CITES gathered this week for their global meeting to regulate or prohibit commercial trade in threatened and endangered species. The Mongolian Government introduced a proposal to transfer the saiga antelope from CITES Appendix II to Appendix I. Appendix II allows sustainable and legal international trade; Appendix I prohibits all international commercial trade and thus provides strengthened protection. Mongolia has been a Party to CITES since 1996, and this was our first CITES proposal. We are a small and developing country, but we are rich in the precious biodiversity of Central Asia. Global saiga populations used to be widespread and numbered well over 1 million individuals in the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2019/08/with-new-protections-saiga-antelope-may-continue-to-be-a-symbol-of-central-asia-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2019/08/with-new-protections-saiga-antelope-may-continue-to-be-a-symbol-of-central-asia-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-222077</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Meet the winners of the 2019 Goldman Environmental Prize</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2019/04/meet-the-winners-of-the-2019-goldman-environmental-prize/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2019/04/meet-the-winners-of-the-2019-goldman-environmental-prize/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Apr 2019 10:53:12 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2019/04/29101646/Banner-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=217920</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Chile, Cook Islands, Global, Liberia, Mongolia, South America, and United States]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Deforestation, Environment, Environmental Heroes, Forests, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Hydroelectric Power, Mammals, Marine, Marine Protected Areas, Oceans, Oil, Palm Oil, Protected Areas, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Six grassroots environmental activists will receive the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize today. Dubbed the Green Nobel Prize, the Goldman Prize honors environmental activists from each of the six continental regions: Europe, Asia, North America, Central and South America, Africa, and islands and island nations. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Prize founded in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Six grassroots environmental activists will receive the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize today. Dubbed the Green Nobel Prize, the Goldman Prize honors environmental activists from each of the six continental regions: Europe, Asia, North America, Central and South America, Africa, and islands and island nations. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Prize founded in 1989 by U.S. philanthropists Rhoda and Richard Goldman. To date, 194 winners from 89 different nations have received this award. This year’s winners include an environmental and human rights lawyer who stopped the destruction of Liberia&#8217;s tropical forests, a conservationist who helped create a large protected area in Mongolia, and a biologist from North Macedonia who fought against hydropower plants planned inside a critical habitat of the rare Balkan lynx. The winners also include an indigenous leader from Chile who led a movement against two hydroelectric projects on a sacred river, a marine conservationist who campaigned to protect the Cook Islands’ marine biodiversity, and an activist from the United States who rallied residents to stop the construction of a massive oil export terminal that could have threatened the health and safety of the local community. “I am so moved and inspired by these six environmental trailblazers,” Susie Gelman, president of the Goldman Environmental Foundation, said in a statement. “Each of them has selflessly stood up to stop injustice, become a leader when leadership was critical, and vanquished powerful adversaries who would desecrate our planet. These are six ordinary, yet extraordinary, human beings who remind us&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2019/04/meet-the-winners-of-the-2019-goldman-environmental-prize/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2019/04/meet-the-winners-of-the-2019-goldman-environmental-prize/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-217920</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Dress like a polar bear: learning to love muskoxen at 15 below zero</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2018/09/dress-like-a-polar-bear-learning-to-love-muskoxen-at-15-below-zero/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2018/09/dress-like-a-polar-bear-learning-to-love-muskoxen-at-15-below-zero/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Sep 2018 12:27:13 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Gloria Dickie]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Glenn Scherer]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2018/09/25114614/FEATURED-11-768x453.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=210578</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Animals]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Arctic, Mongolia, and Tibetan Plateau]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Climate, Climate Change, Conservation, Ecology, Ecosystems, Endangered Species, Environment, Extinction, Extreme Weather, Global Environmental Crisis, Global Warming, Green, Habitat, Habitat Degradation, Habitat Loss, Mammals, Mass Extinction, Research, Storms, Weather, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Biologist Joel Berger endures extreme conditions to study muskoxen and learn about the opportunities — and limits — of behavioral flexibility in a fast changing climate.]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Biologist Joel Berger gives his polar bear head a toss, a technique practiced when he gets too close to a muskoxen herd in his bear disguise, and an adult male lowers horns and charges. The suddenly headless bear confuses the male, causing it to stop and return to the herd. Image by Joel Berger. Joel Berger is used to life on the edge. For nearly four decades, the conservation biologist has traveled to some of the world’s coldest, most desolate places, including northernmost North America, the Himalayas, Mongolia and the Tibetan Plateau, where he’s studied long-haired muskoxen, and come face to face with wild takin, huemal, and the endangered saiga — the world’s northernmost antelope threatened with extinction by the cashmere industry. In his new book Extreme Conservation, Berger shares personal dispatches occurring in inhospitable environments (think freezing in a tent, under two sleeping bags in the Himalayas), and relates outlandish research methodologies (think dressing up as a bear, and reaching up the anus of a muskox — though not at the same time). Along the way he meets, works with, and learns from Inuit hunters and Mongolian yak herders who share their stories of living alongside incredible, yet vulnerable, biodiversity. (Among lessons learned: it can be frustrating when a snow leopard kills the yak you’re studying.) Muskoxen closeup. Berger gave up stalking these remote Northern animals via helicopter, as it was too disruptive and sometimes harmful to the animals. Instead, he approached them dressed as a predator polar bear&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2018/09/dress-like-a-polar-bear-learning-to-love-muskoxen-at-15-below-zero/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2018/09/dress-like-a-polar-bear-learning-to-love-muskoxen-at-15-below-zero/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-210578</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Range countries to lead new estimate of global snow leopard population as downgraded threat status remains controversial</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2018/03/range-countries-to-lead-new-estimate-of-global-snow-leopard-population-as-downgraded-threat-status-remains-controversial/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2018/03/range-countries-to-lead-new-estimate-of-global-snow-leopard-population-as-downgraded-threat-status-remains-controversial/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Mar 2018 17:20:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mike Gaworecki]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mike Gaworecki]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2018/03/26163259/Snow_leopard_-_Uncia_uncia-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=205218</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Afghanistan, Asia, Bhutan, Central Asia, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, South Asia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Cats, Conservation, Endangered Species, Environment, Human-wildlife Conflict, Hunting, Mammals, Poaching, Population, Wildlife, and Wildlife Trade]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[No one really knows for sure how many snow leopards there are left in the world, but an initiative spearheaded by snow leopard range countries and scientists announced last week aims to change that. The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is found in 12 countries in Central and South Asia. Its elusive nature and inaccessible, mountainous [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[No one really knows for sure how many snow leopards there are left in the world, but an initiative spearheaded by snow leopard range countries and scientists announced last week aims to change that. The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is found in 12 countries in Central and South Asia. Its elusive nature and inaccessible, mountainous habitat were once believed to be keeping the snow leopard population relatively stable, but in recent years habitat loss and degradation, declining prey due to illegal hunting, human-wildlife conflict, and poaching for the illegal wildlife trade have all taken their toll, and the species is widely believed to be in decline. The species had been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 1986 until late last year, when its threat status was downgraded to Vulnerable — ostensibly welcome news that ultimately proved quite controversial. The IUCN reported that &#8220;new available data&#8221; had led to the threat status downgrade. But even the IUCN notes in its assessment of the snow leopard population that “There are no robust estimates of Snow Leopard global population size and the various figures available are best regarded as guesses.&#8221; Those best guesses place the global snow leopard population anywhere between about 4,000 to 7,500 individuals, according to the IUCN Red List. The newly announced Population Assessment of the World’s Snow Leopards initiative, called PAWS for short, will be overseen by the Steering Committee of the Global Snow Leopard &amp; Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP), which is comprised of the Environment&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2018/03/range-countries-to-lead-new-estimate-of-global-snow-leopard-population-as-downgraded-threat-status-remains-controversial/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2018/03/range-countries-to-lead-new-estimate-of-global-snow-leopard-population-as-downgraded-threat-status-remains-controversial/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-205218</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>A saiga time bomb? Bad news for Central Asia’s beleaguered antelope</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2018/01/a-time-bomb-for-the-saiga-bad-news-central-asias-beleaguered-antelope/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2018/01/a-time-bomb-for-the-saiga-bad-news-central-asias-beleaguered-antelope/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Jan 2018 16:51:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Morgan Erickson-Davis]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Morgan Erickson-Davis]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2018/01/17164114/kock1HR-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=202964</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Atlantic Forest, Central Asia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Antelope, Bacteria, Climate, Climate Change, Climate Science, Diseases, Environment, Global Warming, Grasslands, Hunting, Mammals, Over-hunting, Poaching, Research, Saiga, Temperatures, Ungulates, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In May 2015, more than 200,000 saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) suddenly died. Entire herds perished, their bodies littering the steppe grasslands of central Kazakhstan as if dropped from the sky. Biologists were left stunned, baffled and very concerned. Already critically endangered, the mass die-off reduced the species by two-thirds globally. Only around 31,000 remained in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In May 2015, more than 200,000 saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) suddenly died. Entire herds perished, their bodies littering the steppe grasslands of central Kazakhstan as if dropped from the sky. Biologists were left stunned, baffled and very concerned. Already critically endangered, the mass die-off reduced the species by two-thirds globally. Only around 31,000 remained in Kazakhstan and 100,000 worldwide. Research indicated the saigas were likely killed by hemorrhagic septicemia caused by a type of bacteria called Pasteurella multocida. But P. multocida generally exists harmlessly in healthy saigas and other animals, so the question remained: Why did so many saigas become infected so suddenly and severely by a normally benign type of bacteria? Dead saigas litter the ground during at Torgai Betpak Dala, Kazakhstan, in May 2015. Photo by Photograph courtesy of the Joint saiga health monitoring team in Kazakhstan (Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity, Kazakhstan, Biosafety Institute, Gvardeskiy RK, Royal Veterinary College, London, UK) A newborn saiga calf nestles in the arms of a scientist of the joint health monitoring team. Scientists think the saiga&#8217;s distinctive nose helps filter out dust kicked up during summer migrations and warms up inhaled air in the winter. Photo by Photograph courtesy of the Joint saiga health monitoring team in Kazakhstan (Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity, Kazakhstan, Biosafety Institute, Gvardeskiy RK, Royal Veterinary College, London, UK) In 2016, disaster struck the saiga again. This time in Mongolia and from a known entity: a virus from domestic goats and sheep. Between December 2016&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2018/01/a-time-bomb-for-the-saiga-bad-news-central-asias-beleaguered-antelope/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2018/01/a-time-bomb-for-the-saiga-bad-news-central-asias-beleaguered-antelope/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-202964</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Snow leopards no longer ‘endangered,’ but still in decline and in need of urgent conservation measures</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2017/09/snow-leopards-no-longer-endangered-but-still-in-decline-and-in-need-of-urgent-conservation-measures/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2017/09/snow-leopards-no-longer-endangered-but-still-in-decline-and-in-need-of-urgent-conservation-measures/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Sep 2017 20:05:24 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mike Gaworecki]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mike Gaworecki]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2017/09/26194528/Panthera_uncia_Shynghyz_Tama_Zoo_2015-09-20-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=199460</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Afghanistan, Asia, Bhutan, Central Asia, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, South Asia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Cats, Conservation, Endangered Species, Environment, Global Environmental Crisis, Mammals, Research, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The latest update to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species had bad news about the conservation status of many species, including some that were previously so abundant that their entry onto the list as endangered or even critically endangered came as something of a surprise. There was at least one species for whom the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The latest update to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species had bad news about the conservation status of many species, including some that were previously so abundant that their entry onto the list as endangered or even critically endangered came as something of a surprise. There was at least one species for whom the update bore welcome news, however: the snow leopard, which has been listed as Endangered since 1986 but has now had its threat status downgraded to Vulnerable. “Thanks to new available data, the Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) has moved from the Endangered to Vulnerable category,” the IUCN reported before warning that &#8220;its population continues to decline and it still faces a high risk of extinction through habitat loss and degradation, declines in prey, competition with livestock, persecution, and poaching for illegal wildlife trade.” Many scientists and conservationists were quick to underscore the point made by the IUCN about the need for continued conservation efforts to reverse the snow leopards’ ongoing decline and ensure the survival of the species, regardless of its status on the Red List. Indeed, some experts argue that moving the species from Endangered to Vulnerable might not have been warranted at all. The IUCN itself noted that there have been a number of successes in the fight to save snow leopards, while acknowledging that there is a lot of work left to be done: “Thanks to significant investments in conservation for this species, including anti-poaching efforts, initiatives to reduce conflict with livestock, and awareness-raising&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2017/09/snow-leopards-no-longer-endangered-but-still-in-decline-and-in-need-of-urgent-conservation-measures/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2017/09/snow-leopards-no-longer-endangered-but-still-in-decline-and-in-need-of-urgent-conservation-measures/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-199460</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>‘Tracking Gobi Grizzlies:’ Book excerpt and Q&#038;A with Douglas Chadwick, wildlife biologist and author</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2017/06/tracking-gobi-grizzlies-book-excerpt-and-qa-with-douglas-chadwick-wildlife-biologist-and-author/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2017/06/tracking-gobi-grizzlies-book-excerpt-and-qa-with-douglas-chadwick-wildlife-biologist-and-author/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Jun 2017 15:08:01 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mike Gaworecki]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mike Gaworecki]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2017/06/29143120/GOBI_0170_riis-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=196923</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, East Asia, and Mongolia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Bears, Climate Change, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Endangered Species, Environment, Interviews, Mammals, Mining, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[When wildlife biologist and author Douglas Chadwick first heard tales of Gobi bears, he was dubious. Stretching across 1,295,000 square kilometers (or about a half million square miles) of southern Mongolia and northern China, the Gobi Desert is a vast, harsh, and unforgiving environment. Could a bear really thrive there? Chadwick wondered. While he had [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The cover of Tracking Gobi Grizzlies. Image courtesy of Douglas Chadwick. When wildlife biologist and author Douglas Chadwick first heard tales of Gobi bears, he was dubious. Stretching across 1,295,000 square kilometers (or about a half million square miles) of southern Mongolia and northern China, the Gobi Desert is a vast, harsh, and unforgiving environment. Could a bear really thrive there? Chadwick wondered. While he had his doubts, he immediately resolved to find out for himself, as he relates below in a Q&amp;A with Mongabay and an excerpt of his latest book, Tracking Gobi Grizzlies: Surviving Beyond the Back of Beyond. Gobi bears, or mazaalai in Mongolian, are actually a subspecies of Ursus arctos, more commonly known as brown bears or grizzly bears. But Ursus arctos gobiensis are the only bear of any species known to make their home exclusively in desert habitat. And due to the impacts of climate change in their already punishing environment, it’s believed that there may be fewer than 40 Gobi bears left in the world. Chadwick, who has been a regular contributor to National Geographic magazine since the late 70s, reports that Gobi bears are distinct from their closest relatives in a number of other ways, as well. Their coats, for instance, “are often more bronze than brown and show blazes of white on the forequarters and neck.” The bears also “tend to be smaller than most North American grizzlies, whose living conditions are plush by comparison.” Tracking Gobi Grizzlies is an adventure memoir&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2017/06/tracking-gobi-grizzlies-book-excerpt-and-qa-with-douglas-chadwick-wildlife-biologist-and-author/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2017/06/tracking-gobi-grizzlies-book-excerpt-and-qa-with-douglas-chadwick-wildlife-biologist-and-author/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-196923</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Is the snow leopard actually 3 distinct subspecies?</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2017/05/new-research-suggests-there-are-three-distinct-subspecies-of-snow-leopard/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2017/05/new-research-suggests-there-are-three-distinct-subspecies-of-snow-leopard/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 May 2017 11:33:55 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mike Gaworecki]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mike Gaworecki]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2017/05/26154216/Snow_leopard_portrait-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=196165</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Afghanistan, Asia, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Conservation, Environment, Mammals, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[New research published in the Journal of Heredity suggests that there are three subspecies of snow leopard, which researchers say could create new conservation opportunities for the elusive species that inhabits remote, high-altitude habitat across Central and South Asia. All snow leopards were believed to belong to one monotypic species, Panthera uncia, prior to the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[New research published in the Journal of Heredity suggests that there are three subspecies of snow leopard, which researchers say could create new conservation opportunities for the elusive species that inhabits remote, high-altitude habitat across Central and South Asia. All snow leopards were believed to belong to one monotypic species, Panthera uncia, prior to the present study. Though the cats’ range is immense, extending across 1.6 million square kilometers (more than 600,000 square miles) and 12 Asian countries, while also being largely inaccessible to humans, as it includes some of the highest and coldest mountain ranges in the world, hunting and poaching still pose such a serious threat to snow leopards that an estimated population of just 3,500 to 7,000 individuals remains in the wild today. Because of the forbidding terrain they call home, snow leopards are the last of the big cat species — which also includes jaguars, leopards, lions, and tigers — to have been subjected to a subspecies assessment. A research team led by Dr. Jan E. Janecka, a professor of biological science at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA, conducted the first range-wide genetic assessment of snow leopards by analyzing the DNA in scat samples collected on wildlife trails and other areas frequented by the cats. Janecka and team determined that there are three primary “genetic clusters” of snow leopards, each of which qualifies as its own subspecies: a Northern subspecies in the Altai region, a Central subspecies in the core Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau regions, and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2017/05/new-research-suggests-there-are-three-distinct-subspecies-of-snow-leopard/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2017/05/new-research-suggests-there-are-three-distinct-subspecies-of-snow-leopard/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-196165</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>The Spirit of the Steppes: Saving Central Asia’s saiga</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2017/02/the-spirit-of-the-steppes-saving-central-asias-saiga/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2017/02/the-spirit-of-the-steppes-saving-central-asias-saiga/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Feb 2017 12:06:03 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Elizabeth Devitt]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Glenn Scherer]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2017/02/27115703/FEATURED2-463x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=193494</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Animals]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, and Uzbekistan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Bushmeat, Climate Change, Conservation, Diseases, Drought, Ecology, Ecosystems, Endangered Species, Environment, Extinction, Global Environmental Crisis, Habitat, Hunting, Mammals, Over-hunting, Restoration, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The beauty of the saiga belies first impressions. It may be hard to look beyond the big nose — a bulbous schnozz that looks like a chunk of an elephant’s trunk. And those spindly legs could make anyone wonder how this sturdy antelope can run so fast and far. Yet, this awkward looking beast is [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Critically Endangered saiga is targeted by traffickers for its horns and hunted for its meat. This steppe antelope also faces threats from disease, habitat degradation, and climate change which is causing seasonal water sources to dry up earlier, forcing the species to shift northward. Photo by Andrey Gilev, Karina Karenina, courtesy of the Saiga Resource Centre The beauty of the saiga belies first impressions. It may be hard to look beyond the big nose — a bulbous schnozz that looks like a chunk of an elephant’s trunk. And those spindly legs could make anyone wonder how this sturdy antelope can run so fast and far. Yet, this awkward looking beast is beautiful in its own right; perfectly designed for its life on the arid, windswept steppes of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia and the far reaches of southern Russia. In that harsh unforgiving climate, the saiga’s prodigious nose can filter out clouds of fine dry dust rising in summer, or it can warm sub-zero air to keep from freezing the lungs during winter. And those legs, built for speed and endurance, are the best defense in a landscape largely devoid of cover and requiring long annual treks for survival. Unfortunately for the Critically Endangered saiga, the species can’t outrun the rapidly and drastically changing Asian ecology or national economies now threatening its survival. Although the saiga’s prehistoric past is preserved in ancient cave paintings, conservationists worry that the future of this “spirit of the steppe” may be imperiled. Saving the saiga&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2017/02/the-spirit-of-the-steppes-saving-central-asias-saiga/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2017/02/the-spirit-of-the-steppes-saving-central-asias-saiga/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-193494</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Over 200 snow leopards killed every year: new report</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2016/10/over-200-snow-leopards-killed-every-year-new-report/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2016/10/over-200-snow-leopards-killed-every-year-new-report/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Oct 2016 11:07:15 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2016/04/01214511/JHance_BigConservation_SnowLeopard_animals_154242-495x330.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=190409</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Afghanistan, Asia, China, India, and Mongolia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Cats, Conservation, Crime, Endangered Species, Environment, Illegal Trade, Leopards, Mammals, Poaching, Snow Leopards, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Snow leopards may be hard to spot in the wild, but they make easy targets for poachers, according to a new report by TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network. Between 220 to 450 snow leopards have been killed illegally every year since 2008, the report found, mostly in retaliation for livestock depredation or for illegal [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Snow leopards may be hard to spot in the wild, but they make easy targets for poachers, according to a new report by TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network. Between 220 to 450 snow leopards have been killed illegally every year since 2008, the report found, mostly in retaliation for livestock depredation or for illegal trade. But these numbers could be considerably higher since many illegal killings in remote mountain areas go undetected, researchers say. With fewer than 4,000 snow leopards estimated to remain in the wild, high levels of poaching could spell trouble for the already dwindling populations of these secretive cats. “TRAFFIC’s analysis confirms the worrying scale of illegal killing of snow leopards,” said James Compton, Senior Program Director with TRAFFIC, in a statement. Snow Leopard, Tiger &amp; Leopard skins for sale in Kabul, Afghanistan, 2011. Photo by D Lawson / WCS. Snow leopards are found in the remote mountains of 12 Asian countries. But five countries — China, India, Mongolia, Pakistan and Tajikistan — account for more than 90 percent of the estimated snow leopard poaching. Nepal, with its small population of snow leopards, also has relatively high poaching levels, the researchers found. Most of the smuggled snow leopard products end up in China, Russia and Afghanistan. Skins, usually used as wall displays in homes and restaurants, are the most commonly seized snow leopard products, the report found. In 2004 for example, 17 snow leopard skins originating in Mongolia were confiscated on the Russian border, while 27 skins were seized from&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2016/10/over-200-snow-leopards-killed-every-year-new-report/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-190409</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Can helping women achieve financial freedom help the environment, too?</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2016/08/can-helping-women-achieve-financial-freedom-help-the-environment-too/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2016/08/can-helping-women-achieve-financial-freedom-help-the-environment-too/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Aug 2016 18:27:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Roz Evans]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rebecca Kessler]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2016/08/01192612/082316-REvans_WomenEcon_Beehives4-495x330.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=188827</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Evolving Conservation]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Asia, East Africa, Global, Mongolia, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Community Development, Conservation, Conservation Philosophy, Controversial, Environment, Health, Human Rights, Planetary Health, Poaching, Poverty, Sustainability, and Sustainable Development]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Traditional gender roles in the global south often involve men taking charge. So perhaps historic conservation efforts can be forgiven for neglecting an entire gender in looking to men as the decision makers and users of natural resources. But times are changing. Conservation organizations across the board are focusing on women with programs that attempt [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Traditional gender roles in the global south often involve men taking charge. So perhaps historic conservation efforts can be forgiven for neglecting an entire gender in looking to men as the decision makers and users of natural resources. But times are changing. Conservation organizations across the board are focusing on women with programs that attempt to achieve social and environmental change in one fell swoop. This gender-aware approach is already producing encouraging results for conservation, particularly with projects that include women in resource and environmental management decisions. But empowerment comes in many forms. A small subset of these organizations uses the prospect of financial freedom to encourage women to participate in projects that benefit the environment. The approach has generated interest and momentum — but very little evidence that it actually works. Most conservation organizations will say they are involved in projects that integrate women’s economic empowerment, David Wilkie, Director of Conservation Measures at the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society, told Mongabay. But, he said, “the evidence base that they are actually doing anything, and that it is making a difference is sparse to say the least.” “I would say that in many cases this is aspirational rather than operational,” he added. Mongolian women spin yarn from camel wool as part of a program that helps them earn a living from handicrafts in exchange for promoting snow leopard conservation within their communities. Photo courtesy of the Snow Leopard Trust Snow leopards and bee reserves One conservation group with operational experience is&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2016/08/can-helping-women-achieve-financial-freedom-help-the-environment-too/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-188827</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Understanding the ghost of the mountain</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2016/08/understanding-ghost-mountain/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2016/08/understanding-ghost-mountain/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Aug 2016 20:13:34 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Julia John]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sue Palminteri]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2016/08/01193349/feature-crop-wt-520x281.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://wildtech-mongabay-com.mongabay.com/?p=185481</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Afghanistan, Bhutan, Central Asia, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Camera Trapping, cameras, data, GPS, Mapping, Monitoring, Population, Remote Sensing, Research, Snow Leopards, Surveying, Technology, Tracking, Wildlife, and Wildtech]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The grayish-white form of the ghost of the mountain slinks through the snowcapped slopes of Central Asia. Its remote, harsh habitat, cryptic coat and elusive nature have impeded investigation and made monitoring the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) arduous, if not impossible. Technological advances, however, are changing that. New population estimates for the big cat, based [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The grayish-white form of the ghost of the mountain slinks through the snowcapped slopes of Central Asia. Its remote, harsh habitat, cryptic coat and elusive nature have impeded investigation and made monitoring the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) arduous, if not impossible. Technological advances, however, are changing that. New population estimates for the big cat, based on a knowledge review process begun in 2008 incorporating increasingly sophisticated technology, are higher than prior ones. A study of Snow Leopard Conservation Units comprising 44 percent of the species’ three million-square-kilometer range suggests there could be 4,678 to 8,745 individuals just within surveyed areas. Till now, scientists believed the global snow leopard population numbered between 3,920 and 7,500.  They stress that they can’t say the population has increased but their ability to estimate it has improved. “New technologies in the hands of respected experts across snow leopard range, yielded, for the most part, the raw data for a more robust population estimate,” said Tom McCarthy, Director of Panthera’s Snow Leopard Program. Snow leopard approaches camera trap, Kyrgyzstan. Photo credit: Panthera-SAEF-NAS-UW. Collars, Cameras, Poop and GIS McCarthy has used telemetry and camera traps, two such technologies, for decades. In the early 1990s, he conducted a large study in Mongolia using standard VHF tags attached to collars. Following the signals of these tags was difficult, requiring researchers to hike on the ground with handheld antennas—a time-consuming and frustrating process—or track from a small aircraft—a costly and risky option. But now GPS satellite tags track the cats as&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2016/08/understanding-ghost-mountain/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-188511</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Booming cashmere trade eating up habitat for snow leopards, saiga, and wild yak</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2013/07/booming-cashmere-trade-eating-up-habitat-for-snow-leopards-saiga-and-wild-yak/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2013/07/booming-cashmere-trade-eating-up-habitat-for-snow-leopards-saiga-and-wild-yak/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Jul 2013 14:23:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Damian Carrington]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2013/07/booming-cashmere-trade-eating-up-habitat-for-snow-leopards-saiga-and-wild-yak/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Central Asia, China, India, Mongolia, and Tibetan Plateau]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Community-based Conservation, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Endangered Species, Environment, Green, Habitat Loss, Industry, Livestock, Mammals, Snow Leopards, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Snow leopards, wild yaks and other iconic wildlife on the world&#8217;s highest mountains and great steppes are becoming &#8220;fashion victims&#8221; of the surging global trade in cashmere, new research has revealed. Scientists found wildlife being driven to the margins of survival by the &#8220;striking but unintended consequences&#8221; of huge increases in the numbers of the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Snow leopards, wild yaks and other iconic wildlife on the world&#8217;s highest mountains and great steppes are becoming &#8220;fashion victims&#8221; of the surging global trade in cashmere, new research has revealed. Scientists found wildlife being driven to the margins of survival by the &#8220;striking but unintended consequences&#8221; of huge increases in the numbers of the goats producing the luxurious lightweight wool. The herds eat up the grass that previously supported antelopes, wild asses and their predators. Further problems were retaliatory killings of leopards and wolves by herders after livestock attacks, the killing of wild animals by herders&#8217; dogs and the transfer of disease from livestock to wild animals. &#8220;In the absence of commitment across global and local scales, this iconic wildlife will cease to persist as they have for millennia,&#8221; concluded an international team of researchers in the journal Conservation Biology. &#8220;Rather than serving as symbols of success, these species will become victims of fashion.&#8221; The study showed that 95% of all the forage across the Tibetan plateau, Mongolia and northern India was consumed by goats, sheep and other livestock, leaving just 5% for wild animals. &#8220;They are really on the margins,&#8221; said one of the team, Charudutt Mishra at India&#8217;s Nature Conservation Foundation and a previous winner of a prestigious Whitley award. Among the wildlife being squeezed out are the Przewalski horse, bactrian camels, Tibetan antelopes and saiga. Saiga populations have collapsed: dropping around 95 percent in just 15 years. The species, a relic of the Pleistocene, is currently&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2013/07/booming-cashmere-trade-eating-up-habitat-for-snow-leopards-saiga-and-wild-yak/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-26611</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>An avalanche of decline: snow leopard populations are plummeting</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2013/01/an-avalanche-of-decline-snow-leopard-populations-are-plummeting/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2013/01/an-avalanche-of-decline-snow-leopard-populations-are-plummeting/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Jan 2013 18:21:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Erica Santana]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2013/01/an-avalanche-of-decline-snow-leopard-populations-are-plummeting/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Afghanistan, Asia, Central Asia, China, India, Mongolia, Nepal, and Pakistan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Carnivores, Cats, Conservation, Crime, Endangered Species, Environment, Green, Human-wildlife Conflict, In-situ Conservation, Mammals, Poaching, Predators, Snow Leopards, Top Predators, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Snow leopard in the Toronto Zoo. Photo by: John Vetterli. The trading of big cat pelts is nothing new, but recent demand for snow leopard pelts and taxidermy mounts has added a new commodity to the illegal trade in wildlife products, according to the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). Traditionally, the market for large cat products [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Snow leopard in the Toronto Zoo. Photo by: John Vetterli. The trading of big cat pelts is nothing new, but recent demand for snow leopard pelts and taxidermy mounts has added a new commodity to the illegal trade in wildlife products, according to the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). Traditionally, the market for large cat products has centered around tiger bones and parts for traditional Chinese medicine. Snow leopards (Uncia uncia), however, are a novel trend in the illegal wildlife trade arena and skins and taxidermy mounts are the most recent fad in luxury home décor. The EIA, a UK-based non-profit organization whose mission is to investigate crimes to the environment, are concerned that attention to the plight of snow leopards is compromised because of the global conservation focus on tigers. While tiger poaching is a rampant threat, the EIA estimates that for every tiger poached, approximately six leopards are taken, including snow leopards. Experts have estimated that there are between 4,000 and 6,000 snow leopards left in the wild, making them one of Asia’s most endangered mammals. This estimate was calculated several years ago, however, and it is believed that the number today is significantly lower. Results of EIA investigations reveal that the majority of snow leopard pelts are being harvested in China, Mongolia, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. Beginning in 2005, open trade in large cat products has declined and most of the illegal transactions in large cat trading is done in secret, making it difficult to monitor. Investigators from&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2013/01/an-avalanche-of-decline-snow-leopard-populations-are-plummeting/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-29808</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>First video footage of wild snow leopard cubs in their den in Mongolia</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2012/07/first-video-footage-of-wild-snow-leopard-cubs-in-their-den-in-mongolia/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2012/07/first-video-footage-of-wild-snow-leopard-cubs-in-their-den-in-mongolia/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 Jul 2012 00:36:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay.com]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2012/07/first-video-footage-of-wild-snow-leopard-cubs-in-their-den-in-mongolia/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Mongolia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Carnivores, Cats, Endangered Species, Environment, Green, Snow Leopards, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Field Scientist Mattia Colombo carefully prepares to place a cub back into its den. Courtesy of Panthera Panthera, a wild cat conservation group, and the Snow Leopard Trust have released the first footage of snow leopards with their mothers in their dens in Mongolia. The videos, released July 12, show a female with two cubs [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Field Scientist Mattia Colombo carefully prepares to place a cub back into its den. Courtesy of Panthera Panthera, a wild cat conservation group, and the Snow Leopard Trust have released the first footage of snow leopards with their mothers in their dens in Mongolia. The videos, released July 12, show a female with two cubs in a &#8220;partially man-made den&#8221; and another mother with a single cub in Mongolia&#8217;s Tost Mountains. In both instances, the camera was set up when the mothers were away hunting, according to the groups. The researchers weighed, measured and photographed the cubs before their mothers returned. &#8220;We have spent years trying to determine when and where snow leopards give birth, the size of their litters, and the chances a cub has of surviving into adulthood,&#8221; said Tom McCarthy, Executive Director of Panthera&#8217;s Snow Leopard Program. &#8220;This is one of those exceptional moments in conservation where after years of effort, we get a rare glimpse into the life of an animal that needs our help in surviving in today&#8217;s world. These data will help ensure a future for these incredible animals.&#8221; &#8220;Knowledge about the first days and weeks of life is vital to our understanding of how big cat populations work, and how likely it is for a newborn to reach adulthood and contribute to a healthy population. A valid conservation program requires such information, which this new development in snow leopard research provides,&#8221; added Howard Quigley, Panthera&#8217;s Executive Director of both Jaguar and Cougar Programs.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2012/07/first-video-footage-of-wild-snow-leopard-cubs-in-their-den-in-mongolia/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-30583</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>REDD project developer Carbon Conservation partly acquired by mining company</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/05/redd-project-developer-carbon-conservation-partly-acquired-by-mining-company/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/05/redd-project-developer-carbon-conservation-partly-acquired-by-mining-company/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 May 2011 17:17:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay.com]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2011/05/redd-project-developer-carbon-conservation-partly-acquired-by-mining-company/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Indonesia, Mongolia, Sulawesi, and Sumatra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Avoided Deforestation, Environment, Gold Mining, Green, Marketing, Mining, and Redd]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[East Asia Minerals Corporation, an Asian mining company, has acquired a 50% stake in Carbon Conservation, a Australian company that developed one of the world&#8217;s first forest conservation projects funded by carbon credits, for $500,000, according to a press release from the mining company. East Asia Minerals, which is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[East Asia Minerals Corporation, an Asian mining company, has acquired a 50% stake in Carbon Conservation, a Australian company that developed one of the world&#8217;s first forest conservation projects funded by carbon credits, for $500,000, according to a press release from the mining company. East Asia Minerals, which is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, operates gold and gold-copper mines in Aceh Province on Sumatra and Sangihe Island off North Sulawesi. It also owns seven uranium properties and two phosphate properties in Mongolia. East Asia Minerals says the investment will fund a &#8216;green&#8217; mining project. &#8220;The Company will develop a &#8216;green&#8217; mining project which will use carbon and biodiversity offsets and the latest in environmentally friendly mining practices,&#8221; East Asia Minerals said in a statement. &#8220;In the process, the Company will participate in developing a &#8216;green&#8217; brand for its Miwah project which will potentially allow it to command a premium for its product in the market as well as to potentially facilitate a smoother process for approval of, and support for, mining permits.&#8221; Carbon Conservation made a name for itself in 2007 when its carbon conservation project in Aceh&#8217;s Ulu Masen in Aceh Province of Sumatra became the first to win validation under the Climate Community and Biodiversity Alliance Standards for its reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) program. The project &#8212; which received a $9 million investment from Merrill Lynch (now part of Bank of America) &#8212; aims to offset roughly 100 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2011/05/redd-project-developer-carbon-conservation-partly-acquired-by-mining-company/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/05/redd-project-developer-carbon-conservation-partly-acquired-by-mining-company/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-32595</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>New eco-tour to help save bizarre antelope in &#8216;forgotten&#8217; region</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/05/new-eco-tour-to-help-save-bizarre-antelope-in-forgotten-region/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/05/new-eco-tour-to-help-save-bizarre-antelope-in-forgotten-region/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 May 2011 17:50:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2011/05/new-eco-tour-to-help-save-bizarre-antelope-in-forgotten-region/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Birds, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Culture, Economics, Ecotourism, Endangered Species, Environment, Grasslands, Green, Habitat Loss, Mammals, Migration, Poaching, Poverty, Poverty Alleviation, Rivers, Saiga, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Traditional Medicine, Wetlands, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Saiga calves. Photo by: Igor Shpilenok. Imagine visiting a region that is largely void of tourists, yet has world-class bird watching, a unique Buddhist population, and one of the world&#8217;s most bizarre-looking and imperilled mammals: the saiga. A new tour to Southern Russia hopes to aid a Critically Endangered species while giving tourists an inside [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Saiga calves. Photo by: Igor Shpilenok. Imagine visiting a region that is largely void of tourists, yet has world-class bird watching, a unique Buddhist population, and one of the world&#8217;s most bizarre-looking and imperilled mammals: the saiga. A new tour to Southern Russia hopes to aid a Critically Endangered species while giving tourists an inside look at a region &#8220;largely forgotten by the rest of the world,&#8221; says Anthony Dancer. Few species have fallen so far and so fast in the past 15 years as Central Asia&#8217;s antelope, the saiga. Its precipitous decline is reminiscent of the bison or the passenger pigeon in 19th Century America, but conservationists hopes it avoids the fate of the latter. Not long ago, a million and a quarter saiga roamed the Central Asian plains; today there are less than 50,000. To make matters worse, 12,000 saigas perished last year in Kazakhstan of disease. &#8220;The causes [of the overall decline] are complex but a combination of the collapse of rural economies following the breakdown of the Soviet Union in 1991, and the reopening of the border with China in the late 1980s, led to extensive and unregulated poaching&#8221; for food and for traditional Chinese medicine, explains Dancer, an ecology student at Imperial College in London, who works with the Saiga Conservation Alliance (SCA). Male saiga. Poaching has largely been driven by the trade in traditional Chinese medicine, which uses male saiga horns. Photo by: Navinder Singh. With SCA, researchers in the saiga&#8217;s remaining range nations—Russia,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2011/05/new-eco-tour-to-help-save-bizarre-antelope-in-forgotten-region/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/05/new-eco-tour-to-help-save-bizarre-antelope-in-forgotten-region/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-32604</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Conservationists oppose snow leopard hunt for &#8216;science&#8217;</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/03/conservationists-oppose-snow-leopard-hunt-for-science/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/03/conservationists-oppose-snow-leopard-hunt-for-science/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Mar 2011 14:42:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2011/03/conservationists-oppose-snow-leopard-hunt-for-science/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia and Mongolia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Camera Trapping, Carnivores, Cats, Conservation, Environment, Governance, Green, Hunting, In-situ Conservation, Mammals, Photos, Poaching, Predators, Saving Species From Extinction, Solutions, Top Predators, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Update:Mongolia has announced it will cancel the hunt of 4 snow leopards for scientific research following an outcry from conservationists. Well-known biologist and Vice President of the big cat conservation organization, Panthera, George Schaller said: &#8220;Mongolia’s decision to rescind snow leopard hunting permits is the right one for the species and the country. Minister Gansukh [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Update:Mongolia has announced it will cancel the hunt of 4 snow leopards for scientific research following an outcry from conservationists. Well-known biologist and Vice President of the big cat conservation organization, Panthera, George Schaller said: &#8220;Mongolia’s decision to rescind snow leopard hunting permits is the right one for the species and the country. Minister Gansukh can legitimately and proudly claim that Mongolia remains steadfast and committed to conservation efforts for snow leopards in Asia, and for that, we congratulate them.&#8221; Mother snow leopard and cub recently caught on camera trap in the Southern Gobi of Mongolia. Research there is providing new information about the private lives of the world&#8217;s most elusive big cat. Photo © Panthera/Snow Leopard Trust. Conservationists have come out in opposition against a plan by the Mongolian government to issue four permits to kill snow leopards (Panthera uncia ) for &#8216;scientific research&#8217;. The permits were awarded to foreign nationals last month. Snow leopards are listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List with their population declining. &#8220;If the planned hunting of snow leopards is allowed to go forward, Mongolia&#8217;s creditability as a leader in conservation of [snow leopards] and other rare species will be severely tarnished,&#8221; reads a letter from Tom McCarthy, Executive Director of Panthera&#8217;s Snow Leopard Program and George Schaller, Vice President of Panthera, to Mongolia&#8217;s Minister of Nature, Environment, and Tourism. Prior to this Mongolia has been seen as ahead-of-the-curve on snow leopard conservation. In fact, the South Gobi is home to the world&#8217;s&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2011/03/conservationists-oppose-snow-leopard-hunt-for-science/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/03/conservationists-oppose-snow-leopard-hunt-for-science/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-32783</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Updating the top 100 weirdest and most imperiled mammals</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/01/updating-the-top-100-weirdest-and-most-imperiled-mammals/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/01/updating-the-top-100-weirdest-and-most-imperiled-mammals/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Jan 2011 01:51:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2011/01/updating-the-top-100-weirdest-and-most-imperiled-mammals/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Mongolia, and Vietnam]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Ecological Beauty, Endangered Species, Environment, Evolution, Extinction, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, In-situ Conservation, Mammals, Protected Areas, Rainforests, Rodents, Saving Species From Extinction, Solutions, Species Discovery, Strange, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A lot can change in three years. In January 2007, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) jumpstarted a program unique in the conservation world: EDGE, which stands for Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered, selects the species it works with not based on popularity or fund-raising potential but on how endangered and evolutionary unique (in laymen&#8217;s [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A lot can change in three years. In January 2007, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) jumpstarted a program unique in the conservation world: EDGE, which stands for Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered, selects the species it works with not based on popularity or fund-raising potential but on how endangered and evolutionary unique (in laymen&#8217;s terms: weird) they are. When EDGE first arrived in 2007, it made news with its announcement of the world&#8217;s top 100 most unique and endangered mammals. While this list included a number of well-known species—such as the blue whale and the Asian elephant—it also introduced the public to many little-recognized mammals that share our planet, such as the adorable long-eared jerboa, the ancient poisonous solenodon, and the ET-like aye-aye. However, after three years the EDGE program found that their top 100 mammals list already need updating. Carly Waterman, the EDGE&#8217;s Program Manager, told mongabay.com that two events particularly affected the list. The first was a Global Mammal Assessment by the IUCN in 2008 that reevaluated species threat levels. The long-eared jerboa is no longer considered endangered and so has been removed from the Top 100 EDGE Mammals List. Photo courtesy of ZSL. &#8220;Some species (e.g. long-beaked echidnas) are now regarded as more threatened than they were in 2007, while others (e.g. the bumblebee bat or long-eared jerboa) are now thought to be less so. […] This change in threat status for so many mammal species has had the greatest influence on the EDGE list,&#8221; Waterman&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2011/01/updating-the-top-100-weirdest-and-most-imperiled-mammals/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-33075</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>How Genghis Khan cooled the planet</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/01/how-genghis-khan-cooled-the-planet/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/01/how-genghis-khan-cooled-the-planet/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Jan 2011 21:50:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2011/01/06120920/gkhan-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2011/01/how-genghis-khan-cooled-the-planet/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, China, Europe, and Mongolia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Climate Science, Deforestation, Environment, Forest Carbon, Forest Recovery, Forests, Green, History, Mitigation, Reforestation, Solutions, Strange, and Temperate Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In 1206 AD Genghis Khan began the Mongol invasion: a horse-crazed bow-wielding military force that swept through much of modern-day Asia into the Middle East and Eastern Europe. But aside from creating the world&#8217;s largest empire, the Mongol invasion had another global impact that has remained hidden in history according to new research by Julia [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In 1206 AD Genghis Khan began the Mongol invasion: a horse-crazed bow-wielding military force that swept through much of modern-day Asia into the Middle East and Eastern Europe. But aside from creating the world&#8217;s largest empire, the Mongol invasion had another global impact that has remained hidden in history according to new research by Julia Pongratz of the Carnegie Institution&#8217;s Department of Global Ecology. Genghis Khan and his empire, which lasted nearly two centuries, actually cooled the Earth. &#8220;It&#8217;s a common misconception that the human impact on climate began with the large-scale burning of coal and oil in the industrial era,&#8221; says Pongratz, lead author of the study in a press release. &#8220;Actually, humans started to influence the environment thousands of years ago by changing the vegetation cover of the Earth‘s landscapes when we cleared forests for agriculture.&#8221; The answer to how this happened can be told in one word: reforestation. When the Mongol hordes invaded Asia, the Middle East, and Europe they left behind a massive body count, depopulating many regions. With less people, large swathes of cultivated fields eventually returned to forests, absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Genghis Khan statue in Mongolia. In the study published in The Holocene, Pongratz along with Carnegie colleague, Ken Caldeira, and German colleagues at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, compiled a model of global land cover beginning in 800 AD. She kept her eye on four historical events closely, which she theorized could have impacted the climate due to the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2011/01/how-genghis-khan-cooled-the-planet/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-33082</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Apple&#8217;s Snow Leopard helps real-life cats</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2009/09/apples-snow-leopard-helps-real-life-cats/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2009/09/apples-snow-leopard-helps-real-life-cats/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Sep 2009 19:32:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay.com]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2009/09/apples-snow-leopard-helps-real-life-cats/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Afghanistan, Asia, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Carnivores, Cats, Conservation, Environment, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Apple&#8217;s release of its new operating system, dubbed &#8220;Snow Leopard&#8221;, is helping raise awareness of the plight of one of the world&#8217;s most endangered big cats, reports the Snow Leopard Trust, a group working to protect the real-life snow leopard in its mountainous habitat across Central Asia. &#8220;This is a boon for wild snow leopards,&#8221; [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Apple&#8217;s release of its new operating system, dubbed &#8220;Snow Leopard&#8221;, is helping raise awareness of the plight of one of the world&#8217;s most endangered big cats, reports the Snow Leopard Trust, a group working to protect the real-life snow leopard in its mountainous habitat across Central Asia. &#8220;This is a boon for wild snow leopards,&#8221; said Brad Rutherford, Executive Director of the Snow Leopard Trust, &#8220;Apple is helping to show the world the beauty and majesty of this rare creature.&#8221; Rutherford says the software launch has made consumers aware that the snow leopard is indeed a real animal and encouraged some of Apple&#8217;s partners to support snow leopard conservation, including donating a portion of profits. More than three dozen Apple Specialist stores from California to New York are helping the Snow Leopard Trust sell cub adoption kits (specially priced for Mac’s new OS release) to raise money for conservation. Tekserve, an Apple Specialist retailer in New York, has decided to donate all the proceeds from the first 100 Mac OS X operating systems they sell. A full list of participating Apple Specialists is available at www.applespecialist.com/adoptions. &#8220;The launch of the new OS will hopefully put snow leopards front and center and drive people to find out more,&#8221; Rutherford said. &#8220;We have a new donor match going on through October,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;For all the Apple partners, anything they give will be matched—that means they can have double the impact for snow leopard conservation.” The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is one&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2009/09/apples-snow-leopard-helps-real-life-cats/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-36348</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Solar powered conservation</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2009/08/solar-powered-conservation/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2009/08/solar-powered-conservation/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Aug 2009 03:33:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Bhalin Singh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2009/08/solar-powered-conservation/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mongolia, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Alternative Energy, Clean Energy, Conservation, Environment, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Interviews, Renewable Energy, Solar Power, and Technology]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2009/08/solar-powered-conservation/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-36397</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>World&#8217;s rarest camel survived nuclear tests but today threatened by hunger for its meat</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2009/08/worlds-rarest-camel-survived-nuclear-tests-but-today-threatened-by-hunger-for-its-meat/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2009/08/worlds-rarest-camel-survived-nuclear-tests-but-today-threatened-by-hunger-for-its-meat/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Aug 2009 05:22:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rhett Ayers Butler]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2009/08/28042641/john-hare-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2009/08/worlds-rarest-camel-survived-nuclear-tests-but-today-threatened-by-hunger-for-its-meat/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, China, Gobi Desert, and Mongolia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Deserts, Endangered Species, Environment, Green, In-situ Conservation, Mammals, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Update: John Hare died January 28, 2022 at the age of 87. An interview with John Hare of the Wild Camel Protection Foundation Camels are among the most recognizable animals on the planet, yet few realize that wild populations are at a high risk of extinction. Of the world&#8217;s two camel species, the Dromedary camel, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Update: John Hare died January 28, 2022 at the age of 87. An interview with John Hare of the Wild Camel Protection Foundation Camels are among the most recognizable animals on the planet, yet few realize that wild populations are at a high risk of extinction. Of the world&#8217;s two camel species, the Dromedary camel, characterized by a single hump, became extinct in the wild 2,000 years ago. The second species, the two-humped Bactrian camel, was on a similar trajectory until very recently, but still less than 1,000 of the world&#8217;s 1.4 million Bactrians are wild. The abundance of domesticated Bactrian camels relative to wild camels doesn’t address the question of whether it matters if another species of camels goes extinct. John Hare, founder and director of the Wild Camel Protection Foundation, argues that it does. Hare says the world will be a poorer place if wild Bactrian camels are allowed to follow their cousins into the sunset. He notes that wild and domesticated Bactrian camels are thought to have diverged some 700,000 years ago and have a 3.5 base genetic difference, more than twice the separation between humans and chimpanzees, suggesting that they may even be independent species. Wild Bactrian camel. Photo by John Hare. Wild camels are exceedingly rare today for a variety of reasons, most significantly because of man&#8217;s ambition to convert them into beasts of burden. A few populations managed to avoid the fate of their brethren by living in one of the world&#8217;s harshest environments:&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2009/08/worlds-rarest-camel-survived-nuclear-tests-but-today-threatened-by-hunger-for-its-meat/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-36446</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>How to Save Snow Leopards</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2008/10/how-to-save-snow-leopards/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2008/10/how-to-save-snow-leopards/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Oct 2008 14:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rhett Ayers Butler]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2008/12/how-to-save-snow-leopards/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Afghanistan, Asia, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Carnivores, Cats, Endangered Species, Environment, Forests, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Hunting, In-situ Conservation, Interviews, Mammals, Poaching, Sustainable Development, Wildlife, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
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							<![CDATA[How to Save Snow Leopards How to Save Snow Leopards: An interview with Dr. Rodney Jackson of the Snow Leopard Conservancy Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com October 28, 2008 The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is one of the rarest and most elusive big cat species with a population of 4,500 to 7,500 spread across a range [&#8230;]]]>
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							<![CDATA[How to Save Snow Leopards How to Save Snow Leopards: An interview with Dr. Rodney Jackson of the Snow Leopard Conservancy Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com October 28, 2008 The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is one of the rarest and most elusive big cat species with a population of 4,500 to 7,500 spread across a range of 1.2 to 1.6 million kilometers in some of the world&#x27;s harshest and most desolate landscapes. Found in arid environments and at elevations sometimes reaching 18,000 feet (5,500 meters), the species faces great threats despite its extreme habitat. These threats vary across its range, but in all countries where it is found &#8212; Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and possibly Myanmar &#8212; the species is at risk. In some countries snow leopard are directly hunted for their pelt, in others they are imperiled by depletion of prey, loss of habitat, and killing as a predator of livestock. These threats, combined with the cat&#x27;s large habitat requirements, means conservation through the establishment of protected areas alone may not be enough save it from extinction in the wild in many of the countries in which it lives. Camera trap picture of a wild snow leopard. Photo courtesy of the Snow Leopard Conservancy Working to stave off this fate in half a dozen of its range countries is the Snow Leopard Conservancy. Founded by Dr. Rodney Jackson, a biologist who has been studying snow leopard in the wild for 30 years,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2008/10/how-to-save-snow-leopards/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-37901</doi>				</item>
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