Take a virtual trip to the remote and beautiful steppes of Mongolia and learn about the work of crane researchers in the inaugural issue of the Mongolia Crane Project Update. This newsletter by International Crane Foundation Research Associate, Dr. Nyambayar Batbayar, highlights recent achievements by Nyamba and his colleagues on behalf of cranes and wetlands in his country.
Since 2013 the International Crane Foundation has partnered with the Wildlife Science and Conservation Center of Mongolia and the U.S. Forest Service to study the nesting ecology of the Vulnerable White-naped Crane. The researchers are working to understand the impacts of overgrazing and local herding communities on cranes, and to promote legal protection of the rich biodiversity in the Khurkh and Khuiten River Valleys of Mongolia. In addition, to study threats along the crane’s migration route, our Mongolian colleagues have successfully captured flightless White-naped Cranes (along with the first Siberian Crane!) and banded the birds with satellite and cell phone transmitters. Colleagues from the Beijing Forest University and Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve in southwestern China have in turn collaborated to track these birds during their annual migrations through China.
Stay tuned for future updates on the migrating White-naped and Siberian Cranes and our efforts to protect the important nesting sites and rich biodiversity of Mongolia. We invite you to contact us if you wish to learn more:
 Nyambayar Batbayar,Research Associate |
 Claire Mirande,Director of Conservation Networking |