DIGITAL ATLAS OF AREAS AND THE MONGOLIAN RODENT AND PIKA FAUNAL LISTS

Dear colleagues!

The Atlas of areas is created and faunal lists of rodents and pikas by the Mongolian administrative districts are made up on the basis of results of the work carried out by the Joint Russian-Mongolian complex biological expedition of the Russian and Mongolian Academies of Sciences.

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The Expedition was organized according to the Resolution of the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences of USSR ¹ 22-748 (2 June 1969), and it works since 1970. It was the natural continuer of scientific researches of the Central Asia which were carried out by the Russian Geographical society, expeditions of the Academy of Sciences of USSR and the Mongolian Science Committee. Its scientific supervisors were academicians E.M. Lavrenko and V.E. Sokolov, and now – academician D.S. Pavlov and the corresponding member of Russian Academy of Science R.V. Kamelin. Chiefs of the Russian part of the Expedition were Drs. P.B. Vipper, å.á. Rothschild, L.N. Medvedev, and since 1988 till now P.D. Gunin.

The largest researchers from scientific institutes of Russia participated in work of the Expedition: Botanical, Zoological (Petersburg), Institute for Problems of Ecology and Evolution, Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Science (Moscow), the Moscow State University, Biological institute (Ekaterinburg), Institute of Forestry (Krasnoyarsk), Buriat Scientific Center (Ulan-Ude); and from Mongolia: institutes of botany, biology, geoecology, geography (Ulan-Bator), and also scientists form Germany, Poland, Israel, Japan, and the USA. In field groups and on research stations of the Expedition there annually work from 50 up to 150 experts – botanists, zoologists, biologists, ecologists, geographers, and soil scientists.

Researches of the nature of Mongolia carried out by JRMCBE, include seven basic directions:

• studying flora and fauna;
• studying biology and ecology of separate species;
• studying ecological conditions (climatic, soil);
• paleogegraphic reconstruction of the nature of Mongolia;
• studying inside- and interlandscape interrelations of plant communities, the animal population, ecosystems; their spatial structure and the functional organization;
• studying dynamics of biota and ecosystems; an estimation of their condition in connection with the increase in degree of human influence;
• studying biodiversity and development of programs and methods for its preservation.

The field routes which have covered practically the whole territory of Mongolia, are supplemented with detailed works on research stations which cover various types of ecosystems.

Research works can be divided into three periods on priority directions of researches:

1. inventory – the period of data gathering on flora, vegetation, fauna and the animal population;
2. system, including complex studying and mapping of ecosystems;
3. estimate-monitoring directed on an estimation of modern condition of both biota and ecosystems as a whole, studying of their changes and development of nature protection actions.

In the first period, the basic direction of researches of the Expedition included studying floristic riches of the country, its basic types of vegetation. Since 1975 researches of vertebrate animals have been developed almost so intensively. Botanical scientific works on research stations included studying physiology of plants, features of their adaptation to the environment, productivity of vegetative fodder resources of pastures. On forest research stations attention was paid to various aspects of forestry, experiments were made on artificial renewal of forests. Routing biological observations were supplemented with studying of a soil cover. «The determinant of vascular plants of Mongolia» (Grubov, 1982) has been completed. Results of zoological researches are reflected in a series of The Works of the Expedition «Vertebrate animals of Mongolia». Generalization of the entomological researches is made in 11 issues «Insects of Mongolia». Soil studying has given the basis for the monograph «The soil cover of the basic natural zones of Mongolia» (1978).

The basic researches of the second period have been directed on studying ecosystems, their classification, spatial structure and the functional organization. Results have found reflection in a number of methodical recommendations on studying and mapping of various types of ecosystems, in generalizing monographies «Methodology of an condition estimation and mapping of ecosystems in extreme conditions» (1993), «Ecosystems of Mongolia» (1995) and the map «Ecosystems of Mongolia» (1995), made for the first time for Mongolia in the scale 1:1000000. During this period botanical and zoological researches also have been continued. Their results were published in books «The Conspectus of flora of External Mongolia» (Gubanov, 1996), «Vegetation of Gobi deserts» (Rachkovskaya, 1993), «Rare animals of Mongolia» (1996), «Forest-steppe of Eurasia » (Bannikova, 1998).

The third period includes the researches directed to an estimation of ecosystems and their components condition, the analysis of existing measures on wildlife management, development of offers to improve nature protection actions, monitoring of ecosystems condition. The special attention is paid to ecosystems of the Selenga basin – the basic waterway of the Baikal lake. Criteria of ecological-biological and ecological-economic estimations of condition of ecosystems and natural resources, and also a technique of their mesoscale mapping are developed.

During the Expedition works, there were published more than 500 articles in scientific magazines and separate monographies, The Works of JRMCBE (48 issues) are published on a regular basis. On the materials collected at work in structure of the Expedition, 40 doctor's and 70 master's theses are protected.

Activity of scientists of the Expeditionhas repeatedly received a high estimation of the scientific community. So, the Academic council of Russian Geographical society has awarded collective of authors for the map «Ecosystems of Mongolia» (1995) with «The Diploma for outstanding scientific works in the field of geography». The Government of Mongolia repeatedly distinct many scientists working at the expedition with medals and certificates of honor.

For the near future before the Expedition tasks stand to estimate condition of ecosystems and natural resources, to protect biodiversity, to generalize further data on vegetation, fauna and ecosystems of Mongolia. It is possible to consider as the important directions of works: drawing up the report «Flora of Mongolia»; development of GIS – ecosystems of Mongolia, (which beginning is laid in the Laboratory of ecology of arid territories, Institute for Problems of Ecology and Evolution RAS); monitoring condition of ecosystems on research plots; substantiation of actions to struggle against desertification of steppe pastures.