The Daurian steppe

"The Daurian steppe of East Asia is a vast temperate grassland scattered with wetlands, rivers and pockets of forest. Extending over one million square kilometres, this transboundary ecoregion stretches across eastern Mongolia and north-eastern China and also reaches into Russian Siberia. The region is one of extremes – subject to severe winters, massive temperature fluctuations, and scarce and fragile water resources. The Dauria is one of the largest areas of indigenous temperate grassland that remains on our planet. For thousands of years a low human population combined with sustainable land use practices have kept the grassland intact, and hence the potential for large-scale landscape conservation in the Dauria is enormous . . . The Dauria constitutes one of the best-preserved examples of Eurasian steppe and supports huge populations of large migratory species such as the Mongolian Gazelle. The vegetation communities that have formed here are unique and rich in endemics. The Dauria is also an important breeding and stopover site for millions of birds on several Asian flyways, and is critical for the survival of Red-crowned Crane, White-naped Crane, Swan Goose, Great Bustard and at least 15 other globally threatened bird species. The region retains exceptional habitat connectivity, essential to preserving the migratory patterns of the region’s wildlife . . . Despite the large scale and intact condition of the Dauria ecosystem, the area is not without threat. Existing and emerging pressures are placing both the biodiversity values and livelihoods of the local people in peril. The region is currently undergoing an unprecedented period of economic growth, with mining and urbanization both rapidly accelerating . . . Associated with economic development is the conversion of wetlands and damming of rivers to allow transfer of water to mines and urban areas, damaging river systems and wetlands in downstream areas. Road and rail development and other associated infrastructure cause the direct loss of habitat and block the movements of migratory species."