Petra Kaczensky

• Esmaeili, Saeideh; Schoenecker, Kathryn A.; Hemami, Mahmoud Reza; Kaczensky, Petra; Walzer, Chris & Goheen, Jacob R. (2026). When the desert dries: rainfall drives conflicts and conservation challenges for onager (Equus hemionus onager). Journal of Mammalogy. ISSN 0022-2372. 107(3), p. 462–473. doi: 10.1093/jmammal/gyag017. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Increasingly, the conservation of large and wide-ranging animals is challenged by environmental variability, static boundaries of protected areas, and the expansion of human activities. The Critically Endangered Onager (Equus hemionus onager) exemplifies these issues in Qatrouiyeh National Park (QNP) and the surrounding Bahram-e-Goor Protected Area (BPA) in Iran. Using GPS telemetry data from 9 adult females tracked over 2 years, we examined seasonal patterns in movement and incursions into cultivated lands in 2017 and 2018. Net squared displacement analyses indicated that most individuals exhibited range-resident behavior with occasional nomadic movements, with no evidence for migration (i.e., predictable movements to and from distinct seasonal ranges). Both monthly home range size and monthly movement rate varied seasonally, peaking in late spring and early summer (May–July). Individual home ranges were between 257 and 1,928 km2, while the extrapolated population-level home range (718 km2; 95% confidence interval = 276–1368) extended well outside QNP, covering large portions of the BPA. Occurrence distributions also expanded beyond the protected area into adjacent cultivated lands, highlighting the use of human-occupied areas by onagers. We recorded 2,285 (out of 72,168) GPS locations within cultivated lands and their surrounding 50 m buffer, with 60% of these incursions occurring immediately adjacent to QNP. Most incursions occurred at night and were strongly associated with both season and cumulative rainfall over the preceding 9 months. These findings emphasize how rainfall-driven variability in resource dynamics shapes the spatial distribution and behavior of onagers, thus elevating the risk of conflict with humans. The scale and seasonality of Onager movements highlight the need for flexible, landscape-level conservation strategies that extend beyond fixed park boundaries to encompass critical habitats and to mitigate conflict across the broader region.

• Vogler, Thomas; Devineau, Olivier; Lindgren, Finn Kristian; Strindberg, Samantha; Ganbaatar, Oyunsaikhan & Altansukh, Nanjid [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2026). Comparing distance sampling and spatial point process models for estimating wide-ranging, aggregated ungulate populations. Global Ecology and Conservation. 69. doi: 10.1016/j.gecco.2026.e04295. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Ungulate populations are declining globally due to increasing anthropogenic pressures on habitats and migration routes, highlighting the importance of protected areas for their conservation. The protected areas in the Mongolian Gobi provide a critical stronghold for several threatened ungulate species, including the khulan (Asiatic wild ass, Equus hemionus) and goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa). Although long-term ungulate population monitoring is essential to assess the effectiveness of conservation measures, it is challenging due to low population densities, fission-fusion social dynamics, and highly variable environmental conditions. We analysed data from large-scale ground surveys conducted in 2010, 2015, and 2022 in the Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area (GGB), comparing two analytical approaches: design-based point transect distance sampling and Bayesian point process modelling. The latter produces spatially explicit density surfaces that account for spatial autocorrelation alongside abundance estimates. Both methods revealed consistent population trends: khulan numbers declined over the study period, while the gazelle population increased threefold. The Bayesian approach provided greater precision and identified aggregation hotspots. These findings underscore the benefits of modelling the spatial structures within a point process framework for aggregated species in landscapes with uneven and temporally variable resource distributions. We recommend continuing the point transect surveys at least every 5 years, ideally expanding the coverage to suitable habitats adjacent to the protected area. In addition, ranger observations on distribution, group size, reproduction and mortality are needed to help identify drivers of population change and to obtain annual minimum population counts.

• Buuveibaatar, Bayarbaatar; Kaczensky, Petra; Walzer, Chris; Chuluunbat, Bayarmaa; Galtbalt, Batbayar & Sanjaa, Bolortsetseg [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2026). Crossing the line: evidence of khulan recolonization east of the Trans-Mongolian Railway. Oryx. ISSN 0030-6053. 60(1), p. 89–91. doi: 10.1017/S0030605326102865. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The Asiatic wild ass, or khulan, Equus hemionus, is native to the arid landscapes of Central and East Asia. Although the Mongolian Gobi supports the largest population, the species remains threatened by habitat fragmentation, competition with livestock, illegal hunting and climate change. Historically, the khulan ranged widely across Mongolia, including the Eastern Steppe. However, the construction of the fenced Trans-Mongolian Railway in the mid 20th century created a near-continuous barrier to movement, leading to the species’ local extinction east of the railway. In 2019, a pilot conservation initiative removed sections of the fence and documented the first confirmed crossing of the Trans-Mongolian Railway by a khulan in over 6 decades. To assess the current status of khulan east of the railway, we combined GPS data from 29 collared individuals in the South Gobi with distance sampling and opportunistic field surveys. We recorded two confirmed crossings near the Zamiin–Uud border during the winters of 2023 and 2024. Additionally, during field surveys in 2024 we observed 384 khulan in four groups east of the railway. These findings provide the first confirmed evidence of khulan recolonization within their historical range and establish a baseline for future conservation efforts. Strategic investments in wildlife-friendly crossings and habitat restoration east of the Trans-Mongolian Railway are critical to support further recolonization, enhance connectivity and reduce pressure on core populations in the South Gobi.

• Rozier-Delgado, Pablo; Vonderscher, Mylène; Blervaque, Léo; Brivio, Francesca; Buuveibaatar, Bayarbaatar & Chamaillé-Jammes, Simon [Show all 28 contributors for this article] (2026). Evaluation of mammalian endurance using accelerometry in natura: bridging exercise physiology and ecology. Journal of Experimental Biology. ISSN 0022-0949. 229(7). doi: 10.1242/jeb.251129. Full text in Research Archive
• Jarquín-Díaz, Víctor Hugo; Dayaram, Anisha; Soilemetzidou, Eirini S.; Desvars-Larrive, Amelie; Bohner, Julia & Buuveibaatar, Bayarbaatar [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2025). Unraveling the distinctive gut microbiome of khulans (Equus hemionus hemionus) in comparison to their drinking water and closely related equids. Scientific Reports. 15. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-87216-z. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The microbial composition of host-associated microbiomes is influenced by co-evolutionary interactions, host genetics, domestication, and the environment. This study investigates the contribution of environmental microbiota from freshwater bodies to the gastrointestinal microbiomes of wild khulans (Equus hemionus hemionus, n = 21) and compares them with those of captive khulans (n = 12) and other equids—Przewalski’s horse (n = 82) and domestic horse (n = 26). Using PacBio technology and the LotuS pipeline for 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we analyze microbial diversity and conduct differential abundance, alpha, and beta diversity analyses. Results indicate limited microbial sharing between wild khulans and their waterhole environments, suggesting minimal environmental influence on their gut microbiomes and low levels of water contamination by khulans. Wild khulans exhibit greater microbial diversity and richness compared to captive ones, likely due to adaptations to the harsh nutritional conditions of the Gobi desert. Conversely, captive khulans show reduced microbial diversity, potentially affected by dietary changes during captivity. These findings highlight the significant impact of environment and lifestyle on the gut microbiomes of equids.

• Rezvani, Azita; Hemami, Mahmoud-Reza; Pourmanafi, Saeid; Fakheran, Sima & Kaczensky, Petra (2025). Impacts of Climate-Land Dynamics on Global Population and Sub-Populations of a Desert Equid. Global Change Biology. ISSN 1354-1013. 31(4). doi: 10.1111/gcb.70190. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Climate change and escalating land-use transformations pose a significant threat to global biodiversity by disrupting natural habitats. The Asiatic wild ass (Equus hemionus), a near-threatened species, faces various pressures across its Asian range. This study employs a niche modeling approach to assess suitable habitats for the Asiatic wild ass at both the global population and sub-population levels. The analysis integrates the impacts of climate scenarios and land use change across three temporal periods: past, present, and future. To investigate the uncertainty of climate models for the Asiatic wild ass habitat, we used two climate models, CMIP5 and CMIP6, at both global and sub-population levels. Niche overlap models were developed to examine patterns of niche similarity among sub-populations. The results demonstrate a severe decline in both suitable habitat area and the number of viable patches for all sub-populations. Projections reveal that the Mongolian wild ass and Indian wild ass endure the highest levels of isolation and habitat loss, alongside the extinct Syrian wild ass. Sub-population models often predict larger distributions compared to global population models using the same inputs. The outputs of the models indicate a severe decline in suitable habitat, underscoring the necessity of accounting for both ecological and conservation perspectives to understand species distribution dynamics. Our study highlights the need to consider both global population and sub-population levels in climate change assessments. These models provide essential guidance for conservation strategies by identifying suitable habitats and sites for reintroduction. Identifying habitat patches as refuges for large herbivores amidst land-use changes and climate fluctuations is crucial. Incorporating these patches into conservation planning is imperative for preserving biodiversity.

• Bernardi, Cecilia Di; Chapron, Guillaume; Kaczensky, Petra; Álvares, Francisco; Andrén, Henrik & Balys, Vaidas [Show all 37 contributors for this article] (2025). Continuing recovery of wolves in Europe. PLOS Sustainability and Transformation. 4(2). doi: 10.1371/journal.pstr.0000158. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The recovery of wolves (Canis lupus) across Europe is a notable conservation success in a region with extensive human alteration of landscapes and high human population densities. We provide a comprehensive update on wolf populations in Europe, estimated at over 21,500 individuals by 2022, representing a 58% increase over the past decade. Despite the challenges of high human densities and significant land use for agriculture, industry, and urbanization, wolves have demonstrated remarkable adaptability and increasing population trends in most European countries. Improved monitoring techniques, although varying in quality and scope, have played a crucial role in tracking this recovery. Annually, wolves kill approximately 56,000 domestic animals in the EU, a risk unevenly distributed and differently handled across regions. Damage compensation costs 17 million EUR every year to European countries. Positive economic impacts from wolf presence, such as those related to reducing traffic accidents with wild ungulates or supporting wildlife tourism, remain under studied. Wolf recovery in Europe is supported by diverse policy and legal instruments such as LIFE programs, stakeholder platforms, as well as the EU Habitats Directive and the Bern Convention. Coexisting with newly established wolf populations in Europe entails managing impacts on human activities, including livestock depredation, competition for game, and fear of attacks on humans, amidst varying social and political views on wolf recovery. Sustainable coexistence continues to operate in evolving and complex social, economic, and political landscapes, often characterized by intense debates regarding wolf policies.

• Stiegler, Jonas; Gallagher, Cara A.; Hering, Robert; Müller, Thomas; Tucker, Marlee A. & Apollonio, Marco [Show all 52 contributors for this article] (2024). Mammals show faster recovery from capture and tagging in human-disturbed landscapes. Nature Communications. 15(1). doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-52381-8. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Wildlife tagging provides critical insights into animal movement ecology, physiology, and behavior amid global ecosystem changes. However, the stress induced by capture, handling, and tagging can impact post-release locomotion and activity and, consequently, the interpretation of study results. Here, we analyze post-tagging effects on 1585 individuals of 42 terrestrial mammal species using collar-collected GPS and accelerometer data. Species-specific displacements and overall dynamic body acceleration, as a proxy for activity, were assessed over 20 days post-release to quantify disturbance intensity, recovery duration, and speed. Differences were evaluated, considering species-specific traits and the human footprint of the study region. Over 70% of the analyzed species exhibited significant behavioral changes following collaring events. Herbivores traveled farther with variable activity reactions, while omnivores and carnivores were initially less active and mobile. Recovery duration proved brief, with alterations diminishing within 4–7 tracking days for most species. Herbivores, particularly males, showed quicker displacement recovery (4 days) but slower activity recovery (7 days). Individuals in high human footprint areas displayed faster recovery, indicating adaptation to human disturbance. Our findings emphasize the necessity of extending tracking periods beyond 1 week and particular caution in remote study areas or herbivore-focused research, specifically in smaller mammals.

• Rezvani, Azita; Hemami, Mahmoud-Reza; Goheen, Jacob R.; Kaczensky, Petra; Pourmanafi, Saeid & Fakheran, Sima [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2024). Rethinking connectivity modeling for high-mobility ungulates: insights from a globally endangered equid. Landscape Ecology. ISSN 0921-2973. 39. doi: 10.1007/s10980-024-01873-5. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Context Maintaining connectivity is crucial for wildlife conservation in human-occupied landscapes. Structural connectivity modeling (SCM) attempts to quantify the degree to which physical features facilitate or impede movement of individuals and has been widely used to identify corridors, but its accuracy is rarely validated against empirical data. Objectives We evaluated SCM’s ability to identify suitable habitat and corridors for onagers (Equus hemionus onager) through a comparison with functional connectivity (i.e., actual movement of individuals) using satellite tracking data. Methods We used MaxEnt to predict suitable habitat and evaluated the ability of three SCM approaches: circuit theory, factorial least cost path, and landscape corridors approaches to identify corridors. The performance of the three SCM approaches was validated against independently collected GPS telemetry data. Results Onagers selected water sources and dense vegetation while avoiding areas grazed intensely by livestock. The three approaches to SCMs identified similar movement corridors, which were interrupted by roads, affecting major high-flow movement corridors. The SCMs overlapped with functional connectivity by about 21%. Conclusion Movement corridors derived from SCMs did not align with the locations or intensity of corridors identified using the functional connectivity model. This finding suggests that SCMs might have a tendency to overestimate landscape resistance in areas with low habitat suitability. Therefore, SCM may not adequately capture individual decisions about habitat selection and movement. To protect corridors linking suitable habitat, data on functional connectivity (i.e., telemetry data) can be coupled with SCM to better understand habitat selection and movements of populations as a consequence of landscape features.

• Michler, Lena M.; Kaczensky, Petra; Batsukh, Daginnas & Treydte, Anna C. (2024). What Will the Future Bring? – Socio-Economic Challenges to Herder Households in the Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area in Mongolia. Ekologiya Cheloveka. ISSN 1728-0869. 52, p. 1071–1085. doi: 10.1007/s10745-024-00551-z. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Nomadic pastoralism is still practiced by around one-third of the Mongolian population. Recent socio-economic constraints have challenged pastoral livelihoods and rising livestock numbers threaten overall rangeland health and biodiversity conservation. In the Mongolian Gobi, herder households fully depend on livestock production but little is known about their livelihood trends and potential compatibility with protected area goals. We combined interview data in the Great Gobi B strictly protected area (SPA) with secondary data on regional and national herder households to determine the importance of social networks, willingness to continue a herding lifestyle, and degree of involvement in protected area (PA) management. Our descriptive data confirm that herding is no longer centred on a subsistence lifestyle but rather around cashmere production. Contrary to sustainability goals, especially in protected areas, herder households continue to increase livestock numbers in response to high expenditures in the economic reality of a market economy. We conclude that herders in the Great Gobi B SPA are reaching neither socio-economically nor ecologically sustainable livestock numbers which challenge herders’ livelihoods and PA management alike. We recommend enhancing communication between the PA management and the herding community and increasing participatory conservation activities. National strategies are needed to resolve the current dilemma of increasing livestock numbers to meet livelihood demands and the growing threat to rangeland health.

• Atmeh, Kamal; Bonenfant, Christophe; Gaillard, Jean-Michel; Garel, Mathieu; Hewison, A. J. Mark & Marchand, Pascal [Show all 74 contributors for this article] (2024). Neonatal antipredator tactics shape female movement patterns in large herbivores. Nature Ecology and Evolution. 9, p. 142–152. doi: 10.1038/s41559-024-02565-8. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Caring for newborn ofspring hampers resource acquisition of mammalian females, curbing their ability to meet the high energy expenditure of early lactation. Newborns are particularly vulnerable, and, among the large herbivores, ungulates have evolved a continuum of neonatal antipredator tactics, ranging from immobile hider (such as roe deer fawns or impala calves) to highly mobile follower ofspring (such as reindeer calves or chamois kids). How these tactics constrain female movements around parturition is unknown, particularly within the current context of increasing habitat fragmentation and earlier plant phenology caused by global warming. Here, using a comparative analysis across 54 populations of 23 species of large herbivores from 5 ungulate families (Bovidae, Cervidae, Equidae, Antilocapridae and Girafdae), we show that mothers adjust their movements to variation in resource productivity and heterogeneity according to their ofspring’s neonatal tactic. Mothers with hider ofspring are unable to exploit environments where the variability of resources occurs at a broad scale, which might alter resource allocation compared with mothers with follower ofspring. Our fndings reveal that the overlooked neonatal tactic plays a key role for predicting how species are coping with environmental variation.

• Esmaeili, Saeideh; Hemami, Mahmoud-Reza; Kaczensky, Petra; Schoenecker, Kathryn A.; King, Sarah R.B. & Shahriari, Bahareh [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2024). Rainfall reduces the potential for competitive suppression of a globally endangered ungulate by livestock. Biological Conservation. ISSN 0006-3207. 292. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110476. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Protected areas often are too small to house populations of wide-ranging species. Viability of wildlife populations therefore depends on whether interactions with humans and their land uses are negative, neutral, or positive. In central Iran, we measured interactions between globally endangered onagers (Equus hemionus onager) and livestock by analyzing remotely-sensed vegetation metrics within livestock grazing areas, tracking 9 animals with GPS telemetry, and assessing onagers' diet quality through analysis of fecal samples. Resource selection by onagers depended both on season and the presence of livestock. During the dry season, livestock reduced forage (some combination of forage biomass and forage quality) compared to pre-grazing periods, demonstrating potential for competitive suppression of onagers by livestock when resources are scarce. Additionally, and during both seasons, selection for forage by onagers was accentuated at night when livestock were absent, indicating onager avoidance of livestock. During the wet season, onagers exposed to livestock exhibited higher-quality diets than those that did not co-occur with livestock, suggesting that livestock grazing may potentially enhance forage quality for onagers. Consequently, collaboration with pastoralists to regularly rotate the locations of dry and wet season leases could alleviate negative effects of livestock grazing on onagers. Similar to other cases in multi-use landscapes, temporal shifts in the strength of competition—driven by diel cycles and seasonal rainfall—may characterize wildlife-livestock interactions in Iran and elsewhere in Asian rangelands. Our study is the first in-depth investigation of one of the world’s remaining populations of onager, and highlights the possibility that conservation of an endangered mammal could be compatible with livestock production, at least during wet seasons. Equus hemionus Exploitative competition Interference Pastoralist Resource selection Ungulate

• Kaczensky, Petra; Ganbaatar, Oyunsaikhan; Nandintsetseg, Dejid & Buuveibaatar, Bayarbaatar (2023). The Gobi Khulan - A Flagship Species for Mobility. Acta Mongolica. ISSN 2074-1014. 21(541), p. 147–163. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Khulan, the Asiatic wild ass, have been eradicated from most of their former range. The Mongolian Gobi currently holds more than 80% of the global population and constitutes more than 70% of the global breeding range and therefore is the most important stronghold of the species. In the Mongolian Gobi, individual khulan roam over thousands of square kilometers annually and their movements are among the largest reported for terrestrial mammals globally. The high mobility of khulan plays a critical role for the ecosystem functioning of the Mongolian Gobi, including large-scale seed dispersal and provision of water holes for other wildlife. Khulan also have non-consumptive aesthetic and naturalistic values for local residents and harbor the potential for wildlife tourism and subsistence hunting.The species is currently listed as Near Threatened in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, but remains under close scrutiny because multiple developments which negatively impact the size, quality and functional connectivity of the Gobi–Eastern Steppe ecosystem are happening simultaneously and at an unprecedented speed in an ecosystem which so far has remained at a near natural stage. These developments are the: 1) dramatic increase in livestock numbers and a change in the traditional herding practice, 2) rapid development of the resource extraction sector, and 3) expansion and upgrading of the transport infrastructure to meet the needs of the mining sector and allow Mongolia to connect to international markets.The paper explores how these threats may affect khulan in the future and why khulan are an ideal flagship species for mobility and landscape connectivity.

• Tucker, Marlee A.; Schipper, Aafke M.; Adams, Tempe S.F.; Attias, Nina; Avgar, Tal & Babic, Natarscha L. [Show all 82 contributors for this article] (2023). Behavioral responses of terrestrial mammals to COVID-19 lockdowns. Science. ISSN 0036-8075. 380(6649), p. 1059–1064. doi: 10.1126/science.abo6499. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  COVID-19 lockdowns in early 2020 reduced human mobility, providing an opportunity to disentangle its effects on animals from those of landscape modifications. Using GPS data, we compared movements and road avoidance of 2300 terrestrial mammals (43 species) during the lockdowns to the same period in 2019. Individual responses were variable with no change in average movements or road avoidance behavior, likely due to variable lockdown conditions. However, under strict lockdowns 10-day 95th percentile displacements increased by 73%, suggesting increased landscape permeability. Animals' 1-hour 95th percentile displacements declined by 12% and animals were 36% closer to roads in areas of high human footprint, indicating reduced avoidance during lockdowns. Overall, lockdowns rapidly altered some spatial behaviors, highlighting variable but substantial impacts of human mobility on wildlife worldwide.

• Michler, Lena M.; Kaczensky, Petra; Oyunsaikhan, Ganbaatar; Bartzke, Gundula; Devineau, Olivier & Treydte, Anna C (2023). To move or not to move—factors influencing small-scale herder and livestock movements in the Dzungarian Gobi, Mongolia. Regional Environmental Change. ISSN 1436-3798. 23(4). doi: 10.1007/s10113-023-02126-y. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In Mongolia, where nomadic pastoralism is still practiced by around one-third of the population, increasing livestock numbers, socio-economic constraints and climate change raise concerns over rangeland health. Little empirical evidence explains what triggers camp moves of pastoralists in the Dzungarian Gobi in Mongolia, which factors influence grazing mobility around camps, and how altitudinal migration benefits small livestock. We combined GPS tracking data of 19 small livestock herds monitored from September 2018 to April 2020 with remotely sensed climate and environmental data. We used general linear-mixed models to analyse variables influencing camp use duration and daily mobility patterns. To understand the importance of the altitudinal migration, we compared climatic conditions along the elevation gradient and looked at seasonal body weight changes of small livestock. We found that available plant biomass and season best explained camp use duration. Daily walking distance and maximum distance from camp increased with camp use duration. Pasture time increased with increasing biomass and rising temperatures. We conclude that herders in the Dzungarian Gobi have optimized pasture use by reacting to changes in biomass availability at landscape and local scale, and by embracing altitudinal migration. Flexibility in grazing mobility seems to have enabled local herder communities to practise sustainable pasture use. Maintaining this mobility will most likely be the best strategy to deal with environmental change under the current climate change scenarios.

• Kaczensky, Petra; Ganbaatar, O; Dejid, Nandintsetseg & Buuveibaatar, Bayarbaatar (2023). The Gobi Khulan A Flagship Species for Mobility. Acta Mongolica. ISSN 2074-1014. doi: 10.22353/am.202301.08. Full text in Research Archive
• Rosen, Tatjana; Arazmurat, Amanov; Barashkova, Anna; Dieterich, Til; Hojamuradov, Hojamurad & Hudaikuliev, Nurmuhammet [Show all 17 contributors for this article] (2022). Protecting the cats of the cold winter deserts in Turkmenistan and western Kazakhstan, Proceedings from the International Cold Winter Desert Conference. Central Asian Desert Initiative 2-3 December 2021, Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISSN 9789251369586. p. 79–92. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The Central Asian grassland, semi-desert and desert ecosystems are incredibly rich in biodiversity because of their location at the interface between different biogeographic areas and different ecological regions. These habitats are still largely continuous and interconnected and are home to wildlife assemblages that rival those of better-known regions like East Africa, with large herds of highly mobile large herbivores, rich communities of rodent herbivores, and many large, medium and small predators including mammals and birds. However, the cold deserts represent a globally unique ecosystem with rather distinctive community assemblages often consisting of both tropical and temperate species. For example, on a broad scale the wild cat community contains up to seven species: namely the Persian leopard (Panthera pardus tulliana), caracal (Caracal caracal), Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), Pallas cat (Otocolobus manul), Asiatic wild cat (Felis lybica ornata),Jungle cat (Felis chaus), and sand cat (Felis margarita) (Kitchener et a. 2017). Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) was present in the ecoregion but has been extinct for >50 years (persisting today only in Islamic Republic of Iran). Unfortunately, Central Asia is currently an understudied region from the point of view of ecology and biodiversity. This is especially true in the past three decades since the post-Soviet transition. At present there is very little in the way of up-to-date information available on the status and distribution of species that can be used to inform conservation measures, such as better planning of anthropogenic development on the one hand and establishing an effective network of protected areas on the other. This task is becoming increasingly urgent as the whole region is coming under intense anthropogenic pressure from multiple sources (recreational pressures, poaching, mining, hydrocarbon extraction, renewable energy development, border security fencing, water extraction, farming and livestock grazing pressure) in addition to the ever-present specter of climate change. The objective of this communication is to summarise what is known about the status of these iconic wild cat species in Turkmenistan and southwestern Kazakhstan, presenting for the first time the results of camera-trapping and field surveys conducted during the last decade. Based on these preliminary results we present some initial recommendations for conservation actions.

• Michler, Lena M.; Kaczensky, Petra; Ploechl, Jane F.; Batsukh, Daginnas; Baumgartner, Sabine A. & Battogtokh, Bayarmaa [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2022). Moving Toward the Greener Side: Environmental Aspects Guiding Pastoral Mobility and Impacting Vegetation in the Dzungarian Gobi, Mongolia. Rangeland Ecology & Management. ISSN 1550-7424. 83(83), p. 149–160. doi: 10.1016/j.rama.2022.03.006. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Livestock grazing often intensifies around herder camps, which can lead to degradation, particularly in arid areas, where vegetation is scarce. In Mongolia, nomadic herders have covered long distances between camps and changed camps regularly for centuries. However, changing socioeconomics, rising livestock numbers, and climatic change have led to growing concerns over rangeland health. To understand travel mobility and livestock grazing patterns, we combined Global Positioning System tracking data of goats, remotely sensing pasture productivity, and ground-based vegetation characteristics in the Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area, Mongolia. We assessed herder preferences for camp selection, followed 19 livestock herds over 20 months, determined use and nutrient contents of the most dominant plant communities, and estimated plant species richness, vegetation cover, and biomass within different grazing radii around camps. Biomass availability was key for herder decisions to move camps, but in winter, other factors like shelter from wind were more important. Camps were mainly located in Stipa spp. communities, agreeing with herder preferences for this highly nutritious species, and its dominance around camps. Herders changed their camp locations on average 9 times yearly, with a maximum distance of 70–123 km between summer and winter camps, and an average visitation period of 25–49 d per camp, depending on season. Small livestock spent > 13−17 h daily within a radius of 100 m from camp, and livestock use intensity decreased steeply with distance from camp but was remarkably similar around spring, autumn, and winter camps on the Gobi plains. However, we found little evidence for a corresponding gradient in plant species richness, biomass, and cover on the Gobi plains. The high mobility of local herders and the overriding impact of precipitation on pasture dynamics contribute to a sustainable vegetation offtake by livestock in the nonequilibrium rangelands of the Dzungarian Gobi.

• Xu, Wenxuan; Liu, Wei; Ma, Wei; Wang, Muyang; Xu, Feng & Yang, Weikang [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2022). Current status and future challenges for khulan (Equus hemionus) conservation in China. Global Ecology and Conservation. 37. doi: 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02156. Full text in Research Archive
• Broekman, Maarten J. E.; Hilbers, Jelle P.; Huijbregts, Mark A. J.; Mueller, Thomas; Ali, Abdullah H. & Andrén, Henrik [Show all 88 contributors for this article] (2022). Evaluating expert-based habitat suitability information of terrestrial mammals with GPS-tracking data. Global Ecology and Biogeography. ISSN 1466-822X. 31(8), p. 1526–1541. doi: 10.1111/geb.13523. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Aim: Macroecological studies that require habitat suitability data for many species often derive this information from expert opinion. However, expert- based informa-tion is inherently subjective and thus prone to errors. The increasing availability of GPS tracking data offers opportunities to evaluate and supplement expert- based in-formation with detailed empirical evidence. Here, we compared expert- based habitat suitability information from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) with habitat suitability information derived from GPS-tracking data of 1,498 individu-als from 49 mammal species.Location: Worldwide.Time period: 1998–2021.Major taxa studied: Forty- nine terrestrial mammal species.Methods: Using GPS data, we estimated two measures of habitat suitability for each individual animal: proportional habitat use (proportion of GPS locations within a habi-tat type), and selection ratio (habitat use relative to its availability). For each individual we then evaluated whether the GPS- based habitat suitability measures were in agree-ment with the IUCN data. To that end, we calculated the probability that the ranking of empirical habitat suitability measures was in agreement with IUCN's classification into suitable, marginal and unsuitable habitat types.Results: IUCN habitat suitability data were in accordance with the GPS data (> 95% probability of agreement) for 33 out of 49 species based on proportional habitat use estimates and for 25 out of 49 species based on selection ratios. In addition, 37 and 34 species had a > 50% probability of agreement based on proportional habitat use and selection ratios, respectively.Main conclusions: We show how GPS-tracking data can be used to evaluate IUCN habitat suitability data. Our findings indicate that for the majority of species in-cluded in this study, it is appropriate to use IUCN habitat suitability data in macro-ecological studies. Furthermore, we show that GPS-tracking data can be used to identify and prioritize species and habitat types for re-evaluation of IUCN habitat suitability data expert opinion, GPS, habitat suitability, habitat type, habitat use, IUCN, mammals, movement, selection ratio, telemetry

• Lehnen, Lisa; Mueller, Thomas; Reinhardt, Ilka & Kaczensky, Petra (2021). Gesellschaftliche Einstellungen zur Rückkehr des Wolfs nach Deutschland : Social attitudes towards the wolf's return to Germany. Natur und Landschaft. ISSN 0028-0615. 91(1), p. 27–33. doi: 10.17433/1.2021.50153871.27-33. Full text in Research Archive
• Engler, John-Oliver; Wesche, Karsten; Kaczensky, Petra; Dhakal, Prabesh; Chuluunkhuyag, Oyundari & Wehrden, Henrik von (2021). Biophysical variability and politico-economic singularity: Responses of livestock numbers in South Mongolian nomadic pastoralism. Ecological Economics. ISSN 0921-8009. 187. doi: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2021.107073. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  We analyzed a unique data set of livestock numbers in the Mongolian southern Gobi. In a novel approach, we combined biophysical data on precipitation and pasture biomass productivity with data on fine wool prices from 1981 through 2015 to investigate dynamic patterns and responses of livestock numbers in Mongolia’s southern Gobi. Using piecewise structural equation modeling enabled us to disentangle the effects of biophysical and politico-economic factors on livestock numbers and species composition, paying particular attention to the singular transition from centrally planned to free-market economy that happened in Mongolia in 1992. Our analysis reveals that biophysical and politico-economic factors were both important determinants of livestock numbers, and highlights the politico-economic singularity of 1992 as the single-largest driver of livestock dynamics in the period investigated. roductivity Nomadic Herding Gobi Precipitation Variability Post-Soviet Mongolia Extreme Events, Piecewise Structural Equation Modeling

• Esmaeili, Saeideh; Jesmer, Brett R.; Albeke, Shannon E.; Aikens, Ellen O.; Schoenecker, Kathryn A. & King, Sarah R. B. [Show all 50 contributors for this article] (2021). Body size and digestive system shape resource selection by ungulates: A cross-taxa test of the forage maturation hypothesis. Ecology Letters. ISSN 1461-023X. 24(10), p. 2178–2191. doi: 10.1111/ele.13848. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The forage maturation hypothesis (FMH) states that energy intake for ungulates is maximised when forage biomass is at intermediate levels. Nevertheless, metabolic allometry and different digestive systems suggest that resource selection should vary across ungulate species. By combining GPS relocations with remotely sensed data on forage characteristics and surface water, we quantified the effect of body size and digestive system in determining movements of 30 populations of hindgut fermenters (equids) and ruminants across biomes. Selection for intermediate forage biomass was negatively related to body size, regardless of digestive system. Selection for proximity to surface water was stronger for equids relative to ruminants, regardless of body size. To be more generalisable, we suggest that the FMH explicitly incorporate contingencies in body size and digestive system, with small-bodied ruminants selecting more strongly for potential energy intake, and hindgut fermenters selecting more strongly for surface water.

• Kaczensky, Petra; Salemgareyev, Albert; Linnell, John Durrus; Zuther, Steffen; Walzer, Chris & Huber, Nikolaus [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2021). Post-release Movement Behaviour and Survival of Kulan Reintroduced to the Steppes and Deserts of Central Kazakhstan. Frontiers in Conservation Science. 2. doi: 10.3389/fcosc.2021.703358. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Asiatic wild ass, or kulan (Equus hemionus kulan) were once a key species of the Eurasian steppes and deserts. In Kazakhstan they went extinct by the 1930s. Early reintroductions have reestablished the species in two protected areas, but the species has reclaimed <1% of their former range and remained absent from central Kazakhstan. To initiate restoration in this vast region, we captured and transported a first group of nine wild kulan to a large pre-release enclosure in the Torgai region in 2017, and two more in 2019. We used direct observations and post-release movement data of four kulan equipped with GPS-Iridium collars to document their adaptation process in a vast novel habitat without conspecifics. For comparison with movements in the source populations, we additionally equipped two kulan in Altyn Emel National Park and six in Barsa Kelmes State Nature Reserve. The nine transported kulan formed a cohesive group with very high movement correlation in the enclosure. After release, the group initially stayed tightly together but started to break up by mid-May and all kulan travelled independently by mid-August. With 48,680–136,953 km2, the 95% Autocorrelated Kernel Density Estimation ranges of the reintroduced kulan were huge and about 10–100 times larger than those in the source populations. The reintroduced mares never reconnected, there was no evidence of successful reproduction, and two of the four collared mares were killed by poachers and one died of natural causes. At least one stallion survived in the wild, but the fate of the other uncollared animals remains unclear. We speculate that the fission-fusion dynamics and low movement correlation of kulan societies and the need for migratory movements harbours the risk that animals released into a novel environment loose contact with each other. This risk is likely enhanced in steppe habitats where movement constraining factors are absent. Further kulan reintroductions to the steppes and deserts of central Kazakhstan should aim to release larger groups and build up the free-ranging population quickly to reach a critical mass, increasing the chance of kulan encountering conspecifics to successfully breed and increase their chances of survival.

• Cretois, Benjamin; Linnell, John Durrus; Moorter, Bram Van; Kaczensky, Petra; Nilsen, Erlend Birkeland & Parada, Jorge Sicacha [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2021). Coexistence of large mammals and humans is possible in Europe’s anthropogenic landscapes. iScience. 24(9), p. 1–12. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103083. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  A critical question in the conservation of large mammals in the Anthropocene is to know the extent to which they can tolerate human disturbance. Surprisingly, little quantitative data is available about large-scale effects of human activity and land use on their broad scale distribution in Europe. In this study, we quantify the relative importance of human land use and protected areas as opposed to biophysical constraints on large mammal distribution. We analyze data on large mammal distribution to quantify the relative effect of anthropogenic variables on species' distribution as opposed to biophysical constraints. We finally assess the effect of anthropogenic variables on the size of the species' niche by simulating a scenario where we assumed no anthropogenic pressure on the landscape. Results show that large mammal distribution is primarily constrained by biophysical constraints rather than anthropogenic variables. This finding offers grounds for cautious optimism concerning wildlife conservation in the Anthropocene.

• Kauffman, Matthew J.; Aikens, Ellen O.; Esmaeili, Saeideh; Kaczensky, Petra; Middleton, Arthur & Monteith, Kevin L. [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2021). Causes, Consequences, and Conservation of Ungulate Migration. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics. ISSN 1543-592X. 52, p. 453–478. doi: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-012021-011516. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Our understanding of ungulate migration is advancing rapidly due to innovations in modern animal tracking. Herein, we review and synthesize nearly seven decades of work on migration and other long-distance movements of wild ungulates. Although it has long been appreciated that ungulates migrate to enhance access to forage, recent contributions demonstrate that their movements are fine tuned to dynamic landscapes where forage, snow, and drought change seasonally. Researchers are beginning to understand how ungulates navigate migrations, with the emerging view that animals blend gradient tracking with spatial memory, some of which is socially learned. Although migration often promotes abundant populations—with broad effects on ecosystems—many migrations around the world have been lost or are currently threatened by habitat fragmentation, climate change, and barriers to movement. Fortunately, new efforts that use empirical tracking data to map migrations in detail are facilitating effective conservation measures to maintain ungulate migration. animal tracking, barriers to movement, cultural knowledge, green-wave surfing, phenology, spatial memory, connectivity

• Šturm, Martina Burnik; Smith, Steve; Ganbaatar, Oyunsaikhan; Buuveibaatar, Bayarbaatar; Balint, Boglarka & Payne, John C. [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2021). Isotope analysis combined with DNA barcoding provide new insights into the dietary niche of khulan in the Mongolian Gobi. PLOS ONE. 16(3). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248294. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  With increasing livestock numbers, competition and avoidance are increasingly shaping resource availability for wild ungulates. Shifts in the dietary niche of wild ungulates are likely and can be expected to negatively affect their fitness. The Mongolian Gobi constitutes the largest remaining refuge for several threatened ungulates, but unprecedentedly high livestock numbers are sparking growing concerns over rangeland health and impacts on threatened ungulates like the Asiatic wild ass (khulan). Previous stable isotope analysis of khulan tail hair from the Dzungarian Gobi suggested that they graze in summer but switch to a poorer mixed C3 grass / C4 shrub diet in winter, most likely in reaction to local herders and their livestock. Here we attempt to validate these findings with a different methodology, DNA metabarcoding. Further, we extend the scope of the original study to the South Gobi Region, where we expect higher proportions of low-quality browse in the khulan winter diet due to a higher human and livestock presence. Barcoding confirmed the assumptions behind the seasonal diet change observed in the Dzungarian Gobi isotope data, and new isotope analysis revealed a strong seasonal pattern and higher C4 plant intake in the South Gobi Region, in line with our expectations. However, DNA barcoding revealed C4 domination of winter diet was due to C4 grasses (rather than shrubs) for the South Gobi Region. Slight climatic differences result in regional shifts in the occurrence of C3 and C4 grasses and shrubs, which do not allow for an isotopic separation along the grazer-browser continuum over the entire Gobi. Our findings do not allow us to confirm human impacts upon dietary preferences in khulan as we lack seasonal samples from the South Gobi Region. However, these data provide novel insight into khulan diet, raise new questions about plant availability versuspreference, and provide a cautionary tale about indirect analysis methods if used in isolation or extrapolated to the landscape level. Good concordance between relative read abundance of C4 genera from barcoding and proportion of C4 plants from isotope analysis adds to a growing body of evidence that barcoding is a promising quantitative tool to understand resource partitioning in ungulates.

• Dayaram, Anisha; Seeber, Peter A; Courtiol, Alexandre; Soilemetzidou, Sanatana-Eirini; Tsangaras, Kyriakos & Franz, Mathias [Show all 15 contributors for this article] (2021). Seasonal host and ecological drivers may promote restricted water as a viral vector. Science of the Total Environment. ISSN 0048-9697. 773. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145446. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In climates with seasonally limited precipitation, terrestrial animals congregate at high densities at scarce water sources. We hypothesize that viruses can exploit the recurrence of these diverse animal congrega- tions to spread. In this study, we test the central prediction of this hypothesis — that viruses employing this transmission strategy remain stable and infectious in water. Equid herpesviruses (EHVs) were cho- sen as a model as they have been shown to remain stable and infectious in water for weeks under labo- ratory conditions. Using fecal data from wild equids from a previous study, we establish that EHVs are shed more frequently by their hosts during the dry season, increasing the probability of water source contamination with EHV. We document the presence of several strains of EHVs present in high genome copy number from the surface water and sediments of waterholes sampled across a variety of mamma- lian assemblages, locations, temperatures and pH. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that the different EHV strains found exhibit little divergence despite representing ancient lineages. We employed molecular approaches to show that EHVs shed remain stable in waterholes with detection decreasing with increas- ing temperature in sediments. Infectivity experiments using cell culture reveals that EHVs remain infectious in water derived from waterholes. The results are supportive of water as an abiotic viral vector for EHV. water, viral transmission, Equine herpesviruses, viral emergence, Wast Africa, Central Asia

• Kaczensky, Petra; Gantulga, G.; Lkhagvasuren, D.; Boldgiv, B.; Ganbaatar, O. & Altansukh, N. [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2021). First experience with a camera collar in a free-ranging Przewalski’s horse group in the Mongolian Gobi. Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei. ISSN 0440-1298. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Remote sensing and satellite telemetry have allowed us to greatly expand our understanding of how species use various the landscapes, even in remote settings. However, remotely collecting data also harbours the risk of losing “touch with the ground”. We explore the possibility of the additional insight cameras integrated in GPS‐satellite collars can provide for the behaviour and ecology of freeranging Przewalski’s horse in the remote Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area in south‐eastern Mongolia. Over a 91‐day period the camera collected 1,080 images. 62% of the images showed Przewalski’s horses and provided insights into behavior and grouping patterns and can supplement indirect measures of behavior from acceleration sensors. Other images provided first information on insect harassment and show the potential of images for ground‐truthing environmental conditions, e.g. the occurrence of rainfall. The potential for camera collars as an additional tool to study largebodied ungulates in remote ecosystems seems really promising, although this relatively new technology seems still prone to technical failures. Animal‐borne camera system, Behaviour, Equus ferus przewalskii, social organisation, Gobi Desert, ground truthing, Mongolia, nomadic movements, Przewalski’s horse, remote data collection

• Linnell, John Durrus; Cretois, Benjamin; Nilsen, Erlend Birkeland; Rolandsen, Christer Moe; Solberg, Erling Johan & Veiberg, Vebjørn [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2020). The challenges and opportunities of coexisting with wild ungulates in the human-dominated landscapes of Europe's Anthropocene. Biological Conservation. ISSN 0006-3207. 244:108500, p. 1–12. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108500. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The cumulative impact of human activities has driven many species into severe declines across the globe. However, the recent focus on conservation optimism has begun to highlight case studies that go against this trend. Reforestation, agricultural abandonment, reintroduction and legislative change have led to a situation where large mammals have recovered and are now widespread across the European continent. This study summarizes the knowledge about wild ungulate distribution in Europe and review the diversity of ways in which they interact with humans. Drawn from a wide range of sources, we built distribution maps of European wild ungulates. Results show that 90% of Europe is home to at least 1 species of wild native ungulate, with roe deer and wild boar occupying 74% and 64% of Europe respectively. In contrast, wild native mountain ungulates only occupy 5% of Europe, and are often associated with protected areas. The wide distribution of most European ungulates combined with the extensive human activity within Europe result in a wide range of interactions between ungulates and humans. These interactions can be classified as services or disservices depending on the value orientation and economic position of the various stakeholders perceiving this relationship. Overall, our survey highlights the success of wildlife management policies in Europe and the potential for continental scale conservation of large mammals in human-dominated landscapes. However, maintaining the success of wild ungulate conservation requires actions from national and European institutions to improve coordinated management across jurisdictional borders and sectorial coordination for the whole landscape.

• Gliga, Diana S.; Petrova, Natalia; Linnell, John Durrus; Salemgareyev, Albert R.; Zuther, Steffen & Walzer, Chris [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2020). Dynamics of gastro-inestinal strongyle parasites in a group of translocated, wild-captured asiatic wild asses in Kazakhstan. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. 7. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2020.598371. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Asiatic wild ass (Kulan, Equus hemionus) population range and numbers became severely reduced and a reintroduction project is currently aiming to re-establish a population in the Central Steppe of Kazakhstan. Pre-emptive deworming is often recommended for equid translocations but eliminating parasites prior to translocation could cause disruptions in a balanced host-parasite relationship, adding an additional stressor to an already stressful intervention involving capture, transport, and adaptation to a new environment. Following a disease risk assessment, we decided against pre-emptive deworming and focused on monitoring the first group of nine translocated kulan in a large acclimatization enclosure prior to release. Over the 5-month acclimatization period, we regularly collected fecal samples and analyzed the shedding intensity of gastro-intestinal parasite eggs, obtained time budgets through behavioral observations, and visually assessed body condition. We identified strongyles (Strongylinae and Cyathostominae) and pinworms (Oxyuris equi) in fecal samples. All individuals shed strongyle eggs and two of the nine individuals had higher shedding intensities, but rarely reached levels for which deworming is recommended. All kulan appeared healthy throughout the observation period, aggressive interactions were very rare, and time budgets were very similar and dominated by feeding. Our results suggest that in translocation projects where the risk of introducing new parasites is minimal, pre-emptive treatment in wild equids can be replaced with non-invasivemonitoring during the acclimatization period.We acknowledge that the small number of kulan, the large size of the enclosure, and the low temperatures during the animals stay in the acclimatization enclosure may all have reduced infestation pressure. Asiatic wild ass, Equus hemionus kulan, gastro-intestinal parasites, reintroduction, fecal egg count, strongyles

• Noonan, Michael J.; Fleming, Christen H.; Tucker, Marlee A.; Kays, Roland; Harrison, Autumn-Lynn & Crofoot, Margaret C* [Show all 60 contributors for this article] (2020). Effects of body size on estimation of mammalian area requirements. Conservation Biology. ISSN 0888-8892. 34(4). doi: 10.1111/cobi.13495. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Accurately quantifying species’ area requirements is a prerequisite for effective area-based conservation. This typically involves collecting tracking data on species of interest and then conducting home-range analyses. Problematically, autocorrelation in tracking data can result in space needs being severely underestimated. Based on the previous work, we hypothesized the magnitude of underestimation varies with body mass, a relationship that could have serious conservation implications. To evaluate this hypothesis for terrestrial mammals, we estimated home-range areas with global positioning system (GPS) locations from 757 individuals across 61 globally distributed mammalian species with body masses ranging from 0.4 to 4000 kg. We then applied block cross-validation to quantify bias in empirical home-range estimates. Area requirements of mammals <10 kg were underestimated by a mean approximately15%, and species weighing approximately100 kg were underestimated by approximately50% on average. Thus, we found area estimation was subject to autocorrelation-induced bias that was worse for large species. Combined with the fact that extinction risk increases as body mass increases, the allometric scaling of bias we observed suggests the most threatened species are also likely to be those with the least accurate home-range estimates. As a correction, we tested whether data thinning or autocorrelation-informed home-range estimation minimized the scaling effect of autocorrelation on area estimates. Data thinning required an approximately93% data loss to achieve statistical independence with 95% confidence and was, therefore, not a viable solution. In contrast, autocorrelation-informed home-range estimation resulted in consistently accurate estimates irrespective of mass. When relating body mass to home range size, we detected that correcting for autocorrelation resulted in a scaling exponent significantly >1, meaning the scaling of the relationship changed substantially at the upper end of the mass spectrum.

• Payne, John C.; Buuveibaatar, Bayarbaatar; Bowler, Diana Elizabeth; Olson, Kirk A.; Walzer, Chris & Kaczensky, Petra (2020). Hidden treasure of the Gobi: understanding how water limits range use of khulan in the Mongolian Gobi. Scientific Reports. 10. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-59969-2. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Most large herbivores in arid landscapes need to drink which constrains their movements and makes them vulnerable to disturbance. Asiatic wild ass or khulan (Equus hemionus) were widespread and abundant throughout the arid landscapes of Central Asia and Mongolia, but have undergone dramatic population declines and range constrictions; denying khulan access to water is believed to have played a major role. Mongolia’s South Gobi Region now houses the world largest remaining khulan population, but is undergoing rapid land use changes. Khulan water use is poorly understood, largely due to the difficulty of mapping waterpoints used by khulan throughout their exceptionally large ranges, prone to high variations in precipitation. We used the special movement path characteristics of GPS tagged khulan to show us where water is located. We identified 367 waterpoints, 53 of which were of population importance, characterized the seasonal and circadian use, and identified snow cover as the most important variable predicting khulan visits during the non-growing season, and vegetation greenness during the growing season. Our results provide a data layer to help guide a regional khulan conservation strategy, allow predictions for other part of the global khulan range, and illustrates the overall importance of waterpoints for dryland herbivores.

• Soilemetzidou, Eirini S.; Bruin, Erwin de; Eschke, Kathrin; Azab, Walid; Osterrieder, Nikolaus & Czirják, Gábor Á. [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2020). Bearing the brunt: Mongolian khulan (Equus hemionus hemionus) are exposed to multiple influenza A strains. Veterinary Microbiology. ISSN 0378-1135. 242, p. 1–5. doi: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2020.108605. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The majority of influenza A virus strains are hosted in nature by avian species in the orders of Anseriformes and Charadriformes. A minority of strains have been able to cross species boundaries and establish themselves in novel non-avian hosts. Influenza viruses of horses, donkeys, and mules represent such successful events of avian to mammal influenza virus adaptation. Mongolia has over 3 million domestic horses and is home to two wild equids, the Asiatic wild ass or khulan (Equus hemionus hemionus), and Przewalski’s horse (Equus ferus przewalskii). Domestic and wild equids are sympatric across most of their range in Mongolia. Epizootic influenza A virus outbreaks among Mongolian domestic horses have been frequently recorded. However, the exposure, circulation and relation to domestic horse influenza A virus outbreaks among wild equids is unknown. We evaluated serum samples of Asiatic wild asses in Mongolia for antibodies against influenza A viruses, using modified protein microarray technique. We detected antibodies against hemagglutinin (H) H1, H3, H5, H7, H8 and H10 influenza A viruses. Asiatic wild asses may represent a previously unidentified influenza A virus reservoir in an ecosystem shared with populations of domestic horses in which influenza strains circulate.

• Noonan, Michael J.; Fleming, Christen H.; Tucker, Marlee A.; Kays, Roland; Harrison, Autumn-Lynn & Crofoot, Margaret C. [Show all 79 contributors for this article] (2020). Effects of body size on estimation of mammalian area requirements. Conservation Biology. ISSN 0888-8892. doi: 10.1111/cobi.13495. Full text in Research Archive
• Kaczensky, Petra; Khaliun, Sanchir; Payne, John; Boldgiv, Bazartseren; Buuveibaatar, Bayarbaatar & Walzer, Chris (2019). Through the eye of a Gobi khulan – Application of camera collars for ecological research of far-ranging species in remote and highly variable ecosystems. PLOS ONE. 14(6). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217772. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The Mongolian Gobi-Eastern Steppe Ecosystem is one of the largest remaining natural drylands and home to a unique assemblage of migratory ungulates. Connectivity and integrity of this ecosystem are at risk if increasing human activities are not carefully planned and regulated. The Gobi part supports the largest remaining population of the Asiatic wild ass (Equus hemionus; locally called “khulan”). Individual khulan roam over areas of thousands of square kilometers and the scale of their movements is among the largest described for terrestrial mammals, making them particularly difficult to monitor. Although GPS satellite telemetry makes it possible to track animals in near-real time and remote sensing provides environmental data at the landscape scale, remotely collected data also harbors the risk of missing important abiotic or biotic environmental variables or life history events. We tested the potential of animal born camera systems (“camera collars”) to improve our understanding of the drivers and limitations of khulan movements. Deployment of a camera collar on an adult khulan mare resulted in 7,881 images over a one-year period. Over half of the images showed other khulan and 1,630 images showed enough of the collared khulan to classify the behaviour of the animals seen into several main categories. These khulan images provided us with: i) new insights into important life history events and grouping dynamics, ii) allowed us to calculate time budgets for many more animals than the collared khulan alone, and iii) provided us with a training dataset for calibrating data from accelerometer and tilt sensors in the collar. The images also allowed to document khulan behaviour near infrastructure and to obtain a day-time encounter rate between a specific khulan with semi-nomadic herders and their livestock. Lastly, the images allowed us to ground truth the availability of water by: i) confirming waterpoints predicted from other analyses, ii) detecting new waterpoints, and iii) compare precipitation records for rain and snow from landscape scale climate products with those documented by the camera collar. We discuss the added value of deploying camera collars on a subset of animals in remote, highly variable ecosystems for research and conservation.

• Huber, Nikolaus; Marasco, Valeria; Painer, Johanna; Vetter, Sebastian G.; Göritz, Frank & Kaczensky, Petra [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2019). Leukocyte coping capacity: an integrative parameter for wildlife welfare within conservation interventions. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. 6. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2019.00105. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Wildlife management, conservation interventions and wildlife research programs often involve capture, manipulation and transport of wild animals. Widespread empirical evidence across various vertebrate taxa shows that handling wildlife generally induces a severe stress response resulting in increased stress levels. The inability of individuals to appropriately respond to rapidly changing environmental conditions during and after manipulations may have deleterious and long-lasting implications on animal welfare. Therefore, mitigating stress responses in the frame of conservation interventions is a key animal welfare factor. However, we have a poor understanding of the metrics to adequately assess and monitor the dynamic physiological changes that animals undergo when subjected to stressful procedures in wild or captive conditions. A growing number of studies provide good evidence for reciprocal interactions between immune processes and stress. Here, we review the existing literature on a relatively new technique—Leukocyte Coping Capacity (LCC), a proxy for stress quantifying oxygen radical production by leukocytes. We discuss the strength and weaknesses of this immunological approach to evaluate stress, the individual capacity to cope with stress and the resulting potential implications for animal welfare. Additionally we present new data on LCC in captive roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) under long-time anesthesia and free-ranging Asiatic wild asses (Kulan; Equus hemionus kulan) were LCC was used to assess stress levels in animals captured for a reintroduction project. stress, leukocyte coping capacity, endocrine-immune interaction, animal welfare, wildlife management, conservation interventions

• Joly, Kyle; Gurarie, Eliezer; Sorum, Mathew S.; Kaczensky, Petra; Cameron, Matthew D. & Jakes, Andrew F . [Show all 17 contributors for this article] (2019). Longest terrestrial migrations and movements around the world. Scientific Reports. 9(1). doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-51884-5. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Long-distance terrestrial migrations are imperiled globally. We determined both round-trip migration distances (straight-line measurements between migratory end points) and total annual movement (sum of the distances between successive relocations over a year) for a suite of large mammals that had potential for long-distance movements to test which species displayed the longest of both. We found that caribou likely do exhibit the longest terrestrial migrations on the planet, but, over the course of a year, gray wolves move the most. Our results were consistent with the trophic-level based hypothesis that predators would move more than their prey. Herbivores in low productivity environments moved more than herbivores in more productive habitats. We also found that larger members of the same guild moved less than smaller members, supporting the ‘gastro-centric’ hypothesis. A better understanding of migration and movements of large mammals should aid in their conservation by helping delineate conservation area boundaries and determine priority corridors for protection to preserve connectivity. The magnitude of the migrations and movements we documented should also provide guidance on the scale of conservation efforts required and assist conservation planning across agency and even national boundaries.

• Arbieu, Ugo; Mehring, Marion; Bunnefeld, Nils; Kaczensky, Petra; Reinhardt, Ilka & Ansorge, Hermann [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2019). Attitudes towards returning wolves (Canis lupus) in Germany: Exposure, information sources and trust matter. Biological Conservation. ISSN 0006-3207. 234, p. 202–210. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2019.03.027. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Understanding how exposure and information affect public attitudes towards returning large carnivores in Europe is critical for human-carnivore coexistence, especially for developing efficient and de-escalating communication strategies. The ongoing recolonization of wolves (Canis lupus) in Germany provides a unique opportunity to test the role of different information sources and trust on people's attitudes towards wolves. We conducted a phone survey (n=1250) and compared country-wide attitudes towards wolves with attitudes in a specific region where wolves initially recolonized and have been present since 2000. In particular, we investigate the relationship between information sources, trust and people's attitudes while accounting for factors like knowledge, exposure and socio-cultural determinants of respondents. We found significant differences in attitudes and knowledge about wolves as well as in the use and frequency of information sources between the two population samples. Higher knowledge, information from books and films, science-based information, and higher trust in information sources related positively with positive attitudes towards wolves. Comparatively, information from press or TV news was associated with more negative attitudes. Providing science-based information to the public and building trust in information is likely to be one measure, among others, to dampen extreme attitudes and improve people's appreciation of costs and benefits of human-carnivore coexistence. Management of conflictual situations emerging from large carnivore recolonization in Europe and beyond should consider incorporating assessments of people's use of and trust in information in addition to existing tools to pave new ways for constructive human-carnivore coexistence.

• Nandintsetseg, Dejid; Bracis, Chloe; Leimgruber, Peter; Kaczensky, Petra; Buuveibaatar, Bayarbaatar & Lkhagvasuren, Badamjav [Show all 17 contributors for this article] (2019). Variability in nomadism: environmental gradients modulate the movement behaviors of dryland ungulates. Ecosphere. 10:e02924(11), p. 1–13. doi: 10.1002/ecs2.2924. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Studying nomadic animal movement across species and ecosystems is essential for better understanding variability in nomadism. In arid environments, unpredictable changes in water and forage resources are known drivers of nomadic movements. Water resources vary temporally but are often spatially stationary, whereas foraging resources are often both temporally and spatially variable. These differences may lead to different types of nomadic movements: forage- vs. water-driven nomadism. Our study investigates these two different types of nomadism in relation to resource gradients from mesic steppe to xeric desert environments in Mongolia’s Gobi-Steppe Ecosystem. We hypothesized that in the desert, where water is a key resource, animals are more water-dependent and may show water-driven nomadism with frequent revisits to spatially fixed resources, while in the steppe, animals are less water-dependent and may show forage-driven nomadism, tracking high-quality foraging patches with infrequent revisits to previously used resources. We utilized GPS movement data from 40 individuals of four ungulate species (Mongolian gazelle, goitered gazelle, saiga antelope, and Asiatic wild ass) in the Gobi-Steppe Ecosystem. We calculated displacement distances and recursion metrics and subsequently performed a principal component analysis to quantify the variation in movement patterns. The satellite-derived vegetation greenness served as a proxy for the resource gradient and was associated with variation in movement behaviors described by the first principal component, demonstrating that the variability in movements was closely related to the resource gradient from mesic to xeric habitats.We showed that ungulates in the resource-rich steppe tended to move long distances with few revisits (forage-driven nomadism), while ungulates in the resource-poor desert tended to move shorter distances with more revisits (water-driven nomadism). Our results suggest that xeric and mesic habitats promote different types of nomadic strategies. These results have important implications for conservation strategies: Forage-driven nomads primarily require a high degree of landscape-level permeability, and water-driven nomads additionally require the protection of ephemeral water bodies and actions to maintain the functional connectivity between them. animal movement; arid; forage; nomadism; recursion; resource; ungulate; water

• Hofman, M. P. G.; Hayward, M.W.; Heim, Morten; Marchand, P.; Rolandsen, Christer Moe & Mattisson, Jenny [Show all 118 contributors for this article] (2019). Right on track? Performance of satellite telemetry in terrestrial wildlife research. PLOS ONE. 14:e0216223(5), p. 1–26. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0216223. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Satellite telemetry is an increasingly utilized technology in wildlife research, and current devices can track individual animal movements at unprecedented spatial and temporal resolutions. However, as we enter the golden age of satellite telemetry, we need an in-Depth understanding of the main technological, species-specific and environmental factors that determine the success and failure of satellite tracking devices across species and habitats. Here, we assess the relative influence of such factors on the ability of satellite telemetry units to provide the expected amount and quality of data by analyzing data from over 3,000 devices deployed on 62 terrestrial species in 167 projects worldwide. We evaluate the success rate in obtaining GPS fixes as well as in transferring these fixes to the user and we evaluate failure rates. Average fix success and data transfer rates were high and were generally better predicted by species and unit characteristics, while environmental characteristics influenced the variability of performance. However, 48% of the unit deployments ended prematurely, half of them due to technical failure. Nonetheless, this study shows that the performance of satellite telemetry applications has shown improvements over time, and based on our findings, we provide further recommendations for both users and manufacturers.

• Kaczensky, Petra; Payne, J.C.; Ganbaatar, O.; Altansukh, N. & Walzer, Ch. (2019). Water use by khulan in the Dzungarian Gobi in SW Mongolia. Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei. ISSN 0440-1298. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Water is the lifeline for the world’s drylands and the key for the distribution of water-dependent equids like khulan. We developed a simple algorithm using khulan tracks from GPS telemetry to identify waterpoints. This approach allowed us to obtain the first landscape-scale information on the use of waterpoints by khulan in Great Gobi B SPA. We discuss the merits and limitations of the algorithm and the implication for landscape level conservation. Equus hemionus, behaviour, GPS satellite telemetry, Gobi Desert, Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area, ground truthing, Mongolia, waterpoints

• Nandintsetseg, Dejid; Bracis, Chloe; Olson, Kirk A.; Böhning-Gaese, Katrin; Calabrese, Justin M. & Chimeddorj, Buyanaa [Show all 14 contributors for this article] (2019). Challenges in the conservation of wide-ranging nomadic species. Journal of Applied Ecology. ISSN 0021-8901. 56(8), p. 1916–1926. doi: 10.1111/1365-2664.13380. Full text in Research Archive
• Costantini, David; Seeber, Peter A.; Soilemetzidou, Sanatana-Eirini; Azab, Walid; Bohner, Julia & Buuveibaata, Bayarbaatar [Show all 19 contributors for this article] (2018). Physiological costs of infection: herpesvirus replication is linked to blood oxidative stress in equids. Scientific Reports. 8:10347, p. 1–10. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-28688-0. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Viruses may have a dramatic impact on the health of their animal hosts. The patho-physiological mechanisms underlying viral infections in animals are, however, not well understood. It is increasingly recognized that oxidative stress may be a major physiological cost of viral infections. Here we compare three blood-based markers of oxidative status in herpes positive and negative individuals of the domestic horse (Equus ferus caballus) and of both captive and free-ranging Mongolian khulan (Equus hemionus hemionus) and plains zebra (Equus quagga). Herpes positive free-ranging animals had significantly moreprotein oxidative damage and lower glutathione peroxidase (antioxidant enzyme) than negative ones, providing correlative support for a link between oxidative stress and herpesvirus infection in free-living equids. Conversely, we found weak evidence for oxidative stress in herpes positive captive animals. Hence our work indicates that environment (captive versus free living) might affect the physiological response of equids to herpesvirus infection. The Mongolian khulan and the plains zebra are currently classified as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Thus, understanding health impacts of pathogens on these species is critical to maintaining viable captive and wild populations.

• Kaczensky, Petra; Kovtun, Ekaterina; Habibrakhmanov, Rustam; Hemami, Mahmoud‑Reza; Khaleghi, Amirhossein & Linnell, John Durrus [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2018). Genetic characterization of free-ranging Asiatic wild ass in Central Asia as a basis for future conservation strategies. Conservation Genetics. ISSN 1566-0621. 19(5), p. 1169–1184. doi: 10.1007/s10592-018-1086-3. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Loss of genetic diversity due to drift and inbreeding reduces a population’s ability to respond to environmental change and may result in inbreeding depression. The Asiatic wild ass (Equus hemionus), regionally also known as Gobi khulan, Turkmen kulan, or Persian onager, has become confined to less than 3% of its historic distribution range. Remaining populations in Central Asia outside of the Mongolian Gobi are small and fragmented. Questions concerning subpopulation status remain disputed and concerns over the viability of these populations have been raised because of small size, past bottlenecks, or recent founder events. We used non-invasive faecal samples to assess the genetic diversity and divergence among Turkmen kulan and Persian onager from five free-ranging and one captive population from Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Iran and compared their genetic constitution to the large autochthonous population in the Mongolian Gobi. We observed loss of genetic diversity (drift and inbreeding) in the captive and reintroduced populations as well as in one rapidly declining autochthonous population. Population differentiation and structure using microsatellites and mtDNA based phylogenetic analysis do not support the current separation of the autochthonous populations of Turkmen kulan and Persian onager into different subspecies, but rather suggest a cline with the Iranian population in Bahram-e-Goor at the southern end and the Turkmen population in Badhyz at the northern end falling into two distinct clusters, and the northern Iranian population in Touran being intermediate. We compare our findings to other population genetics studies of equids and discuss the implications of our findings for the future conservation of the Asiatic wild ass in the region. Asiatic wild ass · Equus hemionus · Microsatellites · MtDNA · Inbreeding · Reintroduction

• Tucker, Marlee A.; Böhning-Gaese, Katrin; Fagan, William F.; Fryxell, John M.; Moorter, Bram Van & Alberts, Susan C. [Show all 115 contributors for this article] (2018). Moving in the Anthropocene: Global reductions in terrestrial mammalian movements. Science. ISSN 0036-8075. 359(6374), p. 466–469. doi: 10.1126/science.aam9712. Full text in Research Archive
• Lkhagvasuren, D; Batsaikhan, N; Fagan, William F; Ghandakly, EC; Kaczensky, Petra & Müller, T [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2018). First assessment of the population structure of the Asiatic wild ass in Mongolia. European Journal of Wildlife Research. ISSN 1612-4642. 64(1), p. 1–6. doi: 10.1007/s10344-017-1162-x. Full text in Research Archive
• Calabrese, Justin M.; Fleming, Christen H.; Fagan, William F.; Rimmler, Martin; Kaczensky, Petra & Bewick, Sharon [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2018). Disentangling social interactions and environmental drivers in multi-individual wildlife tracking data. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences. ISSN 0962-8436. 373. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0007. Full text in Research Archive

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• Kaczensky, Petra; Haury, L.; Bartl, P.; Dakinbayr, U.; Tsogtdelger, B. & Altansukh, N. (2026). Glimpses into the Secret Life of Wildlife in the Gobi using camera traps at water points in Great Gobi B SPA in SW Mongolia. doi: https:/storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/10e7bb289b6c4924841af80aadaeee00. Full text in Research Archive
• R., Schnidrig,; Kaczensky, Petra; G., Oyunsaikhan,; O., Baast,; D., Ganbold, & B., Radnaabazar, [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2025). New development plans posing a threat to Great Gobi A SPA and its ecological integrity. Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei. ISSN 0440-1298. 15, p. 35–44. doi: https:/digitalcommons.unl.edu/biolmongol/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area (SPA), Mongolia's largest protected area (size: 46,333 km²) is of high national and international importance for biodiversity conservation. It is home of several critically endangered species, including the Wild Bactrian Camel, the Gobi Bear, and various other threatened and migratory large mammal species. Established in 1975 and designated as a UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve in 1991, the SPA plays a vital role, both nationally and globally, in preserving wildlife and maintaining ecological integrity. Additionally, the area provides essential ecosystem services, including water and soil retention, as well as carbon sequestration. Since 2014, it has been listed on the Tentative List for UNESCO World Heritage status and is currently undergoing the formal nomination process. However, proposed infrastructure development, such as re-opening the decommissioned local border crossing at Naransevstei to develop an international export hub, pose a serious threat to this protected desert refuge. This article outlines the global and national value of maintaining an intact Great Gobi A SPA and what might be at stake if the Naransevstei border crossing is re-opened and a new transport corridor and associated infrastructure are implemented.

• M., Michler, L.; C., Treydte, A.; D., Buyantogtokh, & Kaczensky, Petra (2025). Through the eyes of a herder - Pilot project on using herders as citizen scientists in Great Gobi B strictly protected area in Mongolia. Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei. ISSN 0440-1298. 15, p. 49–58. doi: https:/digitalcommons.unl.edu/biolmongol/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Citizen science can contribute to conservation through data collection and increased public awareness. Especially in protected areas, where human and financial resources are often scarce, data collection with the help of locals has the potential to support monitoring. We tested paper diaries and small digital cameras as a tool to involve herders as community-based rangers in the Great Gobi B strictly protected area, Mongolia. Here, we reported the results of one herder who collected wildlife data over seven months as an example to show that his frequent wildlife sightings provide complementary information to data collected by rangers or scientists. However, using a diary requires a high degree of commitment by the herder and is labour intensive to transcribe into a digital form and the practicality of digital cameras is limited due to the lack of digital storage space. Therefore, we recommend to test this technology further by developing an application (app) to be used on the herder’s smartphones, which can collect data and images and store it in a cloud database.

• Smedbold, Hedda; Jahren, Torfinn; Kaczensky, Petra & Demeilliers, Clémence (2025). On the trail of the fox. [Internet]. University of Inland Norway. doi: https:/www.inn.no/english/about-inn/faculty-of-applied-ecology-agricultural-sciences-a/news-from-alb/trail-of-the-fox/index.html. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Experience gained from field work. 26 international students are searching for traces of foxes. They are doing this to map the impact that wind farms in the forest have on wildlife.

• Smedbold, Hedda; Kaczensky, Petra & Goedbloed, Fay (2025). Saving the wild horse - University of Inland Norway. [Internet]. University of Inland Norway. doi: https:/www.inn.no/english/about-inn/faculty-of-applied-ecology-agricultural-sciences-a/news-from-alb/mongolia-internship/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Through dedicated staff and research-focused courses, ecology students at the University of Inland Norway get the opportunity to do an internship in the Mongolian Gobi where they help to save the Przewalski's horse – the only remaining wild horse species.

• Kaczensky, Petra; Lkhagvasuren, Davaa & Altansukh, Nanjid (2025). Where do the gazelles go? Movement patterns of goitered gazelles in Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area. doi: https:/storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/ab78d901cdf54ddba7cfce760a7189a1. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) is a small gazelle of 30-40kg body weight found throughout the dryland plains of Asia from Azerbaijan and Iraq in the west to Mongolia in the east. Although the range is large, the global distribution is not as continuous as generally shown and both distribution and numbers are believed to be decreasing. The species is assessed as vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The Mongolian Gobi likely houses the largest population, with >30,000 individuals in the South Gobi Region alone. An additional 10,000 to 13,000 gazelles are estimated to be found in the Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area (SPA) in the Dzungarian Gobi in south-western Mongolia. In Great Gobi B, the species shows seasonal variation in group size and distribution, but it is unclear if movements are coordinated at the population level or vary between individuals and whether gazelles migrate beyond the boundaries of the SPA and if so where to. The harsh climate with summer temperatures of up to 40 o C and winter temperatures of up to -40 o C also pose a significant challenge for thermoregulation, especially for a small ungulate such as the goitered gazelle. Extreme winters (“dzuds”) may result in avoidance movements and/or high mortalities – but carcasses of the small gazelles are hard to find and disappear quickly.

• Adiya, Yadamsuren & Kaczensky, Petra (2025). Wild Camel: Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area, Mongolia. doi: https:/jellyfish-app-li2vd.ondigitalocean.app/data/factSheets/WildCamel_GreatGobi_MNG.pdf. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Wild camels used to be found throughout the vast deserts of Central Asia, but today they survive in just four isolated populations in China and Mongolia. Fewer than 700 camels remain in the Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area (SPA). Living in one of the harshest desert environments on earth, they depend on the ability to migrate vast distances to exploit ephemeral water sources and forage. Satellite telemetry and GPS tracking data from a limited sample revealed that wild camels can move enormous distances and inhabit extremely large home ranges. Wild camels’ movements are generally considered nomadic, but research suggests some seasonally driven patterns. Wild camels may move to take advantage of rare precipitation events (such as early snows in the winter) and travel long distances to locate water and vegetation around spring oases, as well as to circumnavigate steep slopes. Some studies suggest that the space use of camels is restricted to core areas in spring, summer and autumn, but their distribution can vary greatly during winter, presumably in response to winter severity. Because the animals are rare and highly sensitive to human disturbance, much remains unknown about their movement patterns and behavior.

• Kaczensky, Petra; S.R.B., King,; S., Esmaeili, & P.D., Moehlman, (2025). Equus hemionus. doi: https:/jellyfish-app-li2vd.ondigitalocean.app/data/factSheets/Khulan_SouthernGobi_MNG.pdf. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Equus hemionus is assessed as Near Threatened (NT) A3bcd, approaching Vulnerable (VU), as a population decline of at least 20% is projected over the next three generations, based on old prevailing and newly emerging risks. The species has been extirpated from 95% of its historic range due to land conversion, overhunting, and agriculture. These threats remain, with new threats of increasing livestock numbers leading to degraded pastures and competition with pastoralists and increasing infrastructure development preventing nomadic movements. Infrastructure development includes land conversion to mining or human-use areas and linear infrastructure. All threats will be exacerbated by effects of climate change affecting habitat. The majority of Asiatic Wild Ass live in Mongolia, where the population will be affected by existing and emerging threats. All other populations are small and isolated. The potential for rapid reduction of Asiatic Wild Ass populations in the absence of sufficient protections has been demonstrated by the extinction of the population in Badhyz, Turkmenistan.

• Jamiyandorj, Batsukh; Bazarsad, Chimed-Ochir; Purev-Ochir, Gankhuyag; Kaczensky, Petra; Knapp, Hans-Dieter & Wunderlich, Jens [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2025). Mongolian Gobi - World Heritage Nomination Dossier for Inscription on the World Heritage List. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The serial nomination encompasses 6 component parts consisting of 6 protected areas in 3 clusters in Mongolia. Each component part represents a respective protected area. Some protected areas are under the same management. Eej Khairkhan Natural Monument is managed by Great Gobi SPA “A”. Alag Khairkhan Mountain Nature Reserve is managed by Great Gobi SPA “B”. Small Gobi SPA “A” and Small Gobi SPA “B” are under one joint management. With about 2.5 million km² in size Central Asia is the largest of these regions, which form the biome of cold winter deserts, a complex of diverse geological substrates, geomorphological forms, vegetation types, plant life and wildlife adapted to the extreme climate conditions. A peculiarity of the Mongolian Gobi is given by its elevation a.s.l, isolation by surrounding mountain ranges and distance from oceans. Five ecoregions form the Gobi desert, they cover 1.56 million km² and spanning 2,300 km from West to East and 800 km from North to South. One of the world’s most iconic deserts, the Gobi is a functioning, healthy ecosystem home to spectacular landscapes. The serial nomination contains six component parts in three clusters in the Mongolian Gobi. All of them are protected areas with high degree of integrity, well organized protection and management structures. The series includes nearly all ecological-physiographic vegetation types as well as the main desert zones in a gradient from West to East including all biogeographical districts of the Mongolian Gobi. All component parts are located within Udvardys 1975 Takla-Makan-Gobi Desert Biome. The extreme remoteness and the wideness, the grandeur and integrity of the Gobi landscape, the vast extension without technical infrastructure are of highest value at a global scale. Mongolia, and in particular the Mongolian Gobi is the world’s least densely populated region on earth. Having in mind the sheer size of the nominated property of almost 8,5 mln ha, without a single paved road, it is bold statement on conservation at a global scale. The nominated property Mongolian Gobi closes another gap in the World Heritage List, from ecosystems as well as from regional point of view. The area covered by the component parts is to the largest extent far away from human activities. They are located in very remote and pristine desert areas, which ensure high level of integrity. They represent the most intact, large scale and well protected sites in the Gobi desert region. The overall area of 8,344,314 ha of the six components of the nominated property is sufficiently large in order to maintain the functioning of natural systems of cold winter deserts and fully represent the natural values and processes that reflect their significance. The presence of buffer zones around the vast majority of the component parts with an overall area of 3,732,933 ha gives the property the additional guarantees of integrity. No other protected area of this size exists in Asia. The nominated serial property is of adequate size to ensure the OUV.

• Dejid, Nandintsetseg; Adilbekova, Fariza; Anarbaev, Maksatbek; Badamjav, Lkhagvasuren; Bayarbaatar, Buuveibaatar & Bayandonoi, Gantulga [Show all 15 contributors for this article] (2025). Central Asian Mammals Migration and Linear Infrastructure Atlas. doi: https:/www.cms.int/en/gium/migration-atlas. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This report provides a comprehensive overview on how and where different types of linear infrastructure affect large mammals in the wider Central Asian region. Wide-ranging large mammals such as the fifteen species covered by the Central Asian Mammals Initiative (CAMI) of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) depend on open and interconnected landscapes for their well-being and ultimately their survival. This report considers nine of those CAMI species, namely Argali Sheep, Asiatic Cheetah, Asiatic Wild Ass, Bukhara Deer, Goitered Gazelle, Mongolian Gazelle, Saiga Antelope, Snow Leopard and Wild Camel, as well as Chinkara, which is not listed under CMS but shares the same range as the CAMI species, across eight countries in Central Asia.

• Kramer-Schadt, Stephanie; Premier, Joe; Arribas, Eva Sanchez; Liang, Yutong; Revilla, Eloy & Kaczensky, Petra [Show all 13 contributors for this article] (2025). Reality check: Reconciling Model Predictions about Eurasian Lynx Population Development over a 25-Year Horizon. doi: https:/www.iwc2025.com/_files/ugd/191ccf_1f9096c7df0d4a09b9fbd2cf0bbe0338.pdf. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  It has been 25 years since the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) was reintroduced to the Harz Mountains in Central Germany, a decision that sparked considerable debate back then. Some believed the Harz Mountains would serve as a source for a quick natural recolonization of Germany by lynx, where they had been extirpated in 1819. However, predictions of an individual-based, spatially-explicit, and stochastic process model – parameterized based on the best available data back then - did not suggest this, given the rather high levels of habitat fragmentation and expected road mortality. Here, we present how this initial model has been refined making use of the joint databases of the EuroLynx initiative, and how this update can more reliably estimate barriers and opportunities for restoring lynx in Central Europe. The model consists of two submodels - one dealing with demography and one with dispersal - that together run on a habitat suitability map and that consider mortality and movement decisions of an individual at each step on a 1 km2 grid. Reproduction takes place when a female’s and a male’s home range overlap. Neutral genetic markers, subject to recombination and mutation at reproduction, are also included. Here, we present the core model and the refinement of input parameters spurred on by the collaborative analyses of EuroLynx regarding habitat suitability, survival and reproduction in the past 25-years. We present different applications in respect to theoretical considerations of connectivity and scenarios of reintroductions within Europe. An open issue still is the refinement of the movement submodel with novel results of field data analyses including behavioral states and cognitive processes like memory and learning. Our aim is to make this model a general open-access application for solitary living felids, e.g. for wildcat, tiger and leopard.

• Kaczensky, Petra; Ganbaatar, Oyunsaikhan; Altansukh, Nanjid; Jamiyandorj, Batsukh; Michler, Lena & Schnidrig, Reinhard [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2025). Thirty years of reintroducing Przewalski’s horses to Mongolia – lessons learnt and novel challenges. doi: https:/www.iwc2025.com/_files/ugd/191ccf_1f9096c7df0d4a09b9fbd2cf0bbe0338.pdf. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The Przewalski’s horse (Equus ferus przewalskii), the only remaining wild horse within the equid family, is one of only a handful of species worldwide that went extinct in the wild, was saved by captive breeding, and has been reintroduced back to the wild. Reintroductions started in 1992, with Przewalski’s horses from captive facilities in Europe being transported to two locations in Mongolia: Hustai in central Mongolia and Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area (SPA) in south-western Mongolia. Very little was known about the ecology of free-ranging Przewalski’s horses prior to their extinction in the wild in the late 1960s and next to no experience was available on reintroducing a captive-bred wild equid back into its original homeland. Between 1992 and 2019, a total of 131 Przewalski’s horses have been transported to Great Gobi B with the aim to build up a free-ranging and self-sustaining population. Survival of horses was poor in the initial years, with the population only growing due to transports. Management changes in 1998, introducing science-based and adaptive management, finally resulted in an increase of the free-ranging population in numbers and range. However, an extreme harsh winter in 2009/10 resulted in a population crash. Renewed transports of captive Przewalski’s horses facilitated population recovery, with the free-ranging population reaching ca. 417 by summer 2022. Experiences with over 30 years of reintroduction of Przewalski’s horses to the Mongolian Gobi have shown that captive bred animals are able to adapt to the harsh conditions of their original homeland. However, climate change, increasing livestock numbers, and human encroachment put increasing pressure on the SPA management for technical interventions such as winter feeding, establishing artificial water points, or predator control. Although, Przewalski’s horse can certainly survive in Great Gobi B SPA, the question is if the initial goal of a self-sustaining population can be reached. And if it cannot, what is the bigger conservation risk: losing a flagship species or human interventions in favour of one species in an ecosystem under pressure?

• Vogler, Thomas; Kaczensky, Petra; Devineau, Olivier; Payne, John & Salemgareyev, Albert (2025). Monitoring plains ungulates using drone images and computer vision. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Monitoring wildlife populations is essential for effective conservation, yet obtaining accurate population estimates remains challenging. Species differ in their habitat use, behaviour, and spatial distribution, requiring survey methods tailored to their ecology. The Asiatic wild ass (Equus hemionus) and goitered gazelles (Gazella subgutturosa) inhabit open landscapes of Central Asia, occur at low densities and form variable group sizes with uneven spatial distributions – characteristics that make them difficult to monitor. Aerial surveys are well suited to address these challenges. Recent advances in drone technology have made it possible to replace manned aircraft with drones, offering more cost-effective and logistically flexible survey options. In June 2024, we conducted a large-scale drone survey in Altyn Emel National Park, Kazakhstan. Using a fixed wing drone equipped with dual angled cameras, timed to capture images every three seconds, we completed eight strip transects spaced 1 km apart, covering a total flight distance of over 1,500 km. The dual-camera setup nearly doubled the photographed strip width and produced over 40,000 images. To enable automated detection, we annotated images from previous surveys containing over 3,000 observations of Asiatic wild ass and almost 4,000 of goitered gazelle. These annotations were used to train an object detection model, which achieved strong performance (recall = 0.86, precision = 0.92) in detecting and classifying individuals. We expect similarly high detection and classification performance in the 2024 dataset, as the training images include substantial variation in habitat, lighting, image quality, and ground resolution. However, due to the lack of camera stabilization, many images are blurred, making some animals difficult to detect even during manual annotation. We therefore assume that some individuals remain undetected, both manually and by the model, suggesting that our final population estimates may be conservative. Our results demonstrate that, with a well-trained computer vision model, future surveys can efficiently estimate populations of these species and support informed conservation decisions. However, since most of the training data originated from Altyn Emel, model performance may not generalize to other regions with different environmental backgrounds. Additional training data from diverse sites will be required to extend the model’s broader applicability.

• Linnell, John Durrus; Sund, Steinar Steinkopf & Kaczensky, Petra (2025). Vender tilbake. [Journal]. Vi Menn. Full text in Research Archive
• Kaczensky, Petra (2023). Khulan migration in Mongolia and Central Asia. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In 2021, we launched the Global Initiative on Ungulate Migration (GIUM, https://www.cms.int/en/gium) under the auspices of the United Nations Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), recognizing the global threat to ungulate migrations due to barriers, habitat loss and fragmentation, and climate change. The initiative is working collaboratively to 1) collate and document knowledge on ungulate migrations worldwide to create a Global Atlas of Ungulate Migration; and 2) provide actionable migration maps to a variety of stakeholders to inform their decision-making and policies on development planning and conservation to sustain ungulate migrations worldwide. To accelerate this new effort, we held the inaugural meeting of the GIUM at Jackson Lake Lodge within Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming, USA) from July 5th-8th 2023. Meeting participants represented 25 countries across all the world's major terrestrial regions (except for Australia and Antarctica where there are no native ungulates), and almost all the longest migrations. It was the first meeting of its kind. In addition to researchers who have collected critical tracking data, the workshop was attended by several multilateral organizations and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including the UN Convention on Migratory Species, the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Center, The World Bank, the IUCN Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group, the Center for Large Landscape Conservation, African Parks, the World Wildlife Fund, The Frankfurt Zoological Society, The Nature Conservancy, The Wilderness Society, and others. Several government agencies were also represented, including the Government of Northwest Territories, Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute, and ZimParks.

• Kaczensky, Petra (2023). Draft Range-Wide Action Plan for the Conservation of the Wild Ass. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The meeting will take place as a technical workshop due to insufficient participation of official Range State representatives and will consist of the process of development of the Internaitonal Single Species Action Plan for the Asiatic Wild Ass. On 30 June the BfN-CMS Transboundary Cooperation Workshop will take place with participation of partner organizations, such as the GIZ and the Michael Succow Foundation. These Meetings are jointly organised by the CMS Secretariat and the International Academy for Nature Conservation (INA) of the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) with funding from the German Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV). It is being convened within the framework of the 2020 – 2023 Joint Work Programme between the CMS Secretariat and the BfN under the activity “Developing an International Single Species Action Plan for the Asiatic Wild Ass (Equus hemionus).” The 13th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CMS (COP13) adopted Resolution 11.24 (Rev. COP13), containing the Programme of Work 2021-2026 for the Central Asian Mammals Initiative (CAMI POW). Activities 11.1-11.8 of the CAMI POW address conservation of the Asiatic Wild Ass (Equus hemionus). In particular, Activity 11.1 requests the Range States, with the support of the CMS Secretariat and IUCN Equid Specialist Group to Update status and distribution of Asiatic Wild Ass in all countries and develop a cross-boundary conservation vision. Furthermore Activity 11.2 requests the Range States with the support of the CMS Secretariat and the IUCN Equid Specialist Group to Develop an International Single Species Action Plan for the Asiatic Wild Ass covering all Range States as well as national action plans. The Meeting will facilitate implementation of these Activities. Objectives The main objectives of the Asiatic Wild Ass Workshop are to: Review the status and distribution of the Asiatic Wild Ass Discuss aspects of re-introduction, habitat fragmentation and mitigation measures, wildlife health and transboundary conservation Identify main threats and actions needed Develop the Single Species Action Plan for the Asiatic Wild Ass. The main objectives of the Transboundary Cooperation Workshop are to: Introduce ongoing transboundary conservation initiatives in Asiatic Wild Ass habitat Explore synergies and collaboration potential in particular with respect to supporting CMS Parties in implementing the Convention. Starting from relevant recommendations of the Study “Transboundary Conservation Hotspots for the Central Asian Mammals Initiative” (Transboundary Hotspots Study) recommend follow up activities to promote conservation of selected wildlife hotspots. Participation in the meeting is upon invitation by the CMS Secretariat and BfN.

• Kaczensky, Petra (2023). Great and Small Gobi ecological values. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background: The Mongolian Gobi represents the most intact and well protected components in the Eastern subtype of the Central Asian cold winter desert. They are outstanding at a global scale due to the combination of extent, diversity and pristineness. The Mongolian Great and Small Gobi host an extraordinary representation of critical populations of rare animal and plant species. Both in terms of values and degree of pristineness, the Mongolian Gobi compares favourably to deserts worldwide many of which have been directly and indirectly affected by a much heavier "human footprint". In 2014 Mongolia submitted the “Desert Landscapes of the Mongolian Great Gobi” at the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Convention. It comprises of three separate component parts:  Great Gobi Strictly Protected Area (SPA) – Part A  Great Gobi Strictly Protected Area (SPA) – Part B  Small Gobi Strictly Protected Area (SPA) – Part B Prospectively we welcome the inclusion of Small Gobi Strictly Protected Area (SPA) – Part A, because of its complementary landscapes and habitats and because its connection of the Small Gobi B to the Great Gobi SPAs. This workshop is intended to bring different groups of experts together and to initiate a working group modus for the further elaboration of a comprehensive and progressive nomination dossier that becomes effective towards the conservation of the Outstanding Universal Value of the Gobi deserts. As part of international projects and regional conservation efforts, a joint workshop will be carried out. The aim of this workshop is to: i) bring together researchers and conservationists whose expertise extents on Mongolia Gobi and biodiversity conservation in order to exchange knowledge and experience, ii) initiate exchange on relevant research outcomes and identify main threats and conservation challenges, iii) initiate the identification of knowledge and onservation gaps, and iv) collect relevant studies and conservation actions for follow up workshops to address the afore mentioned aims.

• Kaczensky, Petra; Buuveibaatar, Bayarbaatar; Walzer, Chris & Olson, Kirk A. (2023). New Railways May Threaten the Largest Population of Asiatic Wild Ass in the World. CAMI Newsletter. Full text in Research Archive
• Kaczensky, Petra (2023). Khulan migration in Mongolia. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  On the last night of the workshop, Saturday night, participants gathered down in Jackson at the National Museum of Wildlife Art for an Evening of Migration Stories from around the World. The museum was an ideal setting for the fourteen five-minute talks that were presented by individual participants coming from different regions. The mixing of different migrations, cultures, perspectives, from all around the world was the beginning of an effort to speak collectively about the importance of ungulate migrations and the conservation challenges they face.

• Kaczensky, Petra (2023). Research Updates for Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area. Full text in Research Archive
• Reinhardt, Ilka; Knauer, Felix; Herdfelder, Micha & Kaczensky, Petra (2023). Wie lassen sich Nutztierübergriffe durch Wölfe nachhaltig minimieren? – Eine Literaturübersicht mit Empfehlungen für Deutschland. In Voigt, Christian C. (Eds.), Evidenzbasiertes Wildtiermanagement. Springer. ISSN 9783662657447. p. 231–256. doi: 10.1007/978-3-662-65745-4_9. Full text in Research Archive
• Kaczensky, Petra (2023). Mapping Large Carnivore distribution in Europe 2017 – 2022/23. Full text in Research Archive
• Kaczensky, Petra (2022). Conservation status and research on Asiatic wild ass - where and why do we need AI? Full text in Research Archive
• Kaczensky, Petra & Schmidt, Veronika (2021). Herpesviren der Pferde bleiben in Wasser infektiös. [Journal]. Die Presse. Full text in Research Archive
• Rosen, Tatjana; Kaczensky, Petra & Linnell, John Durrus (2021). Protecting the cats of the cold winter deserts in Turkmenistan and western Kazakhstan. Full text in Research Archive
• Arx, Manuela von; Kaczensky, Petra; Linnell, John Durrus; Lanz, Tabea; Breitenmoser-Würsten, Christine & Boitani, Luigi [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2021). Conservation status of the Eurasian lynx in West and Central Europe. Cat News. ISSN 1027-2992. p. 05–08. Full text in Research Archive
• Kauffman, Matthew J.; Cagnacci, Francesca; Chamaillé-Jammes, Simon; Hebblewhite, Mark; Hopcraft, J. Grant C. & Merkle, Jerod A. [Show all 54 contributors for this article] (2021). Mapping out a future for ungulate migrations. Limited mapping of migrations hampers conservation. Science. ISSN 0036-8075. 372(6542), p. 566–569. doi: 10.1126/science.abf0998. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Migration of ungulates (hooved mammals) is a fundamental ecological process that promotes abundant herds, whose effects cascade up and down terrestrial food webs. Migratory ungulates provide the prey base that maintains large carnivore and scavenger populations and underpins terrestrial biodiversity (fig. S1). When ungulates move in large aggregations, their hooves, feces, and urine create conditions that facilitate distinct biotic communities. The migrations of ungulates have sustained humans for thousands of years, forming tight cultural links among Indigenous people and local communities. Yet ungulate migrations are disappearing at an alarming rate (1). Efforts by wildlife managers and conservationists are thwarted by a singular challenge: Most ungulate migrations have never been mapped in sufficient detail to guide effective conservation. Without a strategic and collaborative effort, many of the world’s great migrations will continue to be truncated, severed, or lost in the coming decades. Fortunately, a combination of animal tracking datasets, historical records, and local and Indigenous knowledge can form the basis for a global atlas of migrations, designed to support conservation action and policy at local, national, and international levels.

• Kaczensky, Petra (2021). Works carried out for conservation and research of Ungulates in Turkmenistan. Full text in Research Archive
• Kaczensky, Petra & Strnadl, Susanne (2021). Ein Atlas für Tierwanderwege. [Journal]. Der Standard. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Ob Gnus, Antilopen, Rotwild oder Wildesel: Millionen Huftiere scheitern bei ihren Wanderungen an menschgemachten Barrieren. Eine globale Initiative will nun ihre Wege kartieren.

• Kaczensky, Petra & Schmidt, Veronika (2021). Das Wandern ist der Huftiere Lust: Barrieren stören ihre Natur. [Journal]. Die Presse. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Eine internationales Forschungsteam sammelt historisches und aktuelles Wissen über Wanderrouten von Büffeln, Zebras, Antilopen, Rehen, Hirschen, Eseln und mehr. Die Datenbank soll bei Entscheidungsträgern Bewusstsein schaffen, wie man gefährdete Arten besser schützt.

• Kaczensky, Petra (2020). The Gobi khulan – a flagship species for mobility and landscape connectivity. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Khulan have been eradicated from 80% of their former range. The Mongolian Gobi currently holds >80% of the global population and constitutes >70% of the global breeding range and therefore is the most important stronghold of the species. In the Mongolian Gobi, individual khulan roam over of thousands of square kilometres annually and their movements are among the largest reported for terrestrial mammals globally. The ecosystem service provide by khulan range from large scale seed dispersal, provision of water holes for other wildlife to consumptive and spiritual values for local residents. The species is currently listed as Near Threatened in the IUCN Red List, but remains under close scrutiny because multiple developments which negatively impact the size, quality and functional connectivity of the Gobi-Eastern Steppe ecosystem are happening simultaneously and at an unprecedented speed in an ecosystem which so far has remained in a near natural stage. These developments are: 1) the dramatic and unhindered increase in livestock and a change in the traditional herding system, 2) the rapid development of the resource extraction sector, and 3) the expansion and upgrading of the transport infrastructure to meet the needs of the mining boom and allow Mongolia to connect to the international market. The talk explores how these threats may affect khulan in the future and why khulan are an ideal flagship species for mobility and landscape connectivity.

• Linnell, John Durrus & Kaczensky, Petra (2020). Reintroduction, persistence and local extinction of Central Asian kulan in Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. Full text in Research Archive
• Kaczensky, Petra (2020). News on Asiatic Wild Ass in Turkmenistan. Central Asian Mammals Initiative. Newsletter. p. 7–7. Full text in Research Archive
• Joly, Kyle; Gurarie, Eliezer; Sorum, Mathew S.; Kaczensky, Petra; Cameron, Matthew D. & Jakes, Andrew F. [Show all 17 contributors for this article] (2020). Author Correction: Longest terrestrial migrations and movements around the world. Scientific Reports. 10. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-57446-4. Full text in Research Archive
• Kaczensky, Petra (2020). Turkmen khulan – a flagship species for dryland biodiversity & landscape connectivity. Summary of monitoring and research activities on kulan and other large mammals in Turkmenistan since 2015. Full text in Research Archive
• Kaczensky, Petra (2020). Update on Wild Ass or Onager in Iran. Central Asian Mammals Initiative. Newsletter. p. 8–8. Full text in Research Archive
• Šturm, Martina Burnik; Spasskaya, N.N.; Sablin, M.V.; Voigt, C.V.; Ganbaatar, O. & Smith, Steve [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2019). Dietary behaviour of three sympatric equid species in the Dzungarian Gobi – past and present. Full text in Research Archive
• Michler, L.; Trydte, A.C. & Kaczensky, Petra (2019). Sharing grazing space – how can pastoralists and wildlife coexist in the Dzungarian Gobi, Mongolia. Full text in Research Archive
• Linnell, John Durrus; Kaczensky, Petra; Salemgareyev, Albert R.; Zuther, Steffen; Rustamov, Eldar & Karryeva, Shirin [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2019). Reintroduction, persistence and local extinction of central Asian kulan in Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. Full text in Research Archive
• Kaczensky, Petra & Schmidbauer, Markus (2018). Die fliegenden Wildesel von Kasachstan. [TV]. ARTE . 360° – Die GEO-Reportage. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Die Umsiedlung von Wildeseln ist ein riskantes Unterfangen. Bei einem Versuch in der Vergangenheit starben alle Tiere. Jetzt will in Kasachstan ein erfahrenes, internationales Team aus Tierärzten und Biologen das Wagnis eingehen und einen Teil der im Altyn-Emel-Nationalpark beheimateten und vom Aussterben bedrohten Kulane in die zentralasiatische Torgai-Steppe umsiedeln – in einem der größten Transporthubschrauber der Welt.Schon das Einfangen ist ein Kraftakt: Logistisch ist es kaum möglich, eine größere Anzahl der extrem scheuen Tiere in kurzer Zeit zu fangen – erst im Oktober, wenn die Nahrung knapp wird, begeben sie sich ins Tal des Flusses Ili. Für einen erfolgreichen Fang muss sich eine Kulanherde von mindestens 40 Tieren nahe des Fangkorrals aufhalten. Nur im Schutz der Dunkelheit können die kasachischen Ranger sie im Scheinwerferlicht ihrer Geländewagen in ein kleines Schutzgehege treiben. Dabei sollten Stuten und Fohlen möglichst nicht getrennt werden. Auch wenige Hengste müssen dabei sein, um eine neue Population aufzubauen. Im Korral werden die Tiere betäubt, ihnen werden Blutproben genommen, ein Gesundheitscheck gemacht, ein Langzeitberuhigungsmittel für den Transport gespritzt und ein Senderhalsband angelegt, um ihre Entwicklung in ihrer neuen Heimat, der Torgai-Steppe, verfolgen zu können. Erst dann kommen die Tiere in ihre Transportbox und das Abenteuer des Fluges steht bevor. Wird die Aktion gelingen, und werden die Tiere die Strapazen gut überstehen? „360° Geo Reportage“ begleitet ein Team aus Tierärzten und Biologen bei dieser einzigartigen Aktion.

• Linnell, John Durrus & Kaczensky, Petra (2018). Wildlife surveys in Turkmenistan 2014-2018. Full text in Research Archive
• Linnell, John Durrus; Kaczensky, Petra; Bowler, Diana Elizabeth & Nilsen, Erlend Birkeland (2018). Success and failure at conserving focal species in two Asian protected areas. Full text in Research Archive
• F., Marucco; H., Andren; M.V., Boiani; L., Boitani; G., Chapron, & J., Hatlauf [Show all 13 contributors for this article] (2025). Monitoring standards for large carnivores in Europe - Agreements on objectives, categorization of data, criteria for data interpretation and quality levels of outputs -. IUCN SSC Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe. doi: https:/lciepub.nina.no/pdf/638988265540892975_LCIE_Monitoring%20Standards_10_2025.pdf. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Within the framework of the LCIE, we developed harmonised monitoring standards to improve the robustness and comparability of population size and distribution estimates for European populations of wolves, lynx, wolverines, golden jackals, and bears. This document aims to present these standards and to define common quality levels applicable across diverse survey contexts, accounting for differences in effort and funding. Establishing such quality levels is essential to enable reliable comparisons of population size and distribution estimates among countries and to support coordinated transboundary management of large carnivore populations.

• Kaczensky, Petra; Ranc, Nathan; Hatlauf, Jennifer; Payne, John C.; Acosta-Pankov, I. & Álvares, F. [Show all 56 contributors for this article] (2024). Large carnivore distribution maps and population updates 2017 – 2022/23. Report to the European Comission under contract N° 09.0201/2023/907799/SER/ENV.D.3 “Support for Coexistence with Large Carnivores”, “B.4 Update of the distribution maps”. IEA. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Large carnivores have made a remarkable comeback in Europe during the last half century, and recovery is still ongoing in large parts of the continent (Andrén 2018; Boitani 2018; Boitani et al. 2022; Chapron et al. 2014; Huber 2018; Ranc 2018; von Arx 2020). While this expansion can be celebrated as a huge conservation success, it also creates considerable challenges for coexistence in the multi-use landscapes of Europe (Linnell 2013). Having a common understanding of the distribution, size and trends of large carnivore populations in Europe is one prerequisite for a knowledge-based dialogue in the often heated and highly politicized discussions about future scenarios of large carnivore conservation and management in Europe. Because of the scale at which large carnivores utilize the landscape it is essential to conduct periodic continental scale assessments of their status transcending sub-national and national borders. Assessments at this scale require harmonising diverse datasets that arise from different jurisdictions using different monitoring approaches. This document provides the best available overview of brown bear (Ursus arctos), Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), wolf (Canis lupus), golden jackal (Canis aureus), and wolverine (Gulo gulo) distributions and population sizes at a continental scale. The data in this report is based on over 200 national experts who are co-authoring the report

• Vogler, Thomas; Altansukh, N.; Ganbaatar, Oyunsaikhan; Sukhbaatar, Dalai; Devineau, Olivier & Kaczensky, Petra (2023). Steppe ungulate count in Great Gobi B Strictly Protected area 2022. Universitetet i Innlandet. ISSN 9788283804003. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The plains of Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area (subsequently “Great Gobi B”) in southwestern Mongolia are home to three endangered wild ungulates, khulan (Equus hemionus), takhi (Equus ferus przewalskii), and goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa). With Mongolia holding the largest populations of these species, their conservation is of global importance. To assess the effectiveness of conservation efforts, robust survey methods are needed to monitor population development. In late summer 2022 we conducted the 3rd plains ungulate count in Great Gobi B to estimate population size of khulan and goitered gazelle and describe population development since the counts in 2010 and 2015 and tested the method for estimating the growing population of reintroduced Przewalski’s horses. We conducted Distance Sampling point counts at 101 observation points over 6 counting events (at 19:00, 7:00, 9:00, 11:00, 13:00, and 15:00) at each observation point. During each counting event the observers scanned the surroundings using binoculars and registered species, number of animals, time, bearing and distance for each observation. Over the 606 counts, we observed 5,744 khulan, 3,150 gazelles and 922 Przewalski’s horses. Using these observations, we created global models (over all observation points and counting events) using the distance analysis framework and selected models with the best fit based on AIC values. Populations estimates for 2022 were 5,204 (95% CI = 2,121 – 12,771) khulan, 10,980 (95% CI = 7,473 – 16,132) goitered gazelles, and 1,288 (95% CI = 213 – 7,776) Przewalski’s horses within the 13,000 km2 survey area. Population estimates of both khulan and goitered gazelle suggested an increase from 2010 to 2015, while the 2022 estimated is closer to the 2010 estimates for khulan and in between for goitered gazelles. However, confidence intervals, especially for khulan, are large and population development cannot be determined conclusively. The uncertainty in the khulan estimate for 2022 was caused by the combination of a highly clumped distribution due to draught conditions and a large variation in group sizes. Goitered gazelles were more evenly distributed and group sizes less variable. Estimating Przewalski’s horse population resulted in a gross overestimate because of the knowledge rangers had about the location of Przewalski’s horse groups from intensive weekly monitoring. The data suggests that they specifically looked for groups, as Przewalski’s horses were detected almost equally likely over all distance categories. Confidence intervals were large because the population is still small (numbering just over 400) and distribution was also highly clumped due to the drought condition. The 2022 population estimates for khulan and goitered gazelles and the comparison with the estimates from 2010 and 2015 should be regarded as preliminary because: 1) The 3 surveys were analysed using slightly different distance analysis frameworks and 2) Distance Sampling does not take the spatial distribution of groups into account and we plan to explore such methods before we will reanalyse the 3 surveys within the same analysis framework.

• Boitani, Luigi; Kaczensky, Petra; Álvares, Francisco; Andren, Henrik; Balys, Vaidas & Blanco, Juan Carlos [Show all 42 contributors for this article] (2022). Assessment of the conservation status of the wolf (Canis lupus) in Europe. Standing Commitee of the Bern Convention. Full text in Research Archive
• Boitani, Luigi; Kaczensky, Petra & al, et al et al, et (2022). Assessment of the conservation status of the Wolf (Canis lupus) in Europe. Council of Europe Publishing. Full text in Research Archive
• Reinhardt, Ilka; Kaczensky, Petra; Frank, Jens; Knauer, Felix & Kluth, Gesa (2020). How to deal with bold wolves. Recommendations of the DBBW. Bundesamt für Naturschutz (BfN) Federal Agency for Nature Conservation. ISSN 9783896243386. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  For a long time, there were no wolves in Germany. Since 2000, the species has been steadily spreading out from Lusatia and populating more areas. People in areas recently settled by wolves are only gradually learning how to live alongside this animal and are often uncertain how to interpret wolf behaviour. How dangerous are wolves for humans? What constitutes normal behaviour and what is considered unusual or bold behaviour? This report provides assessments of wolf behaviour as it relates to human safety and recom-mends managing wolves which display unwanted behaviour. In this report, conspicuous behaviour refers to wolf behaviour towards humans which is considered undesirable, and ranges from unusual to bold. This report is intended to provide guidance and recommendations to the authorities respon-sible for wolf management, and focusses on wolf-human interactions. It defines terms frequently used in this context, summarises the current state of knowledge relating to the danger posed by wolves and describes the causes for the development of bold behaviour. Recommendations on how to react to reports of bold wolf sightings are also given. Moreover, the report assesses the most common types of wolf behaviour in relation to human safety. These recommendations are primarily aimed at the competent federal state authorities, to enable them to make an initial assessment of wolf behaviour in terms of human safety and to prepare possible courses of action. However, it is not intended as a general template for action. Every situation in which a wolf is perceived as bold or is behaving conspicuously needs to be assessed on a case-by-case basis. The aims of these recommendations are a) to ensure that people in Germany are not injured or killed by wild wolves; b) to foster and maintain public trust in wolf management authorities in wolf regions; c) to ensure that people’s fear of wolves does not increase and d) to enable wolves to spread further in Germany without causing serious conflicts between wolves and humans.

• Kaczensky, Petra; Buuveibaatar, Bayarbaatar; Payne, John C.; Strindberg, Samantha; Walzer, Chris & Batsaikhan, Nyamsuren [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2020). A conservation strategy for khulan in Mongolia: background and key considerations. Norsk institutt for naturforskning (NINA). ISSN 9788242646620. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Asiatic wild ass Conservation Ecosystem services Equus hemionus Khulan Landscape connectivity Mongolia Threats Asiatisk villesel Bevaring Økosystemtjenester Equus hemionus Khulan Konnektivitet i landskapet Mongolia Trusler

• Kaczensky, Petra; Salemgareyev, Albert R.; Zuther, Steffen; Suttibayev, Mukhit; Adilbekova, Fariza & Linnell, John Durrus (2020). Reintroduction of kulan into the central steppe of Kazakhstan: Field Report for 2018-2019. Norsk institutt for naturforskning (NINA). ISSN 9788242645395. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Kaczensky, P., A. R. Salemgareyev, S. Zuther, M. Suttibayev, F. Adilbekova, and J. D. C. Linnell. 2020. Reintroduction of kulan into the central steppe of Kazakhstan: Field Report for 2018-2019. NINA Report 1782. Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. (1) 2018, saw the continuation of the monitoring of kulan in the acclimatization enclosure at the Alibi field station by two veterinarian interns and the local staff. (2) In April 2018, the first group of nine translocated kulan were released from the acclimatization enclosure into the Torgai steppe. The animals first moved together, but subsequently split up. Although hormone analysis of faeces suggested that two mares were released pregnant, no newborn foals were seen during ground-checks in summer. December 2018, saw the loss of one collared mare due to poaching. The total area covered by all four collared kulan in 2018 was 55,000 km2. (3) Throughout the summer of 2018, field activities were directed at upgrading the Alibi field station, improving access, and preparing for the arrival of a new group of translocated kulan. In Altyn Emel National Park (NP) the capture infrastructure was upgraded based on last years’ experience. (4) A lot of preparation went into the planning and organization of the logistics for the new transport approach using a combination of an AN-12 transport plane and truck transport to and from the airports and the capture and release sites. (5) In October 2018, the team failed to chase any kulan into the capture corral in Altyn Emel NP, due to the unfortunate combination of a scarcity of kulan around the capture corral due to poor pasture availability and technical / logistical problems. (6) Outreach activities were organized on the Torgai steppe with the Kulanmobil in September and November 2018. In total, 1168 pupils and 629 adults from 20 different schools and/or villages participated in the activities games, plays) and/or attended presentations around steppe ecology and kulan conservation, and received kulan information material (the kulan comic from 2017, poster, booklet). (7) 2019 saw the continued monitoring of the translocated, free-ranging kulan on the Torgai steppe. The remaining two collared kulan kept moving separately, one alone and the other with an uncollared kulan (likely one of the foals from the 2017 transport). Ground-checks in summer again did not document newborn foals and we have no records of the other uncollared kulan. December 2019, saw the loss of a second collared mare due to poaching. The total area covered by the two collared kulan in 2019 was 69,000 km2. (8) In 2019, the overall focus of the translocation shifted from the capture of kulan in Altyn Emel NP, to capture in Baraa Kelmes State Nature Reserve (SNR). The latter is closer to Alibi field station (450 km straight line distance as compared to 1,200 km to Altyn Emel NP) and allows for a truck-only transport, rather than necessitating the logistically very challenging combined airplane and truck approach that was planned for 2018. The new workplan was the result of the pevious years’ experience and the original plan of aiming for kulan from Barsa Kelmes in the third year. Genetic analysis showed that Barsa Kelmes kulan were very similar to those in Altyn Emel NP and had a similar to slightly higher genetic diversity. (9) Field activities were concentrated on understanding the kulan situation in Barsa Kelmes SNR, with three preparatory trips in February, April, and July to initiate and clarify cooperation, GPS-collar three kulan to get a first understanding of their movements, and to plan the capture infrastructure necessary for the anticipated capture and transport of up to 30 kulan in fall. In July, a feed-in capture corral on Kaskakulan was built at one of the three artesian springs. (10) In August 2019 we held a two-day Animal Capture & Handling workshop for staff of the Okhozootprom Reintroduction Center and Almaty zoo staff in Almaty. The course was conducted by the core capture team and two international veterinarians. Furthermore, construction of the chase-in corral at Barsa Kelmes SNR was initiated. (11) In September/October 2019 the team successfully transported 2 kulan from Barsa Kelmes SNR to the acclimatization enclosure at the Alibi field station on the Torgai steppe. In addition, the team collared three more kulan in Barsa Kelmes SNR, initiated the first camera trapping survey at the three artesian springs on Kaskakulan and conducted a pilot drone survey. Although the number of translocated animals was well below the number originally hoped for, the team gained important experience on kulan capture at Barsa Kelmes and of truck-only transportation which will be the basis for future planning. (12) In November, the Kulanmobil supported by 17 rangers from Barsa Kelmes SNR organize kulan events in the Aral region. Meetings were held in four villages and five schools and reached more than 300 children and 22 teachers. Updated information material included a new kulan comic (kulan comic 2019).

• Kaczensky, Petra; Rustamov, E.; Karryeva, S.; Iankov, P.; Hudaykuliev, N. & Saparmyadov, J. [Show all 17 contributors for this article] (2019). Rapid assessments of wildlife in Turkmenistan 2018. Norsk institutt for naturforskning (NINA). ISSN 9788242634467. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Although Turkmenistan supports many wildlife species there is very little up-to-date and acces-sible information on its status. Since 2014 we have been conducting a series of expeditions to protected areas throughout the country. The primary objective has been to clarify the status of Turkmen kulan (Equus hemionus), however, we have also had a secondary focus on other large mammals, especially the Persian leopard (Panthera pardus) and its potential prey species, urial (Ovis orientalis), goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa), markhor (Capra falconeri), bezoar (Capra aegagrus), and wild boar (Sus scrofa). In addition, several expeditions have been ac-companied by ornithologists and herpetologists availing of the platform to obtain up-to-date rec-ords of these species. Finally, the expeditions have been used to assist networking and experi-ence exchange between the staff of the different protected areas.

• Roettger, Christiane; Anarbaev, Maksatbek; Badamjav, Lkhagvasuren; Bayarbaatar, Buuveibaatar; Dejid, Nandintsetseg & Fisher, Kim [Show all 28 contributors for this article] (2019). Central Asian Mammals Migration and Linear Infrastructure Atlas. Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). UNEP/CMS. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This report provides a comprehensive overview on how and where different types of linear infrastructure affect large mammals in the wider Central Asian region. Wide-ranging large mammals, such as the ten species covered by the Central Asian Mammals Initiative (CAMI) and considered for this report, depend on open and interconnected landscapes for their well-being and ultimately their survival. Fences, railroads, roads as well as pipelines and canals can have significant negative impact on those species, fragmenting their habitat, isolating populations, preventing access to essential resources such as forage and water, and causing direct injuries and mortality (see Chapter 3). The rapid construction and planning of new infrastructure and transportation systems in most of the eight CAMI Range States that were considered for this report will put additional pressure on already threatened and endangered species. This report contains maps of each species’ distribution range combined with the different types of linear infrastructure, which clearly show where and what types of conflict exist or can be expected (see Chapter 4). Fences are the type of infrastructure that is most problematic for all species. The design of the fence often determines whether - and which - species can cross it. Fences, for instance along railroads in Mongolia, constitute a complete barrier for Asiatic Wild Ass, Saiga Antelopes, Goitered and Mongolian Gazelles as well as Wild Camel. Several fences along national borders prevent essential transboundary movements of a number of species such as Saiga Antelopes, Asiatic Wild Ass, Goitered Gazelles, Argali and Wild Camel. Railroads such as the Trans-Mongolian Railway or the Trans-Kazakhstan Railway cut through the range areas of Saiga Antelopes, Asiatic Wild Ass and Mongolian Gazelles. Double-track and high-speed trains as well as high and steep embankments increase the likelihood of railroads hindering the animals’ movements and act as a complete barrier. Roads can either act as barrier or cause direct mortality: while movements of Asiatic Cheetah do not seem to be affected by roads, the species is frequently involved in car accidents, causing significant mortalities in Iran. Local and unpaved roads have least negative effect, which however significantly increases with traffic volume, speed or type of traffic. Pipelines have a negative disruptive effect during their construction phase but are then mostly covered underground and have therefore less significant effects. Canals potentially act as a complete barrier but few canals are found in the current range of the species and are therefore of less immediate concern. However, those potential negative effects need to be taken into account when new canalsystems are being planned.

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