Small mammal communities of the Mongolian Gobi Region: Diversity and impacts of mining

Abstract

In the Gobi region of Mongolia, mining activities have developed rapidly over the last 20 years. The development of the mining sector is important for the economic growth of Mongolia, but local communities have always been critical of its negative impact. The purpose of our study was to determine the mining effects on the small mammal community in the Gobi region. In order to achieve this goal, we estimated the species diversity and abundance of small mammal populations in the vicinity of the Tavan Tolgoi and Oyu Tolgoi mines in Umnugobi aimag of Mongolia in August 2017 and in August 2018. Generally, mining activities in the Gobi region have negative impacts on small mammal communities, and at the same time effects differ on the different species of small mammals.