Landscapes of Dauria


The Landscapes of Dauria is a transnational UNESCO World Heritage Site in northwestern Mongolia and in Siberian Russia. Comprising multiple smaller regions, they cover 912,624 hectares of land and is home to numerous wildlife.
The site was officially inscribed in 2017 under criteria IX and X, following a 2013 recommendation of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Geography

Comprising 912,624 hectares of land, the landscapes comprises several protected areas in the northern part of the Daurian steppe ecoregion. There are four regions.
Three rivers traverse the landscape: Uldza, Imalka, and Borzya. Borzinskoe Salt-Lake and Babye Lake are the two lakes entirely encompassed in the landscape region.

Ecology

The grassland and forest steppe landscapes have encountered little to none of human disturbance. Very few nomadic people live on the steppes, and grazing affect the ecology.
Every 25 to 35 years, the region goes through cycles of wet and dry years.

Wildlife

Fauna

Fauna are abundant and number 14 fish species, 3 amphibian species, 4 reptile species, 327 bird species, 50 mammal species, and over 4000 insect species.
The landscapes also are a critical site on the transboundary migration path for the Mongolian gazelle.
Numerous fauna inhabitat the landscape. They include as white-naped crane, Great bustard, and millions of migratory birds of other species, including vulnerable, endangered or threatened species. The property is also an important area of the migration routes of the Mongolian Gazelle where herds up to 250,000 migrate. The property also provides sanctuary to endangered Tarbagan marmot, as well as to the Pallas Cat. Demoiselle crane use the landscapes as a breeding ground.

Flora

In the Mongolian section, the landscapes are home 349 species of vascular plants, 19 species of moss, and over 100 lichen species.
In the Russian section, there are 530 species belonging to 73 families and 244 genera. The most abundant families are: Compositae, Gramineae, Rosaceae, Fabaceae, Chenopodiaceae, and Cyperaceae.