Mongolia’s Tost Mountains have recently been declared a State Nature Reserve, thanks to a remarkable effort by the local community. Now, it’s up to us all to help ensure that the area’s rich wildlife – including a stable snow leopard population, can thrive in this prime habitat.
Mongolia South Gobi is anything but a lifeless desert. This arid area is rich with wildlife and vegetation. Snow leopards, ibex and camels flourish here, as do different types of plants. It is also home to the mysterious Pallas Cat—one of the least studied cats in the world.
We need your help to protect Tost’s wildlife! This spring, we aim to raise $30,000 to help fund critical conservation projects in the area. Will you help us reach our goal with a gift today?
Right now, there are anywhere from 14-16 adult snow leopards—and their cubs—roaming the Tost Mountains. And with cats migrating in and out, we know that Tost is important for maintaining genetic vibrancy in the larger Gobi region. Mongolia’s recent decision to make Tost a Nature Reserve has reduced the threat of mining to the habitat – but we still need to work with the local community and park rangers to make sure that the cats are safe from other threats.
We’ll train rangers to combat poaching and monitor snow leopard population. We’ll continue to work with the local community to reduce livestock predation with improved corrals, and to set up insurance funds that can soften the blow if a family does lose an animal to a predator.
Through eco-camps for local kids, we’re helping the community lay the foundation for a sustainable, eco-conscious future – and through scientific studies, we’re making sure we understand the reserve’s ecology, so that we’re able to react to changes before they become a threat.
Will you help us make these things possible?
- It takes $10 a day to support three rangers making anti-poaching patrols in Tost.
- $35 buys wire mesh for a predator-proof corral to keep a family’s livestock safe.
- $100 provides 10 local children with guided lessons in the Tost Mountains.
- With a $300 gift, one new herder family can join our livestock insurance program and get compensation for lost livestock
Mongolia is home to the second largest population of snow leopards in the world. We need your help to protect these cats and their home in the Gobi. Please Adopt Tost today.
Only betwen 14-16 snow leopards ? Is this the population?
Hi Lauretta. 14 – 16 cats is the estimated population within Tost Nature Reserve – these cats use home ranges of several hundred square kilometers, so densities are usually very low; especially in areas where prey is naturally scarce. However, Tost is part of a much larger landscape (it’s a bridge between Great Gobi and Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Parks), where the estimated population is significantly higher. We’re currently working on finding out how many cats there are in this larger landscape.
Thanks
Matt, SLT Communications Manager