Day In The Life

Mongolia

Eastern Mongolia is a vast area unlike any other. In 2024, our WCS Mongolia team embarked on a mammoth survey there with partners.

In Winter 2024, Mongolia experienced a severe winter weather disaster—a phenomenon known as a ‘dzud.’ This presented unprecedented challenges for its people and wildlife.

One of the goals of the expedition was to better understand how the dzud had impacted Mongolian gazelle.

For this survey, our team travelled more than 8,600 miles across eastern Mongolia as part of the More Steppe project.

The region is unique with a sparse human population. It holds immense value for both people and biodiversity.

One of our goals was to better understand how the dzud (the harshest winter in a decade) had impacted Mongolian gazelles there.

We pitched our tents under the stars. Not a bad spot to camp!

Travel in this area was challenging, though.

Evidence of the dzud's impact was everywhere, including the skeletal remains of Mongolian gazelles. Here, WCS Mongolia Country Director Justine Alexander examines one.

The data we collected on this trip will guide our conservation strategies, helping us protect Mongolian gazelles and their habitat in the future.

Thanks for visiting!