The Tost Tosonbumba Nature Reserve is a nature reserve in

Ömnögovi Province Ömnögovi ( ''Ömnögovǐ'', ''South Gobi'') is an aimag (province) of Mongolia, located in the south of the country, in the Gobi Desert. Ömnögovi is Mongolia's largest aimag. The capital is Dalanzadgad. The province is rich in mineral dep ...

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

, dedicated to conserving the

snow leopard The snow leopard (''Panthera uncia'') is a species of large cat in the genus ''Panthera'' of the family Felidae. The species is native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because ...

(''Panthera uncia'').

History

Following an ecological study in the South Gobi Desert, starting in 2009, and the killing of a snow leopard by herders protecting their livestock, the Tost Tosonbumba was established as a local protection area the following year.

Bayarjargal Agvaantseren Bayarjargal (Bayara) Agvaantseren (born 1969) is a Mongolian Conservation movement, conservationist who has campaigned to save the habitat of the snow leopard in an area of the Gobi Desert, South Gobi Desert which has become a major mining hub. ...

established a livestock insurance programme and led a campaign to persuade the government to establish a reserve. In 2010, Tost Tosonbumba was established as a local protected area and had 37 mining licenses. Under local protection rules, it was possible to revoke licenses and to prevent others from being issued. Mining operations fragment habitats and drive nomadic communities into snow cat territory, resulting in conflict. Following a campaign for higher protection, in April 2016 the area was declared a nature reserve, and all mining licenses were revoked.

References

External links

Snow Leopard Trust
{{Coord, 43, 7, 29, N, 100, 27, 31, E, display=title Gobi Desert Geography of Ömnögovi Province Protected areas established in 2016 Nature reserves in Mongolia