From Hovd Travel in Mongolia
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Bulgan Gol Natural Reserve
The Bulgan Gol (River) Natural Reserve was established in 1965 in Hovd aimag's Bulgan soum to help preserve the area's Eurasian Beavers, Silver-Tipped Black Sable, Stone Marten, Mongolian Agama, and more. Located on Mongolia's southwestern national border with China, 250 km from Hovd City, the 1,480 hectare reserve is very difficult to reach, with no proper roads (it is not visited by tourists). The area has become a key piece of a major conservation effort to preserve Mongolia's indigenous Eurasian beaver ("minj" in Mongolian) population. Beavers taken from the Bulgan River region (Zungarian Gobi) were re-distributed to the Hovd River and the Tes River (in Uvs aimag) to create new communities there, and allow the region's beaver population to grow beyond the constraints of what the Bulgan River could support.
Pertinent Dates of the More than 100 Years of Studying Mongolia's Beaver Population
• 1899: The first news of beavers in Mongolia is collected by the expedition of P.K. Kozlov between 1899 and 1901.
• 1929: The Mongolian beaver is described as a new subspecies Castor fiber birulai by Serebrennikov.
• 1942 - 1962: Mongolian and Russian scientists A.G. Bannikov, L.S. Lavrov, V.A. Romashov, A. Dashdorz, G. Dansan, A. Bold, D. Banzrag visit the Bulgan area.
• 1964: The second Mongolian-German Biological Expedition crossed the Bulgan region and collected ecological data on the beaver population.
• 1973 - 2002: The Mongolian-German project to acclimate the Castor fiber birulai beaver to the Hovd River and Tes River (in Uvs aimag) is conducted in 6 expeditions (1974, 1975 1978, 1985, 1988, and 2002).
Main Goals of the Protective Activities
• The protection and preservation of the endangered subspecies.
• Translocation of beavers to from the Bulgan River to create new populations at the Hovd River and Tes River for the purpose of preserving their gene pool. (These areas had no other beaver subspecies, so the strict isolation of the gene pool was preserved).
• Investigation of population structure to learn about reproduction strategy, age groups, mortality and sex relations. Collection of samples to study population genetics and the differences between the Eurasian beaver populations.
• Analysis of biodiversity, flora and fauna, at the Bulgan River and at the areas of acclimitization (Hovd and Tes Rivers). Exploration of hydrological, hydrogeographical, and climatic conditions.
• Education of young Mongolian ecologists in international nature conservation and management of endangered species.
Results of the Protective Activities
• Between 1974 and 2002, 35 beavers were introduced into the Hovd River and 37 into the Tes River.
• The live stock of the Centralasiatic beaver at the Bulgan River was determined to be stable and was estimated at about 150 animals. Capturing and translocating the beavers was found to have no negative influence on the survival of the original population.
• The new population of beavers at Hovd River is stable and has increased up to the natural capacity of 100-150 animals. (There is no exact information of the population development of the group placed at the Tes River)
• At the Bulgan River a high mortality rate of young beavers was observed as a result of water levels in the spring, hard winter conditions, and predators (wolves and dogs).
• The group developed new methods for capturing beavers (nets, live traps, and at night with searchlight and landing nets from a boat). All beavers were measured, with the maximal body mass of males being 22.7 kg, and females being 22.5 kg.
• Analysis of the population structure at the Bulgan River shows that 55% of animals are adults (4 years and older), and the sex ratio was recorded as 42 males to 30 females.
The Eurasian beaver has shown good recovery in response to conservation efforts. The highest numbers are found within Europe. The species is regarded as a "Least Concern", as ongoing conservation measures are preventing the decline of the beaver population, and as long as these continue there is no reason to assess the species as "Threatened" or "Near-Threatened". However, the Asian populations remain very small and under threat, and conservation measures in these areas are still considered vital.
The Eurasian beaver population is native to Belarus, China, France, Germany, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, Mongolia, Norway, and Russia. It is now regionally extinct in Moldova, Portugal, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. It has been re-introduced into Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Ukraine.
(The information for this page was taken from a report published jointly by the National University of Mongolia, the Martin Luther University in Halle (Germany), the Center for Environmental Research in Leipzig/Halle (Germany), and the Research Institute of Game Management and Fur Farming in Kirov (Russia).
