Connectivity, Corridors and Stepping Stones: Conservation Implications of Roe Deer Distribution on the Eastern Steppe

Information was collected on roe deer (Capreolus pygargus) distribution on the Eastern Steppe of Mongolia from 2000 to 2003. During this period, 65 roe deer were observed. Roe Deer were distributed throughout the Eastern Steppe region, but all sightings occurred in or adjacent to small woodland patches or riparian woodland. These woodland patches and riparian woodlands are likely to be critical roe deer habitat on the otherwise open grasslands of eastern Mongolia. From a management perspective, roe deer can function as an ecological focal species for preservation of these habitats, and conservation of roe deer and their woodlands can conserve a suite of other species also dependent upon this habitat and thus help conserve the biodiversity of Mongolia’s Eastern Steppe.