Uvs Nuur Basin

It has been noted that the management authority on the Russian side does not pay sufficient attention to the needs of local population wishing to generate income through their traditional ways of livelihood in the areas neighbouring to the site (Butorin, 2005). There seems to have been a general lack of cooperation with local self-government structures, and probably also with local inhabitants and resource users (IUCN, 2017; UNEP-WCMC, 2011). The park authority on the Mongolian part of the site is engaging local people in the conservation activities by allowing non-detrimental traditional use of natural resources. In addition, it is collaborating with local communities in the tourism development, by supporting traditional handicraft making of the local people for the sale to tourists. Since 2009, in partnership with the WWF Mongolia Programme Office, the Altai-Sayan Project, and the Climate Change Project, the “Community Development and Partnership” event has been organized annually at local levels. Community members are empowered and learning from each other. There are also some 30 volunteer rangers who work together on conservation activities, which is important for effective monitoring. Although there are some concerns in the Russian component parts, the relationship with local people on the Mongolian side seem effective.

The basis for legal protection of protected areas that form part of the World Heritage Site include the Law on Special Protected Areas (1994) and the Law on Buffer Zones (1998) in the case of Mongolia, and the Federal Law on Special Protected Areas (1995) in the Russian Federation (The Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of Mongolia, 2001). The five Tuvan cluster areas making up the Ubsunorskaya Kotlovina (Ubsunuur Hollow) Nature Reserve in the Russian Federation were given protected area status by both the governments of the Republic of Tuva and the Russian Federation in 1993. In 2000, two clusters were added, expanding the territory of the protected area ("Kara-Khol" and "Khan-Deer", covering Snow Leopard habitats).

The protected areas in both countries are governed by the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation and the Ministry for Nature and the Environment of Mongolia. Transboundary cooperation has been enabled through the provisions of the World Heritage Convention, the Agreement between the Governments of Mongolia and the Russian Federation on Cooperation in the Field of Environmental Protection (1994), the Ulaanbaatar Declaration (2000), and diverse relevant agreements between the Government of the Republic of Tuva of the Russian Federation and administrations Ubsu-Nur and Zavkhan aimags of Mongolia (UNESCO, 2022). In 2011, the two countries established the Russian-Mongolian Joint Commission for the Management of the Uvs Nuur Basin Transboundary Reserve, a high-level decision-making body responsible for the planning and evaluation of activities in the transboundary Biosphere Reserve (World Heritage Site is part of it) (UNESCO, 2022). According to the latest periodic report, coordination between the administrative bodies could be further improved (States Parties of Mongolia and the Russian Federation, 2023).

On the Russian side, the nature reserve is poorly integrated into the regional programmes (socio-economic, conservation and educational). Although in connection with the expansion of the reserve in 2000 (new clusters "Kara-Khol" and " Khan-Deer" covering Snow Leopard habitats were created), the reserve's office was transferred to Kyzyl, the capital of the Tuva Republic, a point equidistant from all clusters and district inspections. Located in Kyzyl, the reserve has improved its interaction with the authorities and public organizations (IUCN, 2020b).

Park boundaries are marked at the main entrance points with signboards. Back in 2005, the participants of the workshop on the “Management problems and development perspectives of the Uvs Nuur Basin World Heritage Site” noted that in the Tuvan side, the boundaries of the site were not well marked (Butorin, 2005). In order to develop the natural conservation management, ”border columns” and information boards have been set up in the strictly protected areas (IUCN, 2020). There is an agreement between Mongolian and Russian parts of the site to conduct joint inspection along both sides of the frontier, exchanging information on law infringement (Butorin, 2005).

In 1997, the two Uvs Nuur nature reserves have been designated as UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in Mongolia and the Russian Federation, followed by proclamation of a single Uvs Nuur Basin transboundary Biosphere Reserve in 2021. The Mongolian Lake Uvs and its wetlands is a Ramsar Site, designated in 2004. Additionally, in Mongolia, Uvs Nuur with its surroundings is an Important Bird Area (MN009), and part of the East Asian Australian Flyway Network (EAAF130) (WWF Mongolia/Mongolian Protected Areas, 2022). The basin has been recognized by WWF as one of 200 Global Priority Ecoregions. The extent to which the management of the overlapping designations is effective could not be comprehensively assessed.

The 27th Committee decisions and recommendations focused on (1) upgrading the Tes River Specially Protected Area in Mongolia, protected at a provincial level at that time, to a Specially Protected Area under State legislation, which has since been implemented (World Heritage Committee, 2014); and (2) encouraging States Parties to ensure adequate resources made available quickly and maintained for the effective implementation of the management plans - this seems to have not fully been addressed yet (IUCN, 2017). No more recent decisions have been made.

Monitoring of climate change is carried out regularly at scientific stations (The Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of Mongolia, 2001). At the site level rainwater and snow water are accumulated to form ponds, and in order to reduce desertification and increase green space, seedlings of water-retaining plants have been tested (States Parties of Mongolia and the Russian Federation, 2023).

Uvs Nuur Basin (898,064 ha) is a transnational serial property consisted of formally protected public lands in both countries, Mongolia and the Russian Federation (World Heritage Committee, 2014). The property consists of twelve components. Seven components are in the Russian Federation and form part of Ubsunur Hollow Nature Preserve, while five components are in Mongolia and form part of Uvs Nuur Nature Preserve (World Heritage Committee, 2014; UNEP-WCMC, 2011; The Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of Mongolia, 2001). The Mongolian part is a strictly protected area (IUCN protected area management category Ib) and covers almost half of the surface area of the entire property (UNEP WCMC, 2024; World Heritage Committee, 2014). There is no buffer zone in the Mongolian territory, but about 170,00 ha in the Russian Federation form the property’s buffer zone (World Heritage Committee, 2024). The two protected areas are managed by the respective countries’ park administrations (the Russian protected area falls under the Tuvan Ministry of the Environment). Protected areas are governed by the respective ministries of the two countries. Sacred natural objects located in the basin benefit from the protection by local communities (Uvs Nuur, Tore-Holl, Tsagaan-Khairkhan, Turgen, and others) (The Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of Mongolia, 2001). The management plan for the Tuvan section (Russian Federation) was approved in 2007 and covered the period of 2008-2012. It is not clear if a new management plan was developed and approved since. The latest management plan for the Mongolian section was developed and approved in 2019, covering the period from 2020 to 2024 (UNEP-WCMC, 2024; IUCN, 2020a). A first joint transboundary management plan was approved by both Governments in 2010, followed by an update approved in 2018, covering the period of 2018-2022. The plan provides an overview of essential ecosystems, communities (lakes, steppes, glaciers) and species and management based on the conservation strategy of guarding the territories, expansion of species' migration corridors, education and awareness raising activities, development of scientific research and monitoring, as well as the development of ecotourism (Ubsunurskaya Kotlovina State Biosphere Reserve, 2020).

Detailed information on enforcement effectiveness; such as on the number of violations detected and brought to court, long term statistics in infringements, and similar, is not available. According to the website of the Russian component protected area, there is a lack of equipment for effective enforcement in some of the remote component areas of the series in Tuva Republic (Ubsunurskaya Kotlovina State Biosphere Reserve, 2017). The geographical distance of the administration from the component areas, as well as the high staff turnover and lack of qualified staff have also been noted (IUCN, 2017) and are likely to limit enforcement effectiveness. It has been reported that weak enforcement capacity in combination with increasing visitation (at least on the Russian side) has led to an increase in poaching (IUCN, 2017). There are also concerns about illegal logging in some areas of the property (World Heritage Committee, 2014). Recently, stricter penalties for environmental crimes, joint inspections, as well as better advocacy and monitoring have been implemented to combat illegal activities (IUCN, 2020a), however, some concern regarding law enforcement still exist. According to the latest periodic report illegal hunting, logging, and violations of natural resources have been stopped as law enforcement improves. One ranger of the World Heritage site conducts 36 patrols and inspections per year, and specialists of the administration 24 times a year (States Parties of Mongolia and the Russian Federation, 2023).

Due to the small state budget for conservation work, the protected area management authorities with international and domestic environmental projects and programmes (IUCN, 2020). However, there are no up-to-date figures available on the annual budget of the reserves in any of the recent documents (IUCN, 2017; Ubsunurskaya Kotlovina State Biosphere Reserve, 2017; UNEP-WCMC, 2011; World Heritage Committee, 2014). This makes it difficult to assess the sustainability of current financing levels. However, there is concern because the high number of clusters that are remote requires effective transport and communication devices (Butorin, 2005). Lack of investment into the infrastructure can negatively impact the monitoring and protection activities of the park administration (IUCN, 2013). In addition, the website of the Tuvan component protected areas states that there are resourcing shortfalls on equipment, infrastructure and salaries (Ubsunurskaya Kotlovina State Biosphere Reserve, 2017), which suggests that the financing level is not fully sustainable in the long-term.

The reserve on the Tuvan side of the World Heritage site had 83 employees in 2013. The remoteness of the site and the high cost for travel to the training centres limit professional training and capacity building of site managers and staff although some programmes are ongoing (States Parties of Mongolia and the Russian Federation, 2023). Furthermore, the low level of remuneration for the park staff negatively influences the quality of their performance, leads to high staff turnover and hence to frequent losses of experienced staff (IUCN, 2013; IUCN, 2017; Ubsunurskaya Kotlovina State Biosphere Reserve, 2017). The size of the area monitored by each ranger is very large (between 7,500 and 22,000 ha per ranger) (Ubsunurskaya Kotlovina State Biosphere Reserve, 2017). This discourages rangers to be committed for a long term (Enkhtsetsteg, 2009). Some trainings have been organized twice a year for the protected areas administration specialists, rangers and volunteer rangers (IUCN, 2020) and although overall the training programme was considered satisfactory in 2014, it needs to be further improved with the integration of new subjects on monitoring, research, GIS and remote sensing. Uvs Nuur Basin SPA administration has been paying particular attention to its staff development through providing external training at training institutions (Enkhtsetseg, 2009). Overall, the human capacity could be further improved but is considered adequate to protect the OUV (States Parties of Mongolia and the Russian Federation, 2023).

In Mongolia, the environmental information centre is working with the aim to provide local population and visitors with the information on nature conservation, scientific literature and legislative acts. Educational programmes are broadcasted regularly through local and national TV and radio. Roundtable discussions are organized with the involvement of scientists, researchers and protected area staff. Annual events such as visits to the most prominent spots in the site, consultation with the local communities and environmental action days are organized in order to raise public awareness on the site’s protection (IUCN, 2013). In the Natural Heritage transition zone, training and advocacy for 7,500 people annually has been organized through four information centers and 14 school Eco-clubs, to disseminate environmental information, support Eco-club teachers and students in the suburbs, to provide opportunities for them to learn from each other and to improve their ecological education. Currently, over 500 children and teachers have taken part in the activities. The Uvs Nuur Basin has participated for the third year in the "Land of the Snow Leopard" festival which is organized by the Tuva Biosphere Reserve (IUCN, 2020a; UNESCO, 2022). The website of the Russian component protected area lists a range of education and awareness raising activities (Ubsunurskaya Kotlovina State Biosphere Reserve, 2017). However, several reports refer to the fact that, overall, the awareness of the local population on environmental issues particularly on the transboundary biodiversity conservation, landscape and water conservation (IUCN, 2013) and ecological knowledge remains low (Butorin, 2005). It has also been noted that, on the Tuvan site, there is a need for closer integration of education and awareness raising activities with those of other local and regional players (IUCN, 2017).

Although the World Heritage Site includes a variety of places representing diverse natural landscapes and historic importance and has a great potential for eco-tourism, its recreational resources are underutilized (IUCN, 2013). The tourism does not generate tangible benefits and income for local people and protected area management. Furthermore, there are no statistics and related information on the number of visitors, main tourist routes and possible impact caused by the visitation. It also appears that there is localized and unregulated tourism pressure in some areas, such as Lake Tore-Khol in the protective zone of “Tsuger Els” cluster, and that unregulated dirt roads are appearing in steppe and sandy areas along Tes-Khem River (IUCN, 2017). This points to a potential need for more systematic and proactive tourism management.

Local people are allowed to carry out non-detrimental traditional use of natural resources, particularly through grazing. Land use and waste management agreements have been set up with the households and livestock farmers in the transition areas of the site, which are evaluated once a year (IUCN, 2020). However, there is a need to regulate this more pro-actively (World Heritage Committee, 2014). Overgrazing seems to be evident in some areas, as a result of abandonment of nomadic lifestyle (The Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of Mongolia, 2001). It has also been noted that there is a rise of harvesting of non-timber forest products in the region (IUCN, 2017), which also suggests a need for a more systematic, regulated approach. Altai Onion (Allium altaicum) and some other valuable medicinal and food plants are being illegally harvested in larger quantities, however, this is occurring very locally (The Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of Mongolia, 2001). There is no information about the current situation in that regard.

Since 1997, Uvs Nuur Basin has been one of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme study areas. This programme conducts scientific research to monitor and understand global change, as well as into wetlands and wildlife (UNEP-WCMC, 2011, World Heritage Committee, 2014). This has been coordinated by the Ubsunur International Centre for Biospheric Research guided by the Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Science (UNEP-WCMC, 2011). Both reserves’ authorities carry out monitoring activities on their respective territories (Ubsunurskaya Kotlovina State Biosphere Reserve, 2017; World Heritage Committee, 2014; IUCN, 2017). However, no details are available on these monitoring programmes. Consultation reveals that the park administration lacks the adequate use of modern monitoring devices that include camera traps, genetic certification, GIS and remote sensing that are required for the monitoring of rare and endangered species (IUCN, 2013). Furthermore, there is a need to exchange research and monitoring/assessment data on transboundary endangered and migratory wildlife species, but progress in this direction has been slow in the past, due to lack of funding (Enkhtsetsteg, 2009). One exception is the joint transboundary Argali study that started in 2008. The population size is estimated during mating season, newborn Argali are captured, collared and telemetry surveys conducted. Results show that Argali populations in the transboundary area are doing well, with seasonal migration between Russia and Mongolia. In 2019 under an agreement with the Border Guard Office for the Republic of Tuva and the Ubsunur Basin reserve, barbed wire fences on the Argali migration routes were dismounted. However, there is a need for resources, capacity and involvement of local conservation communities to address negative factors on virgin high mountain ecosystems, degradation of pasture, infrastructure development, highway construction, illegal hunting and mining activities (IUCN, 2020a).

The basin has an exceptional scientific importance because of its relatively pristine conditions. Research activities have been ongoing for decades, while in 1984, an ”Ubsunur Experiment” international programme was launched. The programme has been gathering specialists from diverse disciplines, such as biology, geography, soil sciences, mathematics, economy, history and other, to study the area using satellite information and mathematical modelling (UNEP-WCMC, 2011; The Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of Mongolia, 2001; UNESCO, 2022). Every two years since 1989, the two protected areas’ administrations have been co-organizing the "Uvs Nuur" international symposia “Ecosystem of Central Asia: Research, Conservation and Sustainable Use”, leading to relevant recommendations, declarations, and actions to be taken (IUCN, 2020a; The Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of Mongolia, 2001). The programme enabled the development of three major publications and 12 research projects into glaciers, soils, ecosystems and rare animals (UNEP-WCMC, 2011). Some research activities have been undertaken with the support of WWF and UNDP, and in cooperation with a range of research institutions predominantly in Russia (Ubsunurskaya Kotlovina State Biosphere Reserve, 2017). There is also scientific cooperation between the Russian and Mongolian protected areas and their partners. Joint research on snow leopards in transboundary areas started in 2010. Migration and gene flow are important to keep the populations healthy, especially for the small Russian population at the northern edge of the world’s snow leopard distribution area. Results show that snow leopards migrate between Mongolia and Russia crossing the Asgat River (IUCN, 2020a; Мunkhtsog et al., 2015). Since 2017, 39 surveys of rare insects, reptiles, birds, and plants, as well as climate change and glaciation studies have been conducted in the Uvs Nuur Basin. These include: Snow Leopard, Argali, Ibex, Beaver, Siberian Sparrowhawk, Central Asian Beaver, Reed Pig, River Otter, Altai Snowcock, Musk Deer, Mongolian Marmot and plant research (IUCN, 2020a; UNESCO, 2022).

Mongolia’s most important natural resource is its grasslands, and the most important threat from outside the World Heritage site is the continuously increasing stock numbers leading to overgrazing (IUCN, 1999). Since Mongolia privatized grazing herds in 1992, there has been a spectacular increase in the number of domestic livestock population from 20 million in 1992 to 40 million in 2010. However, according to a livestock census at the end of 2019, there are no households in the core and buffer zones of the World Heritage Site, and in the transition zone there are 232,688 livestock from 692 households (IUCN, 2020a). Managing livestock grazing is a key issue in maintaining the integrity of the natural and cultural values of ecosystems of Uvs Nuur, although its direct impact at the level of the property is unclear and in need of further study. Some limits to effective law enforcement have been noted, including lack of equipment, geographical distance between the administration and component areas, as well as the high staff turnover and lack of qualified staff. The size of the area monitored by each ranger is also very large (between 7,500 and 22,000 ha per ranger, depending on PA category). This could compromise the management of threats from, for example, illegal logging, poaching and forest fires.

Formal protected area management effectiveness assessments were performed in 2005 and 2012 for the Mongolian protected area, and in 2012 for the Russian site, but there are no more recent assessments (UNEP-WCMC, 2024). The administration of the Russian reserve listed some issues related to the legal basis (particularly financial and legal obligations of land users), a lack of equipment of the protection service (vehicles, communications equipment, office equipment, uniforms and field clothing), a high staff turnover and low wages, and lack of qualified staff as factors limiting management effectiveness (Ubsunurskaya Kotlovina State Biosphere Reserve, 2017). Such situation imposes challenges in managing certain threats to the property such as poaching, illegal logging, or efficient management of visitors. It has also been noted that the geographical distance of the administration (based in the Kyzyl, the capital of the Tuva Republic) from the actual component areas, compromises effective management, but at the same time enables close relations with other public institutions. Transboundary cooperation seems to be well established, particularly through the Joint Commission for the Management of the Uvs Nuur Basin Transboundary Reserve whose members meet regularly. One of the important transboundary cooperative activities was temporary opening of the barriers at the state border in the Mongun-Taiga district of Tuva to allow seasonal migrations of Argali. This major achievement required more than a decade of negotiations and helped stabilize the Argali population on the Russian side (UNESCO, 2022).