Wildlife of
Zabajkal'skij kraj

Primary Threats

• Warming and increased drought severity amplify extreme fire seasons and accelerate permafrost/soil moisture changes in taiga and forest-steppe. In the Daurian steppe, climate-driven drying interacts with the naturally cyclical hydrology of the Torey Lakes, intensifying low-water periods that reduce nesting/stopover habitat for cranes, geese, and gulls.
• Hydrological alteration in steppe basins (water withdrawals, channel/culvert works, local impoundments) can worsen wetland shrinkage during dry cycles around the Torey Lakes and adjacent marshes, degrading key breeding and staging sites for waterbirds in Dauria.
• Gold and polymetallic mining (including placer operations) disturbs river valleys and steppe slopes, increases sedimentation/turbidity, and creates contamination risks from tailings and process chemicals. Road building to deposits fragments habitat and increases access for poaching and unregulated off-road travel.
• Commercial timber harvest and associated road networks in taiga and mountain forests reduce old-growth structure and increase edge effects, while roads raise ignition risk and enable higher hunting pressure on musk deer, deer, and other game species.
• Localized water and soil pollution occurs near mining areas and settlements (runoff, tailings seepage, fuel spills), with downstream impacts on riverine fish/invertebrates and wetland food webs; smoke pollution from major wildfires also creates episodic air-quality and ecosystem stress.
• Steppe and forest-steppe habitats are lost or degraded through plowing in arable pockets, settlement expansion along transport corridors, and industrial footprints (mines, quarries, camps), reducing continuous rangelands needed by wide-ranging steppe fauna and ground-nesting birds.
• Conversion of remaining steppe to cropland in suitable valleys and plains, plus intensification near villages, reduces native grassland and increases disturbance during nesting seasons for steppe birds; fencing and haying also alter movement and cover for steppe wildlife.
• Overgrazing around wells, villages, and seasonal camps can simplify grassland plant communities, increase erosion and dusting, and reduce forage quality-especially in drought years-affecting steppe ungulates and the prey base for raptors.
• The Trans-Siberian rail corridor, federal highways, and expanding industrial access roads fragment habitats and increase wildlife mortality (vehicle/train strikes). Border security infrastructure and fences in some areas can impede movements of steppe species and concentrate animals into riskier crossing points.
• Illegal take and noncompliance with seasons/quotas affect ungulates and furbearers, particularly where new roads open remote areas. Poaching pressure is elevated near borders and along transport routes, with additional risk to rare birds via incidental shooting and disturbance.
• Cross-border demand (notably toward China and broader markets) incentivizes illegal trade in furs and wildlife parts (e.g., musk deer products, bear parts), increasing targeted poaching and undermining recovery of sensitive species.
• Spring and summer disturbance from off-road vehicles, unregulated recreation, and grassland burning near settlements can cause nest abandonment and lower breeding success for cranes and other ground-nesting birds in steppe and wetland margins.
• Steppe and forest-steppe livestock-wildlife interfaces create periodic risks of outbreaks (e.g., anthrax foci in steppe soils, rabies in canids), which can impact wild ungulates/carnivores and trigger conflict-driven control actions.
• Depredation on livestock by wolves and occasional bear conflicts near settlements can lead to retaliatory killing and broader intolerance toward carnivores; conflict risk rises when prey availability drops after severe winters, fires, or drought.