Animal welfare
Online atlas of migratory ungulates launched
Wildebeests migrate thousands of kilometres in search of food. (Archive photo) Photo
© Gioia Forster/dpa
Wildebeest, zebras, antelopes: animals like these migrate thousands of kilometers every year. But humans are cutting through their habitats. A new online map is intended to help protect the animals.
The United Nations has published new online maps showing the migration routes of ungulates worldwide to help protect these species. It is the first interactive migration map of hoofed mammals such as zebras, wildebeests and antelopes, which regularly travel long distances at different times of the year, said the Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) in Bonn. The CMS is a biodiversity treaty of the United Nations.
An international team of more than 80 scientists analyzed tracking data for the “Atlas of Ungulate Migration.” The atlas will be made freely available to governments, conservation groups and the public.
“Knowing the routes animals use to migrate is important to better understand what we need to do to conserve and manage them,” said Amy Fraenkel, CMS executive director. The atlas is designed to help plan conservation efforts – while also addressing the needs of local communities.
Many migratory animal species are in poor health
Whether reindeer in North America, Alpine ibexes, Mongolian wild asses or Argentine guanacos, which belong to the camel family, ungulates around the world migrate long distances to find food, escape harsh weather or raise their young. “Ensuring their ability to migrate is crucial to their survival,” the CMS Secretariat explained.
The first report on the state of migratory species, published by the United Nations in February, showed that many migratory species are in a bad state. According to the report, the population of 44 percent of these species is declining and 22 percent are threatened with extinction – the reasons for this are largely human-related. These include the alteration of habitats through fences, roads and railways, excessive exploitation through poaching and climate change.
“This atlas represents an important milestone for global conservation, and we believe the migration maps will be a tangible and effective tool to stem the loss of ungulate migration around the world,” said Matthew Kauffman, wildlife biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
Map to be expanded
The interactive maps currently cover 20 animal species, from the Serengeti wildebeest to the African elephant and the saiga antelope of the Central Asian steppe. They will be expanded in the future to include additional corridor maps and maps of species not yet represented.
“We have reached an ecological tipping point where it is more urgent than ever to have sound data to determine exactly where to direct conservation efforts that can have the greatest impact on migratory wildlife,” said Grant Hopcraft, a conservation ecologist at the University of Glasgow.
For example, the Central Asian region is home to the largest intact and still connected grasslands in the world. The atlas also shows how railway construction affects the movement of the saiga antelope and cuts it off from important winter habitats.
Once a migration has been mapped in detail, governments and advocacy groups can use wildlife road crossings or other conservation measures to facilitate herd movements, according to the researchers.