Mongolia has completed its second comprehensive IUCN Red List country reassessment for four major taxonomic groups: Mammals, Reptiles, Amphibians and Fish after 19 years, marking a major milestone in strengthening the scientific foundation for wildlife conservation and enabling the improvements to the legal protection of endangered species. The reassessment was led by WWF-Mongolia in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MECC), Mongolian National University, national researchers, and independent experts.  The results will serve as a key scientific basis for the forthcoming revision of Mongolia’s Law on Fauna.

The previous national IUCN Red List assessments were conducted in 2006. Since then, no comprehensive reassessment was undertaken, resulting in increasing gaps and inaccuracies in conservation status evaluations. Mongolia has now reassessed following 249 species:

• 141 mammal species (up from 128 in 2006)
• 76 fish species (up from 64 in 2006)
• 7 amphibian species (up from 6 in 2006)
• 25 reptile species (up from 21 in 2006).

Among mammals, the number of threatened species (Critically Endangered, Endangered, and Vulnerable) increased from 22 in 2006 to 25 in 2025. Notably, the number of Near Threatened species increased significantly from 7 to 18 species. The total number of mammal species assessed also increased by 13 species reflecting newly recognized species, revised taxonomy, and new national records.

For fish, the number of threatened species increased from 11 to 15. Although the proportion of threatened species decreased slightly from 23% to 19.7% due to addition of 12 newly listed fish species. Population trend data show that 18.4% of assessed fish species are declining. Only 27.6% are considered stable, while a significant proportion remains with unknown or unevaluated trends.

For amphibians and reptiles, the total number of species assessed increased from 24 to 32. The number of threatened amphibian species persisted at 4 species between 2006 and 2025, while threatened reptile species rose from 7 to 9 species. Notably, more than half of Mongolia’s amphibian species are now categorized as Vulnerable.

Three official assessment reports have been published in Mongolian. The updated IUCN Red List was officially announced on 12 February 2026. Following the announcement, electronic versions of the reports (in Mongolian) were made publicly accessible through WWF-Mongolia’s website to ensure transparency and public access:

1. Red List: Mongolian Mammal Species and Their Conservation
2. Red List: Mongolian Fish Species and Their Conservation
3. Red List: Mongolian Amphibian and Reptiles Species and Their Conservation

The completion of the 2025 national IUCN Red List reassessment represents a critical step toward modernizing Mongolia’s wildlife protection system and aligning national conservation efforts with international standards. WWF-Mongolia has also supported MECC in revising the Law on Fauna, which is currently under review. A key proposed amendment is the formal recognition of Mongolia’s national IUCN Red List assessments as the primary legal basis for determining species rarity and conservation status. Once adopted, the revised Law on Fauna will establish more flexible, science-based legal framework, enabling Mongolia to respond more effectively to species declines and emerging conservation challenges.