New paper on the Eurasian Kurgan Database

We have published an 'introduction paper' about the Eurasian Kurgan Database in the Steppe Bulletin. 

The citation of the paper: 

Bragina, Tatyana M. ; Lisetskii, Fedor N. ; Buryak, Zhanna A. ; Bede, Ádám ; Apostolova, Iva ; Tóth, Csaba Albert ; Báthori, Ferenc ; Bán, Miklós ; Deák, Balázs (2019): Евразийская база данных о курганах поможет сохранить биоразнообразие степей /Eurasian database on kurgans will help to preserve biodiversity of steppes/. Степной Бюллетень /Steppe Bulletin/ 53: 36-40. 

The paper can be downloaded here. 

Eurasian steppes have an essential role in conserving biodiversity, but due to the huge habitat loss in the past centuries they are often preserved only in small refuges. Among such refuges are the ancient steppic burial mounds (the so called ‘kurgans’) which have a high cultural and historical importance and are also essential sites of nature conservation. Despite their high number (approximately half million) and conservational importance there is a huge lack of knowledge on the locality and conservational state of the kurgans in most regions of Eurasia. To fill this knowledge gap, we built a public database which allows to record and query basic information on their cultural values and factors (such as land cover type, threatening factors, cover of woody species) that might serve as a basis for their effective conservation. The database provides a transparent, public and easy-to-use source for conservation managers and landscape planners focused on grassland conservation. In addition, it also provides background information for other associate disciplines and public agencies dealing with the protection of cultural heritage. 

Meadow steppe with the statue of a Cumanian lady (половецкая баба). Drawing of Марианны Масловой.

Currently the database contains 2,540 data on Eurasian kurgans ranging from Hungary to Mongolia providing data on their location. Some of the data is provided on the basic dataform, which means we have only the coordinates of the kurgan. But from more than 1,700 kurgans we have detailed data on the land use, threatening factors and cultural values of the kurgans.

Current geographical coverage of the Eurasian Kurgan Database.

All future cooperation partners interested in the building of the database are welcome. Please contact me on the debalazs@gmail.com email address. 

In order to draw attention on the present conservation status of the kurgans across Eurasia we aim to publish a synthesis paper using the data from the database. The planned publication aims to give a comprehensive overview on the current land cover, threatening factors present on and the cultural values associated to the kurgans of the different regions of a wide geographical range. According to the terms and conditions of the Eurasian Kurgan Database data contributors who provided a significant contribution (1, more than 5% of the available data on the complex dataform, or 2, providing valuable data from a new region on the complex dataform) to the Database will be offered a coauthorship in the forthcoming publications. 

You can see our previous publication on this topic here.