At the conference, current issues of pasture livestock farming, existing problems and opportunities, as well as ways to strengthen partnerships aimed at supporting integrated land resource management and sustainable livestock development, including increasing exports, were discussed.
During the event, C.Munkhnasan, head of the Department of Policy and Coordination in Livestock and Genetic Resources, noted that the United Nations General Assembly declared 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists. This initiative, proposed by Mongolia, emphasizes the importance of managing pastures and the sustainable development of nomadic livestock farming. He also added that pasture degradation has become a pressing issue both regionally and globally, affecting many countries. In the world, 54% of land consists of arid areas, where pasture degradation threatens ecosystems. Currently, the livestock population in Mongolia has reached 130 million, which exceeds acceptable norms and is becoming one of the main causes of pasture degradation.
B.Dul, head of the Land Use Department of the Land Use, Geodesy, and Cartography Authority, emphasized that their organization is responsible for planning and managing pastures across the country, as well as monitoring the condition of these lands. Over the past ten years, photomonitoring of pastures has been conducted using a new methodology that allows for the assessment of biomass levels and vegetation conditions annually in August, taking into account the impact of human activity and natural factors. An integrated electronic system for managing land resources has been implemented in the organization.
The authority is also actively collaborating with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on projects aimed at the sustainable development of arid land landscapes and the conservation of biodiversity in the eastern steppes of Mongolia. As part of this collaboration, a mobile application has been developed that allows for quicker and more efficient dissemination of research results to livestock farmers and stakeholders, facilitating more timely field surveys using mobile technologies.
According to data from the last two years, over 20% of the total area of pastures in the country has undergone significant or very significant degradation.
