Ulaanbaatar
Umnugobi: Forest Belt Becomes a Haven for Gobi Birds
Environment
Dalanzadgad, August 25, 2025 /MONTSAME/. Umnugobi aimag is aiming to plant 70 million trees under the “Billions of Trees” National Movement of Mongolia. Umnugobi aimag has called on each citizen to plant nine trees annually and each organization to plant 90 trees, while advancing Gobi afforestation in partnership with mining companies operating in the region. Within this framework, Energy Resources LLC began planting trees on a 10-hectare site in 2011 to combat desertification. The shelterbelt has since grown into a windbreak green grove with 12,000 trees from five species — elm, poplar, jigd, sukhai, and sea buckthorn — with a survival rate exceeding 85 percent.
Environmental specialists note that the number of plant species growing within this small forest strip is three times higher than in the surrounding area, which is making it a suitable habitat for birds.
An increase in shelterbelts across the Gobi brings multiple benefits: conserving local biodiversity, slowing rapid climate change impacts, enabling sustainable, long-term afforestation of the Gobi, expanding Mongolia’s stock of planted forests, and accelerating the development of agroforestry enterprises.
