Ulaanbaatar, October 24, 2025 /MONTSAME/. Within the framework of the UN Week, organized to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, the “Pastoralism and Mongolia” consultative meeting was held on October 23, 2025.

The meeting aimed to discuss the current state, challenges, opportunities, and joint solutions, strengthen partnerships in pastoralism, support integrated land management and sustainable livestock production, and increase exports.

Head of the Livestock and Genetic Resources Policy Coordination Department, Ts. Munkhnasan, stated, “By resolution of the United Nations General Assembly, the year 2026 has been declared the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists. The Government of Mongolia proposed this initiative, and our country is taking a leading role in its implementation. The goal is to draw the attention of global decision-makers to rangeland management and the sustainable development of pastoral livestock systems. Rangeland degradation has become not only a national concern for Mongolia but also a regional and global issue. Drylands make up about 54 percent of the world’s land area, and rangeland degradation is accelerating in these regions. According to research, Mongolia’s rangelands have a carrying capacity of approximately 85 million sheep; however, the current livestock population has reached 130 million, exceeding the sustainable limit. This overcapacity is one of the main factors causing rangeland degradation and disrupting ecological balance.”

Head of the Department of Land Management, B. Dul, stated, “Our General Authority for Land Administration, Geodesy, and Cartography (GALAGC) is responsible for organizing, planning, and managing rangeland use nationwide. We also monitor and assess the condition and changes of rangelands, as well as study and analyze potential future changes and risks. We have been implementing rangeland photo monitoring for ten years using updated methodologies. Every August, we assess rangeland yield, biomass, and vegetation cover to evaluate the ecological condition and regeneration capacity of each region’s ecosystem. This assessment is based on both human activities and natural factors. We also operate an integrated digital system for managing the national land database.”

The GALAGC is cooperating with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) under the Promoting Dryland Sustainable Landscapes and Biodiversity Conservation in the Eastern Steppe of Mongolia project and the Sustainable Resilient Ecosystem and Agriculture Management in Mongolia (STREAM) project. As part of this collaboration, a mobile application has been developed to deliver research results quickly and efficiently to citizens, herders, and policymakers. This allows field research to be conducted more rapidly and effectively using mobile technology. According to data from the past two years, heavily and severely degraded rangelands now account for more than 20 percent of the total territory.