Contemporary mobility of herders in central Mongolia

Includes bibliographical references.Presented at the Building resilience of Mongolian rangelands: a trans-disciplinary research conference held on June 9-10, 2015 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.Social-ecological changes occurring in recent years have complicated herders' migration patterns, and because of rangeland climate variability, nomadic movement patterns have changed. The aim of this study was to determine how the present movement patterns of herders situated in different steppe regions along the road infrastructure corridor of central Mongolia have been affected by the intensification of community-based natural resource management activities and household livelihood levels, and to identify how herders adapt to those changes in their movement practices. The number and distance of herders' movements increased between 2010 and 2011, depending on regional geographical location and community-based natural resource management activities. In particular, household income and the number of livestock herders owned determined how far they moved. In the period 2010-2011 in central Mongolia there was a trend of movement from the western aimags to the forest steppe and from the desert steppe to the steppe and forest steppe, across administrative borders. Herders have a variety of ways to cope with social-ecological change which demonstrates the basic need for developing location-specific policies when establishing movement regulations and implementing risk reduction measures

Is cross-breeding with indigenous sheep breeds an option for climate-smart agriculture?

Climate-smart agriculture aims to improve food security by increasing productivity and producer incomes, strengthening resilience to climate change, and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. For the livestock sector, improved genetics is often identified as a climate-smart option. While there is evidence in commercial systems that improved genetics is effective, extensive livestock systems in marginal environments have received less attention. This study in Mongolia compares flocks of two indigenous breeds: flocks of pure Mongol breed and flocks of Mongol-Barga breed crosses. It finds that cross-breeding can increase productivity (measured by live weight of animals) and improve adaptation to winter cold (measured by reductions in weight loss during winter-spring), while not increasing the intensity of GHG emissions (measured as kg CO2e emitted per kg live weight marketed) (p < 0.05). The effects of cross-breeding on GHG emissions are strongly dependent on the structure of flocks and off-take. Productivity and winter adaptation are significantly improved for the cross-bred flocks compared to pure Mongol flocks (p < 0.05), but management practices also have a significant impact. Programs to promote climate-smart practices in extensive livestock systems should adopt an integrated approach combining improved animal management and marketing with breeding activities, rather than promoting single practices, such as cross-breeding with indigenous breeds

Community-based rangeland management and social-ecological resilience of rural Mongolian communities

2012 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.This research is an attempt to apply a resilience framework to understand how pastoral social-ecological systems respond to change, and the potential role of formal CBRM institutions in this process. The resilience principles of Folke, Colding & Berkes (2003): 1) learning to live with change and uncertainty, 2) nurturing diversity for reorganization and renewal, 3) combining different types of knowledge for learning and 4) creating opportunity for self-organization toward social-ecological sustainability were assessed in two pairs of adjacent herding communities with and without community-based rangeland management (CBRM) experience. The social-ecological systems in both CBRM and non-CBRM herding communities demonstrated that their capacities to respond to crisis and disturbances are deeply embedded in local knowledge, practices, and social networks. Community-based rangeland management communities have shown potentials to facilitate adaptation and resilience building if such organizations are based on and further develop existing cooperation of customary neighborhoods. Community-based rangeland management offers structures that contemporary pastoral society needs to have in place to stimulate new learning for constructive change. As part resilience building for Mongolian pastoral social-ecological systems, I propose linking the resilience framework to the meaningful local nutag wisdom or framework to inform national and international stakeholders about locally appropriate or nutag appropriate strategies and approaches to natural resource management and rural development

Building resilience of Mongolian rangelands: a trans-disciplinary research conference - preface

Includes bibliographical references.Presented at the Building resilience of Mongolian rangelands: a trans-disciplinary research conference held on June 9-10, 2015 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.Mongolia is a semi-arid and arid country in Asia where the climate has been changing more drastically than many other locations across the globe. The proceedings of the "Trans-disciplinary Research Conference: Building Resilience of Mongolian Rangelands" is divided into five sections: 1) Rangeland Ecology and Management, 2) Climate Change and Hydrology, 3) Institutional Innovations in Mongolian Rangelands, 4) Social and Economic Development in Rural Mongolia, and 5) Methods of Knowledge and Data Integration. The papers presented provide cause for concern regarding observed changes in climate, rangeland conditions and livestock populations, as well as reasons for hope and motivations for action to address the current challenges. We hope that this volume and the conference it accompanies, will inspire renewed commitment to support science and science-based policy-making and management to sustain Mongolia's unique natural and cultural heritage as they adapt to a changing planet

Participatory mapping in Mongolia

ZIP file includes supporting materials for the project with a readme file.This record contains supporting documents associated with participatory mapping activities conducted as part of the Mongolian Rangelands and Resilience (MOR2) project. The collection of documents includes presentations, map images, a blog post, and a photo essay of the project

What explains positive social outcomes of community-based rangeland management in Mongolia?

Includes bibliographical references.Presented at the Building resilience of Mongolian rangelands: a trans-disciplinary research conference held on June 9-10, 2015 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.Community-based rangeland management (CBRM) has been proposed as a promising option to reduce rural poverty and resource degradation in Mongolia. However, results have been mixed. Studies about the factors influencing CBRM success have been limited. We explored the mechanisms underlying social outcomes of Mongolian CBRM. The study revealed that access to diverse information, leadership, knowledge exchange and rules facilitated the effect of formal organization on pastoralists' traditional and innovative rangeland practices, proactive behavior, and social networking. Importantly, information diversity had a triggering effect on the other three facilitating variables. This chain of four mediators collectively increased the effect of the formal organization on the above social outcomes. We also found that ecological zone had a moderating effect on the relationship between formal organization and members' proactive behavior and social networking

Participatory mapping and herders' local knowledge on Mongolia's landscapes and socio-ecological boundaries

Includes bibliographical references.Presented at the Building resilience of Mongolian rangelands: a trans-disciplinary research conference held on June 9-10, 2015 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.Socio-ecological boundaries delineate landscapes containing natural resources that are differentially accessed and managed by stakeholders. These boundaries may be human-demarcated and biophysical serving as tangible and intangible features delineating landscapes. Our purpose is to explore Mongolian herders' perceptions of their pasture and boundaries through participatory mapping processes. Our research questions include: 1) what boundaries are depicted on herders' participatory maps? and 2) how are boundaries discussed through herders' participatory mapping narratives? We conducted participatory mapping and informal interviews (n= 35) with herder groups and district officials in Arkhangai, Tuv, Dornod, and Dornogovi. We qualitatively coded participatory mapping narratives and applied visual grounded theory. Tangible features on participatory maps included economic, hydroclimatic, geomorphological, and ecological boundaries portrayed as springs, landforms, vegetation types, seasonal camps, wells, and roads. Non-physical intangible boundaries such as governance arrangements were evident in participatory mapping narratives and served as human demarcated boundaries for accessing seasonal camps, markets, government assistance, and resources for herder migration. The relationships among herder mobility, governance boundaries, and biophysical pasture boundaries are coupled and dynamic, resulting in multi-dimensional outcomes of herder livelihoods

What matters most in institutional design for community-based rangeland management in Mongolia?

Includes bibliographical references.Presented at the Building resilience of Mongolian rangelands: a trans-disciplinary research conference held on June 9-10, 2015 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.This study tested the effect of institutional design principles on social outcomes of evolving pastoral institutions in post-socialist Mongolia. Using data from 77 community-based rangeland management (CBRM) groups and 392 member households, we examined the effect of donor facilitation on institutional design. We found that donor facilitation approach significantly influenced group attributes and their external environment, but not institutional arrangements. The study confirmed that small group size, homogeneous interests, and heterogeneity of well-being are important group characteristics that predict higher levels of information diversity, leadership, and income diversity. Institutional arrangements such as the presence of sanctions, group-devised rules, frequent meetings, and recording documents increased cooperation, rules, and information diversity. Similarly, access to training and local government support provided a favorable external environment for increasing social outcomes. Furthermore, group characteristics such as dependence on livestock, homogeneity of interests, and leader legitimacy were critical for increasing social capital, livelihoods, sustainable rangeland practices, and proactive behavior of members. More frequent meetings of leaders were the most influential for these outcomes. Local government support and available donor support were associated with increased trust and norms of reciprocity, sustainable rangeland management practices, proactiveness, and livestock holdings. Lastly, group attributes and external environment influenced social outcomes of pastoral CBRMs in Mongolia more than institutional arrangements

Building resilience of Mongolian rangelands: a trans-disciplinary research conference

Includes bibliographical references.The Building resilience of Mongolian rangelands: a trans-disciplinary research conference was held on June 9-10, 2015 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.Edited by: María E. Férnández-Giménez, Batkhishig Baival, Steven R. Fassnacht, David Wilson. Translated by: Chimgee Ganbold, Dugermaa Vanluu, Munkhzul Purevsuren.Mongolia is a semi-arid and arid country in Asia where the climate has been changing more drastically than many other locations across the globe. The proceedings of the "Trans-disciplinary Research Conference: Building Resilience of Mongolian Rangelands" is divided into five sections: 1) Rangeland Ecology and Management, 2) Climate Change and Hydrology, 3) Institutional Innovations in Mongolian Rangelands, 4) Social and Economic Development in Rural Mongolia, and 5) Methods of Knowledge and Data Integration. The papers presented provide cause for concern regarding observed changes in climate, rangeland conditions and livestock populations, as well as reasons for hope and motivations for action to address the current challenges. We hope that this volume and the conference it accompanies, will inspire renewed commitment to support science and science-based policy-making and management to sustain Mongolia's unique natural and cultural heritage as they adapt to a changing planet.Major funding for this conference was provided by the US National Science Foundation (CNH Program Grant No. BCS-1011), the Embassy of the United States of America, and The Reed Funk Foundation Account at Utah State University. Additional support was provided by the Climate-Resilient Rural Livelihoods Project (JFPR 9164-MON) funded by Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction administered by Asian Development Bank, The Nature Conservancy's Mongolian Program, The Sustainable Fibre Alliance and Land Test LLC