Get reliable rangeland science

In response to widespread reports of rangeland degradation across Mongolia, the donor-supported Green Gold Mongolia program has worked with the Mongolian government to institute a system of sustainable rangeland management practices. The core of the system is the formation of Pasture Users Groups (PUGs) that maintain customary arrangements of communal pasture use and transhumance, but that can cooperatively regulate livestock numbers, timing of use, and develop infrastructure. To facilitate the sustainable use and restoration of rangeland resources, Green Gold is developing ecological site descriptions (ESDs), an associated inventory and monitoring program, and pasture-use planning protocols to communicate the characteristics of degraded states, recommended carrying capacities for different ecological sites and states, and identify restoration strategies and timelines. The goal is for PUGs and national government to use ESDs as a basis for mapping, planning, and monitoring. Due to the institutional complexity of rangeland management in Mongolia, the success of this approach depends strongly on stakeholder collaboration at both local (herders, local technicians and land managers working for four separate ministries) and national levels (academics, ministry heads, parliament members, and the president's office). We describe the process by which we are working with stakeholders at different levels to develop a national PUG-ESD-based management system. We are close to developing durable rangeland management policy and institutional arrangements, but significant challenges lie ahead.