Views from the Gobi: Local Perceptions of Environmental Risk

A Desert Under Pressure

Mongolia is home to one of the world’s largest remaining grasslands, where livestock herding has been the primary livelihood for millennia. However, these rangelands are facing a significant decline in quality, driven by the dual pressures of climate change and increasing livestock numbers.

To understand how these changes impact the region, Batbayar Ganchudur conducted his master’s study in the Tost Tosonbumba Nature Reserve, engaging five key stakeholder groups: local herders, wildlife rangers, government administrators, conservation biologists, and mining company representatives. The study area is an important region for snow leopard conservation, forming part of the South Gobi Snow Leopard Landscape and serving as the study site for our long-term snow leopard research project.

The South Gobi region is an environment of extremes, where residents rely on the land for everything from livestock fodder and water to cultural identity. However, the research reveals a troubling consensus: participants across all groups perceive a significant decline in almost all ecosystem services over recent decades (ecosystem services are the benefits that people obtain from nature).

The study examined how two primary drivers affected provisioning and cultural ecosystem services as perceived by the stakeholders :

• Climate Change: Participants reported rising temperatures and increasingly erratic precipitation, leading to more frequent droughts and the drying up of essential water sources.
• Land Use: While traditional livestock numbers have increased, the rapid expansion of mining activities is seen as a major contributor to the loss of native plant species and soil health.

The Perception of Mining vs. Grazing Impacts

One of the most important findings is the community’s perception of impact. With the exception of mining representatives, most stakeholders generally view industrial mining as a more destructive and less manageable force.

Mining is perceived as directly competing with traditional livelihoods for the Gobi’s most precious resource: water. While grazing is seen as a traditional part of the ecosystem, industrial-scale mining is seen as introducing irreversible changes.

Diverging Perspectives on Nature’s Services

The paper examines how climate change and different land uses affect provisioning and cultural ecosystem services. According to local stakeholders, the most important ecosystem services include:

1. Provisioning Services

The tangible products required for daily survival. The study identifies a sharp decline in:

• Water 
• Firewood
• Medicinal Plants
• Pastures for grazing
• Ground minerals such as salt for livestock and coal
• Opportunities to learn about nature – biodiversity
• Fresh air 

2. Cultural Services

• Cultural and archaeological history
• Sites for spiritual and religious activities and festivals
• Traditional health, inspirational beauty and recreation

Knowledge as a Tool for Resilience

The mountains of Central Asia have warmed more than twice the Northern Hemisphere average, and the Gobi region appears particularly vulnerable to climate change. This study found that all stakeholders recognize that climate change poses significant risks to their livelihoods and the ecosystem services they depend on.

To protect the future of southern Mongolia, the study suggests that land-use planning must evolve beyond purely economic assessments. Successful conservation requires a strategy that involves all stakeholder groups and accounts for the full range of ecosystem services.  By prioritizing long-term ecological health over short-term gains, policy-makers can identify shared goals and build a more resilient Gobi for the future.

Read the full paper here.

Photo credits: SLCF-Mongolia/SLT

Citation of the paper:

Ganchudur B., Mijiddorj T.N., Alexander J.S. Khishigzul B., Lucas C., Samelius G. and Uudus B. 2025. Impacts of climate change and different land uses on provisioning and cultural ecosystem services as perceived by stakeholder groups in southern Mongolia. Mongolian Journal of Biological Sciences: 23: 15-23.

Acknowledgements:

This work and our efforts to better understand climate impact are supported by the long-term research conducted by Snow Leopard Conservation Foundation and Snow Leopard Trust in the Tost Mountains, and was funded by the Goldman Foundation award scholarship received by Bayarjargal Agvaantseren, and by the Korkeasaari Zoo.

This long-term ecological study is in collaboration with Snow Leopard Conservation Foundation in Mongolia and Snow Leopard Trust, with special thanks to the Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism, the Government of Mongolia, and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences for their support.  Thank you to the following for supporting the long-term ecological study:  Acton Family Giving, Bioparc Zoo de Doue la Fontaine, David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, Dublin Zoo, Idaho Falls Zoo at Tautphaus Park, John Ball Zoo, Kolmårdens Zoo, Korkeasaari Zoo, Knopf Family Foundation, National Geographic Society, Nordens Ark, Parco Zoo Punta Verde, Play for Nature, Regina Bauer Frankenberg Foundation, Tierpark Berlin, The Big Cat Sanctuary/Wildlife Heritage Foundation, Tulsa Zoo, Whitley Fund for Nature, Zoo Basel, Zoo Boise, Zoo Dresden, and Zoo New England.

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