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Mongolia Environment Monitor 2003 – Land Resources and Their Management
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Mongolia’s land resources are of global importance and central to the country’s well-being and its economic development. Yet, these resources are facing mounting threats. With a territory of 156.4 million ha and a population of only about 2.4 million, Mongolia ranks first in the world for average, per-capita land area (65 ha/per person in 1997). Approximately 82 percent of the total land area is grassland, and represents the largest remaining contiguous area of common grazing in the world. This pasture encompasses a wide range of ecosystems, including desert-steppe and forest-mountain steppe.
In the past two decades, a combination of human actions and natural causes has land to a significant decline in land quality. Human causes include changes in the traditional livestock husbandry, overgrazing, especially around settlement areas and water points, and weak protection against intensive exploitation for traditional uses. Natural causes include a harsh and dry climate, short growing seasons, and light and thin soils.
As Mongolia completes its transition from a centrally planned to a market economy, it is critical that the Government promote a better understanding of the importance of sustainable land management. To this end, in addition to updating the body of laws regulating the use and exploitation of land resources, the Parliament has recently passed the Land Privatization Law. The Ministry of Nature and Environment proclaimed 2002 as the Year of the Land for Mongolia. And the Government is working with international and non-governmental organizations (NGO), and the wider civil society to understand the causes of land degradation, and to disseminate information on policies and practices that would improve land management. However, effective implementation of these initiatives requires the analysis of trends and monitoring of key indicators. The 2003 Mongolia Environment Monitor presents an overview of the state of land resources, the pressures they face, and the relationships between better management of land and economic development. The Monitor also outlines future challenges for Mongolia as it moves toward sustainable use and management of land resources.
This report has four sections. The first presents an overview of the state of land resources and trends in their use. The second focuses on the relationships among land, poverty and sustainable livelihoods, while the third outlines the main features of Mongolia’s land management legislation and institutions. This section also includes a preliminary assessment of the country’s regulatory framework, the capacity of land agencies, and the extent and nature of public participation in decision making processes related to land. The final section presents the main land management challenges.
The information contained in this report has been obtained from many sources, including reports published by government agencies, universities, NGOs, documents of the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, bilateral donor agencies, and unpublished reports from individuals.
This issue of the Monitor was prepared in collaboration with the Ministry of Nature and Environment of Mongolia and the East Asia and Pacific Rural Development Unit and Natural Resources Sector Unit of the World Bank. Copies are available from the World Bank office in Ulaanbaatar or from twhitten@worldbank.org elsewhere.
Download Mongolia Environment Monitor 2003 – Land Resources and Their Management
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