Pastures, Conservation, Climate Action – Mongolia // GO BACK

This project has been developed by the University of Leicester in partnership with MSRM (the Mongolian Society for Range Management) through a three year research project, funded by the Darwin Initiative, to develop and implement novel approaches to conservation in Mongolia

This is a community-driven project developed under the Plan Vivo Standard and is managed and administered by MSRM at three different sites in Mongolia. The project takes a 'carbon plus' approach, emphasising the livelihood benefits of the project by making important contributions to nomadic herders' wellbeing, to the conservation of a globally important biodiversity heritage and to a range of ecosystem services. This is alongside contributing carbon sequestration through improved rangeland management.

The programme is focused on giving nomadic herders a voice: It is collaborating with more than 100 nomadic households, covering a total area of some 77,000 ha, with the broader aim of sequestering more than 100,000 tCO2 over an initial four-year commitment period through improved grazing management practices. The project will result in greater livelihoods and food security. Through the active participation of herders in ecosystem service restoration, pastures will become more resilient by encouraging a reduction of soil erosion and overgrazing. Moreover, through agreements with local authorities, participating herder groups have recognised tenure rights over their seasonal pastures. User rights to key natural resources, particularly grasslands and water resources are already established through customary norms and are supported by specific legal provision such as the 2002 Land Law. The requirements for fair and equitable access, including for the poorest and most vulnerable, have been further emphasised and enshrined by using the specific project management plans and agreements developed by the participating herder groups.