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
Actively Contributes To

Actively Contributes To
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- Collaborative production and marketing of local brand milk products and yak wool products.
- Enhancing local household income through the sale of wild fruit and nuts.

Actively Contributes To
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- Community members trained in animal survey techniques by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).

Actively Contributes To
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- Digging hand wells to enhance water supply in under-used pasture areas.

Actively Contributes To
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- Through appropriate fodder/forage cultivation and grazing management, the project will encourage soil regeneration. This process will remove carbon from the atmosphere and therefore help reduce the negative effects of climate change.

Actively Contributes To
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- Tree nurseries established to provide native tree species for reforestration activities.
- Conducting manned surveys and camera trap surveys to monitor and protect threatened target species such as red deer, argali, marmot and Mongolian gazelle.
- Targeted provision of hay in areas where wild animals lack adequate fodder.
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.
ABOUT THE PROJECT |
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Locations:
Arkhangai aimag, Tuv aimag & Bayanhongor aimag (Mongolia) |
Operational Since:
2013 |
Project Coordinator:
Mongolian Society for Range Management (MSRM) |
PVCs Issued to date:
20,015 |
PVCs Approved for Future Issuance:
45,567 |
Area of Land under Management:
77,482 ha |
Participants:
124 |
Project Interventions:
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Milestones:
2015: Validation |
Coordinator Details: |
Project Location
March 2018 | The project coordinators have been engaged in conversations with the herders of Dert heseg, Ulziit soum, in the Gobi region. There is potential for this group to join the project in the future. Read more
September 2017 | Between March and September, several workshops, coordinated by MSRM, have been attended by members of heseg groups. These have been focussed on improving the tree planting techniques and general land management training (each specific to the knowledge lacking in specific heseg groups). Read more
February 2018 | Herders realised the financial benefits of their actions for the first time, as they received the first payments for their conservation work. These funds were primarily used by herder groups to support winter preparations e.g. through purchase of fodder. Read more
May 2016 | Congratulations to the Mongolia project, which has just been issued 20,000 PVCs! Read more