Mongolia’s grasslands, forests, and mountain ecosystems are under increasing pressure from overgrazing, mining, deforestation, and the impacts of climate change. Today, more than half of the country’s rangelands show signs of degradation, reducing the ability of these lands to sustain wildlife and pastoral livelihoods.
The Khangai mountains are especially important: they are home to snow leopards, ibex, argali, and diverse mountain wildlife, and they provide the pastures, forests, and rivers that thousands of herder families depend on. When these ecosystems are degraded, both biodiversity and community well-being are put at risk.
This work focuses on reversing land degradation, conserving biodiversity, and ensuring that healthy ecosystems continue to support both people and wildlife into the future.
"Rehabilitating and Conserving the Mountain Landscapes in Khangai Region of Mongolia for Improved Ecosystem Services and Community Livelihoods" project
OBJECTIVE
Healthy lands, thriving wildlife, resilient communities: the work aims to restore Khangai’s ecosystems, protect its biodiversity, and help herder communities manage natural resources sustainably.
APPROACH
The work brings people, nature, and policy together to secure lasting change in the Khangai mountains. It aims to:
- Restore landscapes – through locally led forestry, pasture, and water management to bring forests and grasslands back to health.
- Strengthen planning – embedding ecosystem restoration and biodiversity into local and provincial land-use decisions.
- Empower communities – supporting herder groups to manage resources inclusively and sustainably.
- Build resilience – supporting communities to adapt to a changing climate and sustain their livelihoods.
BENEFICIARIES
This work aims to bring direct benefits to people and landscapes in the Khangai mountains. It will:
- Restore around 23,800 hectares of degraded forests and pastures.
- Improve management across more than 634,000 hectares of land.
- Reach 10,000 herder families who depend on these landscapes.
- Create opportunities for women and youth to take part in managing land and water.
PROJECT LOCATION
Khangai mountains, central Mongolia – source of major rivers and home to snow leopards, ibex, argali, diverse mountain wildlife, and pastoral communities who depend on these lands.
PARTNERS
- Government of Mongolia – Ministry of Environment and Climate Change provides leadership, policy alignment, and integration into national and provincial land-use planning.
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) – serves as the implementing agency, ensuring technical standards and oversight.
- Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS Mongolia) – operational partner, supporting the everyday work on the ground. Guided by our vision to safeguard and restore Mongolia’s ecological integrity so that people and wildlife can thrive, we advance the second pillar of our 2030 Strategy — ecological connectivity through restoration, habitat linkages, and community-led management.
- Governor’s Offices of Arkhangai, Bayankhongor, and Uvurkhangai Provinces – facilitate local implementation and coordination with communities.