ABSTRACT
When climatic events adversely impact Mongolia’s grasslands and livestock herds, the effects reverberate throughout the country. The people and economy are highly dependent on pastoral livestock herding, a livelihood that is extremely sensitive to climate variations and extremes. Roughly 80 per cent of Mongolia’s 127 million hectares is used as open pasture for year-round grazing of sheep, goats, cattle (including yaks), horses and camels. Herding these animals and processing livestock products engages nearly half of the Mongolian population, provides food and fiber to the other half, and generates about one-third of the country’s foreign exchange earnings (Mongolian Statistical Yearbook, 2004).
