ABSTRACT
The value of locally developed traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) on Mongolian livestock herders’ ability to survive is the main topic of this chapter. Such TEK is seen as foreseeably sufficient against the stormy winter disaster, dzud. The study combines the findings from four axial themes:
Seasonal movement as a method of escape from dzud
Livestock pens and sheds for protection from extreme cold
Livestock consumption and food security
Livestock disease and the use of medicinal plants
The author spent 400 days living among nomadic herder communities in the provinces of Bayan-Ulgii, Khovd, and Ovs, which served as the basis for the information obtained. The author defines the TEK-empowered survivability and environmental adaptation of herders and communities as “The Rule of the Steppe Land” (Soma 2022). This makes it possible to recognize or counteract against certain vulnerabilities and resiliencies in each herding community. The TEK of Mongolian herders, which has been specially developed over millennia of survival in the harsh coldness of Mongolia, is both an intangible cultural heritage and a significant intellectual contribution to human history.
