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bne June 2021 Eurasia I 67
Beijing has this spring been choking on a succession of big sandstorms that originated in Mongolia (Nasa, Public Domain). .
View of the abandoned city of Khara-Khoto in western Inner Mongolia, China, during a light sandstorm. (Image: BabelStone, CC-SA-3.0).
Degradation of the Steppes
Each year, more of the steppes change from grassland to desert. Mongolia is also periodically hit by a natural disas- ter, unique to the country, a weather phenomenon called the dzud. It too kills off livestock. A dzud occurs when an extremely long and dry summer is followed by an unusually harsh winter. A dry summer means that less grass is available for animals to consume, while a colder winter requires the animals to eat more.
In the 2009 dzud, roughly 10mn livestock died across the country. Many herder families lost their livelihood completely and moved to the city, seeking work. Today, nearly half of the residents of Ulaanbaatar live in the ger district, where the coal burned by each family has caused the city to become one of the most polluted capitals in
the world.
The desertification of Mongolia has a number of causes, including reduced rainfall. According to a China-based environmentalist, Ma Junhe, “There is little that humans can do to remedy the problem.”
Overgrazing is another significant cause of the degradation of the steppes. Between 1990 and 2018, the number of livestock in the country has increased by 2.6 times. Human populations have increased, across the region, over the same period, as has the average income, and with it, the demand for meat.
In China, and Central Asia, similar increases in population and meat consumption have occurred, but with less environmental impact. In Mongolia, the increase in the number of animals
is made more extreme, by the limited amount of grazing land. According
to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), there are currently, 33mn more livestock in Mongolia
than can be supported by the natural pastureland.
It is not just the increase in the number of animals, but also the types of animals that destroys the steppes. Goats are more destructive than sheep, because goats actually tear the grass up by the roots when they graze. Cashmere, made from goat wool is much more profitable than other animal products, such as sheep’s wool, meat or milk. About half
of Mongolian herders live below the poverty line. In the hope of earning a better living, herders have been increas- ingly adding goats, for cashmere, to their herds. Since 1990, the percentage of goats, among the national livestock herd has increased from 20% to 40%.
The increasing numbers of livestock among large herding operations has driven smaller herders off the steppes, causing a population decrease in
rural villages, and a population increase in Ulaanbaatar, as herders head to
the city to find work. The transplanted herders are ill-prepared to earn a living in the city; they are unable to speak English or use computers, and most are relegated to the lowest order of manual labour.
Reclaiming the grasslands
There are numerous programmes run by the government, as well as various, local and foreign NGOs, involved in replanting the grasslands. Ironically, Beijing is generally hit harder by sandstorms than is Ulaanbaatar.
Consequently, even the Chinese government has begun a tree planting programme in Mongolia, in the Gobi.
It is funding some of the reclamation efforts to prevent future sandstorms. This year’s sandstorms were so intense, that the Chinese government has vowed to expand the programme.
Find more Eurasia content at www.bne.eu/eurasia
Selected headlines from past month:
· China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway: Who is going to pay?
· Iran’s president hits out at vetting body’s tightening of criteria for election candidates · Turkey's "crazy" canal would impact Eurasian trade, geopolitics
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