Theme 1-2: Rangeland/Grassland Ecology--Poster Sessions
Description
Rangeland degradation and soil erosion pose constant challenges to the management of natural resources in Mongolia. Large increases in livestock numbers since the early 1990s, together with increasing temperatures and higher frequency of extreme weather events have led to widespread degradation of rangeland resources, to the extent that today, nearly 57% of rangelands in Mongolia are considered degraded to some degree. New ways of understanding the dynamics of rangeland ecosystems and guidelines to conserve healthy and productive rangelands are urgently needed. The application of State and Transition Models (STMs) in ecosystem management has shown promise to understand the mechanistic processes behind rangeland degradation and to suggest appropriate interventions for maintaining the health or restoring degraded rangelands. The Green Gold-Animal Health project funded by the Swiss Development Agency in Mongolia was the first initiative aimed at developing and applying STMs to Mongolian rangeland management. Here we describe the development of STMs for the most common rangeland types in Mongolia, including the definition of reference and alternative rangeland states and “recovery classes”, based on the timelines and management actions needed to recover a reference state. Our results show that STMs are effective tools for analysing and interpreting rangeland health monitoring data and provide a scientific basis for planning and implementing resilience-based rangeland management. Furthermore, STMs facilitate synthesis of available knowledge and help identify areas where more information is needed. In summary, STMs have the potential to serve as a valuable tool for better communication of rangeland health assessments and decision making to facilitate appropriate management.
Citation
Sainnemekh, S.; Densambuu, B.; Bestelmeyer, B.; Barrio, I. C.; and Aradóttir, A. L., "Rangeland Degradation in Mongolia – Using State and Transition Models to Help Understand Rangeland Dynamics" (2022). IGC Proceedings (1993-2023). 42.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/24/1-2/42
Included in
Rangeland Degradation in Mongolia – Using State and Transition Models to Help Understand Rangeland Dynamics
Rangeland degradation and soil erosion pose constant challenges to the management of natural resources in Mongolia. Large increases in livestock numbers since the early 1990s, together with increasing temperatures and higher frequency of extreme weather events have led to widespread degradation of rangeland resources, to the extent that today, nearly 57% of rangelands in Mongolia are considered degraded to some degree. New ways of understanding the dynamics of rangeland ecosystems and guidelines to conserve healthy and productive rangelands are urgently needed. The application of State and Transition Models (STMs) in ecosystem management has shown promise to understand the mechanistic processes behind rangeland degradation and to suggest appropriate interventions for maintaining the health or restoring degraded rangelands. The Green Gold-Animal Health project funded by the Swiss Development Agency in Mongolia was the first initiative aimed at developing and applying STMs to Mongolian rangeland management. Here we describe the development of STMs for the most common rangeland types in Mongolia, including the definition of reference and alternative rangeland states and “recovery classes”, based on the timelines and management actions needed to recover a reference state. Our results show that STMs are effective tools for analysing and interpreting rangeland health monitoring data and provide a scientific basis for planning and implementing resilience-based rangeland management. Furthermore, STMs facilitate synthesis of available knowledge and help identify areas where more information is needed. In summary, STMs have the potential to serve as a valuable tool for better communication of rangeland health assessments and decision making to facilitate appropriate management.
