Climate change impacts on nomadic herders' livelihoods and pastureland ecosystems: a case study from Northeast Mongolia

Abstract

Nomadic Mongolians move in specific areas in search of the best pastures and campsites for their herds and are highly dependent on natural resources for their livelihoods. Pastureland ecosystems are increasingly being affected by climate and other anthropogenic changes, such as socio-economic and cultural changes, challenging nomadic livelihoods in the drylands. The research presented in this paper is based on extensive semi-structured interviews with local herders, key informants, and focus group discussions in Northeast Mongolia. Nomadic herders’ perception and practices, supported by meteorological data, reveal that climate change has affected the provisioning of key ecosystem services, e..