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A critical review of degradation assumptions applied to Mongolia’s Gobi Desert

J. Addison A C , M. Friedel A , C. Brown B , J. Davies A and S. Waldron B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A C/o CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, PO Box 2111, Alice Springs, NT 0871, Australia.

B School of Agriculture and Food Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4067, Australia.

C Corresponding author. Email: jane.addison@csiro.au

The Rangeland Journal 34(2) 125-137 https://doi.org/10.1071/RJ11013
Submitted: 17 March 2011  Accepted: 21 December 2011   Published: 2 April 2012

Abstract

Several assumptions about the levels and causes of rangeland degradation in Mongolia are widely accepted by a range of stakeholders. These assumptions have become important in terms of guiding strategies and policy directions. This paper provides a critical analysis of five widely-held assumptions about rangeland degradation in Mongolia to the more specific case of the rangelands of the Gobi Desert. These assumptions are: (i) there are too many animals; (ii) the relative increase in goat numbers has led to desertification; (iii) rainfall is declining; (iv) there is declining pasture biomass; and (v) Mongolian rangelands are degraded. Biophysical and social data from the Dundgobi and Omnogobi desert steppe areas suggest not all of these assumptions are supported all of the time, and that the processes upon which these assumptions are based are often more complex or dynamic than is commonly recognised. In designing policy and programs, more attention to these dynamics and complexities is needed.

Additional keywords: climate, desertification, goats, Gobi Desert, livestock.


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