Supporting Mongolia in Fighting Desertification and Promoting Sustainable Land Management

Mongolia’s desertification challenge is not only an environmental issue, but a governance, incentive, and implementation problem. Although the country has made significant policy commitments and developed monitoring systems, land degradation continues to threaten rural livelihoods, pastoral systems, and long-term ecological stability. This report, prepared in partnership with the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office in Mongolia ahead of COP 70, draws lessons from desertification responses in China, Ethiopia, Brazil, Namibia, and Central Asia. Across these cases, successful outcomes depended less on technical restoration alone and more on coordinated institutions, aligned incentives, community participation, long-term financing, and effective monitoring.

The report finds that Mongolia has strong policy and promising local initiatives, but implementation remains fragmented across ministries, agencies, and donor-supported projects. Current livestock and market incentives often encourage herd growth, while restoration efforts are frequently measured by short-term outputs such as trees planted rather than long-term ecosystem recovery. The report recommends short-term action on policy incentive alignment and ecosystem-based restoration, alongside longer-term reforms to strengthen interagency coordination, monitoring systems, early warning capacity, and sustained financing. Overall, Mongolia’s progress will depend on shifting from isolated projects toward an integrated land management system.