Hundreds of years ago, grasslands covered more than a quarter of the planet. Today grasslands are among the most imperiled major habitats with only a small fraction remaining, and they are essential for sustaining life on planet Earth. We have a unique opportunity to conserve the extensive grasslands of Mongolia, while at the same time, preserving the region’s nomadic herding cultures and wide-ranging mammals.

The Nature Conservancy is partnering with national and regional governments, other conservation organizations and local people in creating a lasting natural legacy. The Conservancy is engaging in the protection of Toson Hustai, a national nature reserve of almost a million acres by testing protected area and buffer zone strategies and creating partnerships with local and national stakeholders, including the Mongolia Ministry of Nature. Lessons learned from this endeavor will guide our strategies and priorities across Mongolia and can be replicated for other protected and mixed use conservation areas.

Working alongside the people that rely on these lands we will:

• Combine our science-based methods with a people-focused approach to create regional plans that balance the interests of conservation with sustainable economic development, social welfare and nomadic traditions. By gathering, assessing and integrating environmental, social and economic information, the sustainable development plans will have government and popular backing while protecting Mongolia’s unique natural treasures.
• Partner with corporations, government, non-profit and community leaders to assess risks and find effective, sustainable solutions.
• Work across the Mongolia-China border to bring a host of policy initiatives aimed at protecting these grasslands, and facilitating a national environmental forum to advance a common environmental agenda.
• Use on-the-ground techniques to help local communities establish and manage conservation areas and build bridges of knowledge between global grasslands.

The Nature Conservancy is playing an essential role in conservation in Mongolia, preserving a landscape and a way of life that is both unique and universal to humanity.

Find out how you can protect grasslands in Mongolia and the rest of the world. Then watch a grasslands photo essay.

Test your knowledge of grasslands with our interactive quiz.

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Christopher Pague/TNC (Mongolian grasslands); Photo © David Kenny (Duarian pika).