Mongolia70 The land has been desertified, the herders have gone bankrupt and drifted to the capital, and the wind and sand have spread to China
Mongolia is the second largest landlocked country in the world, and its arid, cold climate and inhospitable natural geography greatly limit human survival. Mongolia covers an area of 1.56 million square kilometers and has a population of only 3 million. Mongolia receives less than 200 mm of rainfall annually and has an average temperature of minus 1At 3 degrees Celsius, the cold and dry climate greatly limited the development of agriculture, which meant that the country's economy was largely dependent on animal husbandry.
Mongolia has about 900,000 square kilometers of vast grasslands, 300,000 herders, and 70 million cattle. This means that 80 cattle and sheep are fed per square kilometre of grassland. However, due to overgrazing and agricultural expansion, Mongolia's land has exceeded the environmental carrying capacity of the grasslands. Today, more than 76% of Mongolia's land is desertified to varying degrees, with a desertification rate of almost 2% per year. Desertification of the land has led to the drying up of 500 rivers, the disappearance of 400 lakes, the deterioration of livestock living conditions, and the fall of large numbers of pastoralists into poverty and bankruptcy.
However, overgrazing is not the only cause of desertification, and mining activities are also destroying Mongolia's fragile ecosystems. As one"Sitting on the mine"Mongolia has more than 80 proven mineral resources, including the world's largest reserves of coal, iron ore and copper, of which copper reserves exceed 2 billion tons, ranking first in Asia. Mineral exports are the backbone of Mongolia's economy, with exports expected to reach 10.6 billion in 2022 alone, accounting for 62% of GDP. However, copper mining in Mongolia is often carried out in the form of large-scale open-pit mining, which seriously damages the local ecosystem and exacerbates the process of desertification of the land.
Due to the desertification of the grasslands and the bankruptcy of herders, a large number of herders have had to move to the relatively well-off capital city of Ulaanbaatar, forming large slums. These immigrants led to a rapid increase in the population of Ulaanbaatar to 1.4 million people, accounting for 46% of Mongolia's total population, making it the only large city in Mongolia. The slums on the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar have become the last refuge for herders.
However, the impact of desertification on Mongolian soil is most significant in China. Every year from March to May, a Mongolian cyclone drags 300,000 tonnes of dust from northern Mongolia to the southern border and into China, affecting much of northern China. In April last year, a sandstorm affected 19 provinces and cities in China, affecting more than 4 million square kilometers and affecting more than 400 million people. The sand and dust even crossed the Yangtze River and reached Shanghai, Zhejiang and other places, causing a serious impact on the people of the whole country.
Although China has achieved remarkable results in combating desertification, but"Three Norths"Shelterbelt projects have reduced the area of desertified land by an average of 1,183 square kilometers per year. The famous sandy land of Mu Us has largely disappeared, and these desertification prevention and control projects have formed a long green line of defense in northern China, making a significant contribution to reducing soil degradation and sandstorm disasters. However, the Chinese one"Forest"It can't completely stop Mongolia"Sand"。Sand and dust storms are an international problem, and if Mongolia's desertification problem is not solved, China will not be able to get rid of the impact of sand and dust for a day. Mongolia must therefore take measures to address its own desertification problem.
Overall, 70% of Mongolia's territory is desertified, with a huge impact on pastoralist livelihoods and the environment. Overgrazing and mining activities are the main causes of desertification, and pastoralists are forced to migrate to the slums of the capital, Ulaanbaatar. Desertification has also had a severe impact on China in the form of sandstorms, which continue to cause huge economic and ecological losses in northern China. Mongolia must strengthen land protection, take measures to prevent further desertification, and work with China to achieve international cooperation in tackling sand and dust storms. Only by working together can we protect our common home.