Rethinking Pastoral Risk Management in Mongolia

Abstract

Risk, in particular climate risk, is inherent in extensive pastoralism, mainly because it is carried out in environmental conditions where other forms of agriculture are not suitable. Different factors within environmental and socio-eco- nomic systems compound each other, affecting herders’ exposure to risks and their capacity to cope with and recover from shocks and stresses. In Mongolia, the 2009/2010 zud revealed the limited coping capacity of herders and institutions, and insuf fi cient preparedness at all levels, questioning the effec- tiveness of the current disaster risk reduction and management systems. This article reviews Mongolia’s current pastoral risk management (PRM) framework, assessing its strengths and weaknesses. It then discusses opportunities to strengthen the PRM framework by better linking disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation and social protection in order to tackle vulnerability from different angles and with a long-term perspective. Opportunities to strengthen social protection and livelihood diversi fi cation correspond to a plurality of pathways for pastoralist livelihoods which sees them diversifying, becoming more commercialized, or for some herders even moving away from the pastoral system through well-prepared exit strategies. The proactive use of new opportunities which open up because of climate change are also discussed, such as funding for PRM through proactive soil carbon seques- tration projects, as a necessary complement to existing PRM actions. This paper concludes that the basic know how and technology options for PRM are already known. It is essential though, to consolidate and replicate what has already been tested successfully. Proactive measures are needed to ensure the necessary outreach, and provide more sustainable capacity building and policy support to disaster risk reduction, hazard preparedness and livelihoods diversi fi cation measures.