Environment problem and Soil

degradation in Mongolia

O.Batkhishig
Institute of Geography
Mongolian Academy of Sciences
 Introduction
• The Mongolia is Central Asian country with extra-continental nature
climate conditions and domination of dry steppe and Gobi-desert
nature.


• Over the centuries living people on this land employ by nomadic

husbandry. The nature condition of this land was keep pristine
feature after long time harmonic relation between human, livestock
and nature. These ecosystems have developed under highly
variable climates, and are sensitive to grazing management and to
changes in rainfall and temperature.
•
• The pristine grassland ecosystems develop rich fertile soil that have
supported nomadic pastoralists for centuries.
•
 Problem

 Soil degradation and pollution becoming very serious problem in
Mongolia, recently.

 Up to 60 % of soil cover affected by soil erosion and soil fertility
declining.

 Soil degradation appears as a major limitation for increased food
production.

 Last decades Soil pollution in Mongolia increasing, due of gold
mining where using mercury and cyanides. Soil pollution
impacted on ground and surface water quality.

 Result of soil pollution in several places in Mongolia died
livestock, and human health problem. Such as Khongor, Boroo,
Bayankhongor.





Causes of Soil degradation


• Climate warming:
Ø last 60 years
Ø Air temperature increase is
1.9oC,

(world 0.6oC)
 3 times faster than world
average
Ø Precipitation decrease 10
%
Ø Permafrost melt
accelerating
–
• Human negative impact
Ø Pasture pressure, overgrazing
Ø Mining
Ø Agriculture soil erosion
Ø Road erosion
Permafrost melting
Melted pingos
Soil drying

Wetland decline
Soil erosion risk map Most soil degraded and polluted area

is Central Mongolia, where more

human impact

44,5 % or 700 thousand km2 area occupied by arid land or

Gobi desert vulnerable for soil degradation
 Pasture pressure, overgrazing impact on soil cover

• Number of livestock in 2007 reached up to 40 million head.

Increase 15,7 % or 5,5 mln comparing 2006.
 In Mongolian land number of livestock never reached 40
mln.
•
• Number of Goats increasing due of high price of cashmere.
2007 counts 18 mln or 45.6 % of total livestock.
•
• Goat is most destructive animal for pasture and soil, eat grass
with roots.
•
• Over 60% of total pastureland is overgrazed. Pasture capacity
overloading. But result of surface water shortage many of
pastures not used.

 0 10 20 km

Overgrazing
impact on soil
A
properties in case
Turag
---- --
study of Eastern
Shagnuul
-- B
Hovsgol lake are
Noyon
-
Sevsuul
-

A - overgrazed
C
Dalbaa -
B – low grazed
Borsog - C – non grazed
 Soil temperature and moisture

25 40

y = 0.079x + 9.2521 35
20 y = -0.0511x + 13.173
30

15 25

VWC %
To C

20

10
15

10
5
5

0 0
10
20

10

30

10
20

10
25
50

20
40

10
20
30
40
10
20
30
40

10
20
40

10
20
40

10
20

10
20

10
20
40
5

20

5
10

40
5
SU SL SU SL SU SL SU SL SU SL SU SL

BRG DLB SVL NYN SGL TRG

Moisture VWC % To C Linear (Moisture VWC %) Linear (To C)
 % Soil humus
40.0

35.0

30.0

25.0

20.0

15.0

10.0

5.0

0.0
SU SL R NL SU SL R NL SU SL R NL SU SL R NL SU SL R NL SU SL R NL

Borsog Dalbay Sevsuul Noyon Shagnuul T urag

 Soil Ammonium and Nitrate
3,0 12,0

2,5 10,0
Ammonium mg/100g

Nitrate mg/100g
2,0 8,0

1,5 6,0

1,0 4,0

0,5 2,0

0,0 0,0
NL

NL

NL
NL

NL

NL
R

SU

R
SU

SU

SU

SU

SU
SL

SL
SL

SL

SL

SL
Borsog Dalbay Sevsuul Noyon Shagnuul Turag
Nitrate mg/100g Ammonium mg/100g
Linear (Nitrate mg/100g) Linear (Ammonium mg/100g)

Livestock dung and manure have a direct increasing impact of soil Ammonium
Nitrogen content. In the non grazing south slope soils of Dalbay valleys
Ammonium content ranges 2,24-2,41 mg/100g, but in the heavy grazing Turag
valleys soil Ammonium content ranges up to 3,80 - 4,58 mg/100g or increasing
50-80%.
Soil and pasture
degradation
accelerating
Desertification
in Mongolia
 DESERTIFICATION

• 90 % of territory affected by desertification by 2006.

– Slightly 37,2 %
– Strong 34.0 %
– Very strong 7.0 %
• last 40 years sand area increased by 3800 km2
 This is 8.7 % of all sand area of country
– Gobi region 3360 km2 88%
– Khangairegion 460 km2 12 %
•
• Between 1990 and 2005 arid area increased 5,4 %.
•
•
•
 LAND COVER CHANGE OF MONGOLIA
BY NOAA SATELLITE IMAGES

1992
1992 îí 1997
1997 îí

Increasing
aridization

Grassland steppe
Water

Coniferous forest Agricultural field

Deciduous forest Dry steppe

Rocks
Desert
2006
2002 îí Glaciers
Soil wind deflation and
dust storms increasing
50 Days in year
With dust storms
Agriculture field in Mongolia
 Agriculture soil degradation
• Nearly 60% of total arable land or 0,7 million
hectare area not more used as a result of
degradation.
•
• It is estimated that over the past 30 years about
35–50 tons of soil have been lost from each
hectare of cultivated land due to wind erosion
alone.
•
• 46.5% of arable land was degraded: 12.9% -
strong, 28.2% - medium, 58.9 % slightly
degraded.

 Arable land degradation of Mongolia, (%)

Strong, 12.9
Sligthly, 58.9

Medium, 28.2
 Changes of soil erosion and humus content

Decrease
Average percentage
Number of
Soil erodibility humus comparing
samples
content with non
% eroded soils
Non eroded 388 2.64
area

Slight 342 2.50 7.2

Moderate 195 2.08 21.3

Severe 88 1.60 39.4

 Pasture and abandoned agriculture field
in Argalant soum of Central aimag

Argalant
griculture soil
Erdenesant
 Erosion rates
Maximum erosion rates 110.2 t/ha/year
Average erosion 19.29 t/ha/year
Erosion area 59.5 %
Upper and middle slope 8-10o

Sedimentation rates
Maximum sedimentation rates 223.7 t/ha/year
Average sedimentation 25.14 t/ha/year
Erosion area 40.5 %
Lower slope and plain
 Agriculture fields of Argalant
area

Erosion rates 7.8-11.0 t/ha/year

Average erosion 9.2 t/ha/year
Abandoned year 1990
Plain
Mining soil degradation and pollution

Hongor

Zaamar
Boroo

Uyanga
Tamsag

Tumurtei
Choir
Bayankhongor

Ouy tolgoi
Tavan tolgoi
Baga Gobi
Nariin sukhait

Pollution by mercury and cyanide

Road erosion in arid ares

 Mining soil pollution by mercury and
Cyanide (2007)

Province (aimag) Places Volume m3 Area hectare

Bayankhongor 13 1189 2,4 well 22
South gobi 51 13000 23,6
EastGobi 16
Bulgan 2
Central 2 11610 3,87
Selenge 5 174676,8 22,17
Darkhan-Uul 3 2485 1
Uvurkhangai 420 0,042
Sukhbaatar 128 0,4
TOTAL 203508,8 53,5

Ministry of Nature and Environment of Mongolia, 2008

Road erosion
Gobi (Semidesert) Brown soil
 Mining soil erosion

• Since1975 total mining eroded land was 500 mln m3

• 300 mln m3soil eroded after 1990-s “Gold fever”
•

Illegal gold diggers in 2007

count 65 000 peolpes.
Distributed 16 aimag 80
soum
Bayanhongor 24400
Uvurkhangai 15700
 Naturally regenerated soil after
Non eroded soil
100 years mining erosion
25 cm thick humus layer
10 cm thick humus layer

Eroo river basin, North Mongolia

Soil propertis change

Drying of top part

Of Alluvial soils

In 1987 permafrost
active layer depth was 1
meter
In 2007 no permafrost
Alluvial soil covered
by sand
 Change of soil characteristics of Tuul river valley
Zone Change
Top soil value
pHin year 2007 comparingExchangable
Organic with year 1987 Ca:Mg
depth cm. (H2O) matter % cmol/kg
Ca2+ Mg2+
Forest-steppe (Terelj) -1,6 0,1 -0,5 -0,4 -3,4 1,5
Steppe (Ovoot) -3,3 -0,2 -0,6 0,0 -1,0 0,3
Salty floodplain (Lun) -0,9 -0,3 -0,3 2,6 -1,5 1,2
Boggy floodplain (Bor -1,8 -0,9 -2,5 -13,9 -0,2 -2,2
bulan)
Average of Tuul river -1,7 -0,4 -1,2 -4,4 -1,3 -0,1
vallye

Zone Change % in year 2007 comparing in year 1987

Forest-steppe (Terelj) -17,9 2,2 -6,3 2,4 -43,9 112,1

Steppe (Ovoot) -16,7 -1,9 -23,1 10,5 -15,3 20,5

Salty floodplain (Lun) -13,3 -4,0 -19,7 9,7 -27,9 93,6

Boggy floodplain (Bor -23,3 -11,2 -41,4 -28,1 5,4 -21,3

bulan)
Average of Tuul river -18,4 -5,2 -25,8 -6,1 -16,2 41,7
vallye
 CONCLUTION

• Last decades Soil degradation in Mongolia

increasing result of climate warming and
human impact.
• Need to comprehensive methods and
approaches against soil erosion and pollution
problems.
• This problem threatens not only food production
of country also whole economic development.

•

 Thank your for attention