Young herders and environmental advocates pledged to stand up for the land

Gathered at the #Youth4Land National Forum, held in Mandalgovi, Dundgovi province on 16-17 June, over 110 young herders, students, and researchers pledged their commitment to restore land, protect Mongolia’s future, and gear up for UNCCD COP17 in 2026.

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Mongolia is preparing to host the largest gathering of world leaders for land restoration in 2026 in Ulaanbaatar. On the run-up to COP17 and to celebrate International Desertification and Drought Day in 2025, the Youth4Land National Forum provided a platform for youth to discuss the land-related challenges they face, as over 76 per cent of Mongolia’s land is degraded and livelihoods are threatened as a first-hand impact of climate change. 

Yet, youth see the brighter sides. While the challenges they face are enormous, they create solutions, seeking wisdom from their traditional knowledge of the nomads in sustainable rangelands, combined with technological advancements and scientific innovations.

G. Sangidorj, 25, a herder from Deren soum, Dundgovi province, shared his innovative approach to boosting meat yields by applying specialised breeding techniques to traditional Mongolian sheep. As a result, he has doubled his income from meat production compared to herders who rely on conventional grazing methods.

At the forum, he called his fellow young herders to shift focus from livestock quantity to quality—embrace market-oriented practices suited to local conditions, prepare more fodder, grow green feed in fenced pastures, and boost productivity per animal. 

“This is how you can improve your livelihood, support the local economy, and protect our land," he said. 

G. Bilgudei, a social entrepreneur born and raised in a nomadic family, presented the digital application “Otorchin”—a hands-on solution to help Mongolian herders adapt to climate change. The app uses satellite data to identify optimal grazing areas and includes features like GPS livestock tracking, weather updates, emergency SOS, and access to government services. 

“When I was young, my family lost most of their livestock due to the ‘dzud’ of 2009, and our family had to move to the city,” he said. 

Determined to help preserve nomadic culture, he was committed to alleviating the suffering of Mongolia’s most climate-vulnerable herding communities through his innovative solution.

His innovation was recently named one of six finalists in the World Bank pitch competition, selected from over 1,000 global entries.

S. Tuvshinbileg, head of the Eco Club and the teacher of the Secondary School in Khukhmorit soum, Gobi-Altai, shared their community’s efforts to combat sand erosion by planting shelter belts of saxual trees—native to the Gobi Desert. Since 2018, residents, including children from the Eco Club, have transformed 176.2 hectares of land threatened by sand drift by establishing saxual forest belts and fencing the area. 

Within just three years, the once-barren land began to recover, yielding more grass and native vegetation. Additionally, they fenced off the sources of vital natural springs to protect and preserve the water flow, ensuring nearby lands and animals stay nourished. 

She ended her presentation by quoting her students from the Eco Club:

“We have the power to revive our native lands.”

Prior to the Forum, the Youth4Land Ideathon — an innovative solutions competition among youth — was held, and the three winning teams were invited to present their creative ideas for land restoration at the Forum.

The competition was unique in that student youth, researchers, professionals, and young herders formed teams and worked together to propose solutions to combat desertification by combining traditional knowledge with innovative approaches. Examples included growing saxaul trees to create forest strips, introducing the use of BioGel to retain soil moisture, applying hydroponic technology for soil-free farming, and using drones to monitor irrigation systems.

The forum participants, committed to greening the Gobi area and degraded land, planted trees in Mandalgovi city in partnership with the Governor’s office of Dundgovi province. 

Visit the Photo gallery

Read the Opening Remarks by Jaap van Hierden, UN Resident Coordinator