At least 81.9 percent of Mongolia's total territory has been affected by desertification and land degradation to some extent, according to a new national assessment released by the country's Ministry of Environment and Climate Change on Wednesday.

Since Mongolia's first desertification map was developed in 1989, national-level assessments have been conducted periodically, the ministry said. The newly updated atlas represents Mongolia's sixth national assessment of desertification and land degradation, based on data collected between 1991 and 2025.

The revised assessment was released ahead of the upcoming 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which will be held in Ulan Bator, the national capital, from Aug. 17 to 28.

According to the assessment, 81.9 percent of Mongolia's territory has experienced desertification and land degradation to varying degrees. Of the country's total territory, 0.9 percent is classified as experiencing very severe desertification and degradation, 6.2 percent as severe, 42.9 percent as moderate, and 31.9 percent as slight degradation.

The remaining 18.1 percent showed no signs of desertification or land degradation.

Meanwhile, the assessment found that the impacts of climate change in Mongolia are intensifying, while land degradation, water scarcity, changes in vegetation cover and pressure from livestock grazing continue to increase.

The assessment found that Mongolia's annual average air temperature increased by 2.5 degrees Celsius between 1941 and 2025, while drought intensity showed an increasing trend across 53.5 percent of the country's territory. Some 54.8 percent of the country's territory is at risk of water erosion, while 34.3 percent is vulnerable to wind erosion. A declining trend in soil moisture was detected across 93.3 percent of Mongolia's territory, while vegetation productivity has decreased across 22.3 percent of the country.

The findings indicate that desertification and land degradation in Mongolia are being driven not only by natural factors but also by the combined impacts of climate change and human activities.

The scientific publication will also serve as one of the official documents to be presented internationally during the COP17 of the UNCCD, the ministry said.

Published Date:2026-08-14