FEATURE: Mongolia's harsh winter

The nomadic lifestyle of Mongolia's more than 800,000 livestock herders is under threat, as the country counts the cost of a bitter and destructive winter.

About 20 per cent of the total national herd has died from hunger, or simply frozen, with an estimated 8.5 million animals lost since March. Many animals are still weak, and might not make it through the coming summer.

As the United Nations begins efforts to rebuild lives and livelihoods some are questioning the viability of the way of life that has defined the country for so long.

Karen Percy

Last Updated: Fri, 21 May 2010 13:42:00 +1000

A lone lamb is looking for its mother. Usually in spring time the Zuunbayan-Ulaan district in Central Mongolia would be teeming with new life, but all around is the smell and sound of death. Herders are burying the carcasses of goats and sheep.

Just as they finish filling one grave, another truck arrives piled high with more dead animals.

Across the country, 15 to 21 provinces have been declared disaster zones because of a phenomena called Zhud - a combination of summer drought followed by a very cold and snowy winter.

This winter, temperatures plunged to minus 45 degrees Celsius. Heavy snow made it impossible for animals to get to what little grass there was - some literally got snowed in. Tserenjigid Gotov, 52, has come from a village a few kilometres away to help his brother-in-law clean up.

"I have never seen such a severe Zhud as this year" he said, as heavy tears fell from his tired and weather-beaten face.

"It is very serious."

The Zuunbayan Ulaan governor is Zagar Buyambardrakh. At the age of 33, he has a heavy burden to carry on behalf of his people.

"People are taking it very hard," he said. "They are very depressed, some have gone a bit crazy because of it."

Every year, livestock dies in this harsh environment in Mongolia where the winters are very long. Usually though the attrition rate is somewhere around 1.5 - 2 per cent - this year it is dramatically higher. The United Nations is still tallying the dead - but it has exceeded eight and a half million carcasses so far. That amounts to almost one in five head of livestock.

Despite the devastation, there are some signs of normality. In the main township of Zuunbayan Ulaan, students are graduating from primary school. They've been largely shielded from the problems, because they live-in at school during the winter, but they're about to head home to their families, who face an uncertain future.

The United Nations Development program is running a cash for work program for the herders, who can earn from $60 to $90 for removing and burying the carcasses. But long term, there's a realisation that some fundamental changes have to happen, says Akbar Usmani heads the UNDP in Mongolia.

"This Zhud has made a lot of people realize that maybe herding cannot be the only form of livelihood, because it's a very tricky business," he said.

In the past 15 years there's been a huge rise in the number of animals on the land, as a result of the dismantling of national collectives and the easing of national regulations. That brought a lot of inexperienced herders into the business.

While a restocking program is planned, the UNDP is hoping to introduce programs to diversify the industry, such as wool processing or establishing small dairies. They're also wanting herders to set up vegetable plots and more permanent shelters to accommodate livestock, especially in the wintertime.

But the UNDP's Akbar Usmani it would mean a shift away from the traditional nomadic lifestyle.

"I think the time is right to look into some of these options - like alternative livelihoods," he said.

"To get the message across that you have to use the land effectively and properly. So I think this mindset change is going to be tough - it's going to be a big challenge.

"But the impression I am getting is that increasingly the herders who have been severely affected by this crisis are willing to listen."

The severity of this Zhud is also being blamed on climate change. Local officials are reporting more extreme weather events, like sudden rainfall, flooding, blizzards and colder temperatures.

UN agencies in Mongolia are seeking more than $21 million in assistance to clean up and rebuild the lives of the 800,000 or so nomadic herders who've been affected. Australia has contributed $1 million dollars.

But the task ahead is about more than money. It's going to take a balance of traditional and modern day thinking to ensure the future of the children of Mongolia.

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