The territory of Mongolia is 1.57 million km 2. Population - over 2.6 million people. Most of the country is a plateau, with mountains rising in the west and north (Mongolian Altai, Khangai, Khentei).
Moderate, very dry, with sharp temperature fluctuations. Average precipitation is from 50 to 200 mm per year in deserts and semi-deserts in the south and from 200 to 500 mm in the mountains in the north of the country. The forests of Mongolia occupy a transitional zone between the mountain-taiga forests of Siberia and the deserts of Central Asia and are concentrated mainly in the mountainous regions in the north and west of the country. These are forest areas along the northern slopes of Khangai and Khentei at an altitude of 1000 m to 1800 m in the west and up to 2200 m in the east. As you move south, more and more spaces are occupied by grass and herb steppes, the landscape resembles a mountain forest-steppe, and forest areas gradually disappear.
The southern part of Mongolia is treeless. Forest cover in individual aimags ranges from a fraction of a percent to 40% of the total land area. In the Gobi aimags, among semi-desert and desert spaces, small areas of saxaul (Haloxylon ammodendron) and individual species of caragana (Caragana pygmaea, C. bungei) are found in places on the sands.
The predominant species in the forests of Mongolia is Siberian larch (Larix sibirica). It is widespread over a vast area along the northern border of the country from Ulangoma in the west to the middle reaches of the Onon in the east. As admixtures in larch plantations there are pine, Siberian cedar, less commonly spruce (Picea obovata), birch and aspen. In the floodplains of rivers, laurel poplar (Populus laurifolia), various types of willows and shrubby birches grow, in mountain valleys and along the banks of temporary streams - squat elm (Ulmus pumila). Pine occupies significant areas in the Eastern, Khentei, Selenga and partly Central aimaks, and is also found as an admixture with larch.
Larch and pine are widespread in the middle part of the mountain slopes, while in the lower part, in the forest stands, deciduous species predominate, especially birch (Betula platyphylla) and aspen. Birch owes its predominance in the lower part of the slopes to a large extent to humans, since coniferous forests in this more accessible part of the slopes are more often subject to felling.
In the upper part of the slopes of high ridges, at an altitude of 2000-2100 m, where the soils become wetter and colder, cedar is mixed with larch, which, as it approaches the upper border of the forest belt, forms pure cedar stands. At an altitude of 2200-2300 m, dwarf cedar (Pinus pumila) is found in the Khentei mountains. The banks of small forest rivers and streams are bordered by a dense border of shrubby birches (Betula humilis, B. rotundifolia) and willows (their height reaches 2-3 m), and higher in the mountains, in river hollows, there are gallery valley forests of Siberian spruce (Picea obovata ) here and there with an admixture of fir (Abies sibirica). Within the river valleys of the Khangai-Khentei mountain region, as well as in the west of the country in intermountain basins and valleys, a complex complex of valley tree and shrub communities called urema is widespread. It is dominated by different types of willows, bird cherry, hawthorn, sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides), wild Siberian apple tree (Malus pailasiana). In some places there are tall laurel poplar trees, singly or in groups. Some Urema tracts reach a width of 6-8 km and stretch along river valleys for tens of kilometers.
Forests occupy 15 million hectares. Of these, 9.5 million hectares are coniferous-deciduous forest stands, 3.8 million hectares are saxaul forests and 614 thousand hectares are shrubs, the remaining area - 926 thousand hectares - unforested clearings and burnt areas. Forest cover - 9%.
Coniferous plantations predominate, occupying 83% of the forested area (excluding saxaul and shrubs); of these, larch forests - 66%, cedar forests - 11, pine forests - 6, spruce forests (mainly valley ones) and fir forests - less than one percent. In deciduous forest stands, 17% of forests are birch, the remaining species (aspen, poplar, etc.) account for about one percent.
The productivity of Mongolian forests is quite high. The average reserve per 1 hectare: larch - 130 m 3, cedar - 163, pine - 152 and birch - 57 m 3. Often there are larch plantations with a reserve of 300 m 3 or more per 1 hectare, and cedar - up to 600 m 3 hectares.
The total wood reserve is 1223 million m3, including coniferous wood - 1165 million m3. Of the total reserve of mature and overmature forests, approximately 560 million m3 are forests available for exploitation. The annual growth of forests is 5.6 million m 3, the annual cutting area is 11.3 million m 3.
The forests of Mongolia are of great water and soil protection importance.
In the past, indiscriminate deforestation and frequent forest fires led to the destruction of tree stands and greatly disrupted the forest environment over large areas. As a result, the southern border of the forests moved somewhat to the north. In the south of the country, forests have survived only in isolated small tracts. Therefore, forest laws were based on issues of forest protection and protection, as well as their rational use.
The Law on Forests (1957) established forbidden forest belts 5 km wide along large rivers, and protective strips up to 1 km wide were established along railways and highways. Green zones are planned around the cities: Ulaanbaatar (with a radius of 50 km), Sukhbaatar and Zun Khor (with a radius of 25 km), aimak centers (with a radius of 15 km), state farms and other settlements (with a radius of 10 km). It also provided for the creation of several nature reserves. The volumes and rules of felling, forest rates were regulated, and measures were determined to protect forests and forest pastures from fires.
In 1964, the country's forests were divided into three groups. The first group includes all forbidden and protective forest belts along rivers, railways and highways, all green zones around cities and towns, nature reserves of republican significance, as well as saxaul forests of the Gobi-Altai, Bayan-Khongorsky, Ubur-Khangai, South Gobi, East Gobi, Middle Gobi and Kobdo aimags. In forests of the first group, only maintenance felling and sanitary felling are allowed. The remaining forests are classified into the second and third groups. In the forests of the second group, final felling is allowed in the amount of annual growth, and in the forests of the third group - all types of felling in an unlimited amount.
From 1968-1970 The country has organized aviation protection of forests from fires. 12 forestry enterprises with forest nurseries and 5 independent forest districts were created.
Forestry is self-supporting and financed from 15% of the tax value of the forest allowed for felling. Logging work is carried out by specialized enterprises and self-procurers, as well as partially by forestry enterprises and forestry departments. Forest management is low. Thus, the volume of timber harvesting in 2008 reached 2.4 million m3 (commercial timber - 1 million m3). Forest exploitation is carried out in the areas of railways, in the basins of the Tola and Iro rivers, and to a lesser extent along the river. Selenge.
There are forest processing enterprises, the main products of which are lumber, plywood, particle boards, standard houses, convoy products, furniture, industrial chips, and containers. A small amount of wood is exported.
In recent years, secondary use of forests has been developing. The most important products currently being harvested include: juniper branches, medicinal herbs, mushrooms, berries, wild onions, garlic (ramson), pine nuts, hay, deer antlers (antlers). Particular importance is attached to the collection of sea buckthorn fruits. In 1970, 30 thousand hectares of sea buckthorn thickets were identified.
Forestry specialists are trained in special departments at the Agricultural Institute and Construction College of Ulaanbaatar. Russia provides great assistance to Mongolia in training forestry specialists.
All forests are state-owned. Forestry activities are coordinated by the Ministry of Forests and Wood Processing Industry of the Mongolian People's Republic. In addition to forestry enterprises and forest districts, the ministry’s system includes logging, woodworking and furniture enterprises.
Rare species of various animals have been preserved in the Mongolian People's Republic. Here you can meet wild camel and snow leopard, Przewalski's horse and kulan, Altai maral, reindeer, and elk. Hunting in forests is regulated by special laws.
There are three forest reserves with a total area of about 400 thousand hectares. The largest of them (125 thousand hectares) is Choibalsan-Ula (or Bogdo-Ula) with taiga forests (larch and cedar) and characteristic taiga fauna.
INFORMATION FOR TOURISTS
MONGOLIAN FLORA
Mongolia is located at the junction of the taiga regions of Siberia and the deserts of Central Asia, which leads to the formation of specific natural ecosystems. In terms of the totality of all environmental conditions, Mongolia is very unique: this is due to its inland position, the history of the formation of the territory, the high hypsometric level and the bizarre combination of mountains, plains and intermountain depressions. At the same time, there is a significant contrast in natural factors in different parts of the country. The territory of Mongolia is vast: the length from north to south is more than 1200 kilometers, from west to east - 2368 km. The variety of landscapes includes highlands, mountain-taiga belt, forest-steppe zone, steppe zone, semi-desert and desert zones.
Mountains occupy almost 2/3 of the country, and some peaks are covered with eternal snow and exceed 4000 m above sea level; there are glaciers. In the intermountain basins and valleys there are more than 3,000 permanent lakes with fresh and salt water. In the north, in the Khentei Mountains and in the Khubsugol region, mountain taiga dominates, located on the southern border of the taiga zone of Eastern Siberia. Vast mountainous spaces of the ridge. Khangai, Mongolian Altai, the western slope of Khingan and the southern periphery of Khentei are occupied by mountain steppe and forest-steppe in lower areas. These landscapes, which generally have a zonal extent, are located at an altitude of over 1000 m above sea level. seas. An intermediate position is occupied by the high plains of Eastern Mongolia, occupied by steppe vegetation. And finally, the southern regions of the country should be classified as a zone of desert steppes, which merge in the extreme south with the zone of sharply continental deserts of Central Asia.
The territory of Mongolia is dominated by a temperate sharply continental climate with precipitation of 100 mm or less in deserts, 100–200 mm in semi-deserts and up to 600 mm in the mountains of Khentei and Altai. Average temperatures in July are relatively low – +20–25°С, in January – 8... 30°С. Over the past 60 years, the average annual air temperature across the country has increased by 1.56°. According to calculations by the Institute of Meteorology MAN, it will increase further, by 2020 – by 1.4°, by 2050 – by 3.0° and by 2080 – by 5.1°.
A global watershed passes through Mongolia: in the south lies the region of drainless basins and lakes of Central Asia. Mongolia, representing a transitional region from the Siberian taiga to the deserts of Central Asia, demonstrates all the signs of such a transition in both flora and fauna, with Daurian elements predominating in the north of the country, Central Asian elements in the south, and a noticeable influence of Manchurian species in the east. Forests occupy only 8.1% of the country's total area and are located on the southern border of the Siberian taiga region. They protect soils from dryness and erosion and regulate water flow. The tree flora includes over 140 species of trees and shrubs.
The vegetation of Mongolia is very variegated and is a mixture of mountain, steppe and desert with inclusions of the Siberian taiga in the northern regions. Under the influence of mountainous terrain, the latitudinal zonation of the vegetation cover is replaced by a vertical one, so deserts can be found next to forests. Forests on the mountain slopes are located far in the south, adjacent to dry steppes, and deserts and semi-deserts are found along plains and basins far in the north.
The natural vegetation of Mongolia corresponds to local climatic conditions. The mountains in the northwestern part of the country are covered with forests of larch, pine, cedar, and various deciduous tree species. In the wide intermountain basins there are magnificent pastures. The river valleys have fertile soil, and the rivers themselves abound in fish. As you move to the southeast, with decreasing altitude, the density of vegetation cover gradually decreases and reaches the level of the Gobi desert region, where only in spring and early summer some types of grasses and shrubs appear. The vegetation of the north and northeast of Mongolia is incomparably richer, since these areas with higher mountains receive more precipitation. In general, the composition of the flora and fauna of Mongolia is very diverse. The nature of Mongolia is beautiful and diverse. In the direction from north to south, six natural belts and zones successively change here. The high-mountain belt is located north and west of Lake Khubsugul, on the Khentei and Khangai ridges, in the Mongolian Altai mountains. The mountain-taiga belt passes in the same place, below the alpine meadows. The zone of mountain steppes and forests in the Khangai-Khentei mountain region is the most favorable for human life and the most developed in terms of agricultural development. The largest in size is the steppe zone with its variety of grasses and wild cereals, most suitable for cattle breeding. Water meadows are common in river floodplains.
Currently, 2823 species of vascular plants from 662 genera and 128 families, 445 species of bryophytes, 930 species of lichens (133 genera, 39 families), 900 species of fungi (136 genera, 28 families), 1236 species of algae (221 genera, 60 families). Among them, 845 types of medicinal herbs are used in Mongolian medicine, 68 types of soil strengthening plants and 120 types of edible plants. There are now 128 species of herbs listed as endangered and endangered in the Red Book of Mongolia.
The Mongolian fora can be divided into three ecosystems: - grass and shrubs(52% of the earth's surface), forests(15%) and desert vegetation(32%). Cultivated crops account for less than 1% of Mongolia's territory.
FORESTS
About 8-10% of the territory of Mongolia is covered with forests, the total area of which reaches 120-150 thousand sq. km. Forests grow, as a rule, on the northern and northwestern slopes of the mountains. In the north of Khentei and lake. Khubsugul there are areas of real mountain taiga. The forests contain about 140 varieties of trees, bushes and tree-like plants. Of the tree species, more than 70% of the total reserves are Siberian larch and 12% are cedar; spruce and fir are less common. Pine forests are concentrated mainly near Selenga. Deciduous trees grow in the river valleys: poplar, birch, aspen, ash, and shrubs - willow, wild rosemary, bird cherry, hawthorn, honeysuckle, and willow. Above the forest boundary there is an alpine zone with mixed-grass meadows and creeping forms of juniper, birch, and willow.
Natural regeneration of Mongolian forests is slow, and forests are often destroyed by fire, insects and human activities. Wood is mainly used as a source of fuel (larch, pine, birch, saxaul). In the north of the country, trees are cut down for construction purposes. There are entire illegal groups specializing in the supply of young tree trunks (up to 10 cm in diameter) for use in casting floors in construction. These groups operate mainly as follows: during the day, separate groups of citizens cut down wood, cut it into small logs (about 2 meters long) and store it. At night, under the cover of darkness, small trucks transport timber. As a rule, cars are covered with a tarpaulin so that the cargo being transported is not visible.
STEPPE
The steppe regions of Eastern Mongolia and the western part of the country provide excellent pastures. The herbaceous cover is extremely varied; The leading place belongs to feather grass-cereal and grass-wormwood plants (feather grass, chamomile, wheatgrass, tonkonogo, serpentine, wheatgrass, fescue). Caragana shrubs are often found in the steppe zone. The steppe zone is characterized by the presence of saline areas with typical plants: derisun, Mongolian feather grass, late snake grass, saltpeter and saltwort. The presence of derisun means the presence of water.
DESERT
The Gobi is a special type of desert steppe, the border of which begins 500 kilometers south of Ulaanbaatar and is characterized by the appearance of shrubs, brown soils and the disappearance of steppe animals - voles and tarbagans.
In the Mongolian language, the word “Gobi” is a common noun denoting semi-desert steppes with saline vegetation. It is incorrect to identify the Gobi with a desert, since only small areas of the Gobi are covered with sand and are not at all similar to the Kazakh steppes, the Karakum, and even less so to the Sahara. The Gobi is not a lifeless desert, but a grassy steppe intersected by hills, ravines and ridges. The vegetation of the Gobi is poor, saxaul grows in the semi-desert zone, and squat elm grows along the banks of dry riverbeds.
MEDICINAL PLANTS
The flora of Mongolia is very rich in medicinal and fruit plants. Along the valleys and in the undergrowth of deciduous forests there are a lot of bird cherry, rowan, barberry, hawthorn, currant, and rose hips. Valuable medicinal plants such as juniper, gentian, celandine, and sea buckthorn are widespread. Particularly prized are Adonis mongolian (Altan hundag) and Radiola rosea (golden ginseng).
In 2009, a record harvest of sea buckthorn was harvested. Today in Mongolia, berries are grown by private companies on an area of one and a half thousand hectares.
RESERVES (NATIONAL PARKS)
Mongolia is rightfully considered one of the few countries that have preserved the purity and virginity of the environment. Since 1995, after the Great Khural of Mongolia adopted the law on specially protected natural areas, the country has introduced a clear distinction between nature reserves, national parks, sanctuaries and natural monuments. New environmental protection areas were created, the area of existing ones was expanded, the boundaries of specially protected areas were approved and their protection was strengthened. Today in Mongolia there are 11 nature reserves, 7 national parks, and 13 wildlife sanctuaries. The largest reserve in Mongolia is the Great Gobi Nature Reserve (5,300 thousand hectares), included in the international network of UNESCO biosphere reserves, and is the largest in Asia. The oldest is Bogd-Khanulsky (near Ulaanbaatar), organized in 1965, but the environmental regime has been observed since 1778, from the time when the Bogd-Uul mountain range was declared sacred.
Today the Ministry of Nature and Environment manages the national park system with a tiny annual budget of approximately US$100,000 per year. It is clear that this amount is not enough to protect all protected areas. Unfortunately, in many national parks and specially protected areas, protection regimes are not observed. But if the Mongols turn a blind eye to the violation of rules by their citizens, then if they catch a foreigner violating the rules of specially protected areas, do not hesitate to charge you such a fine...
The Ministry of Nature and Environment divides all protected areas into four categories, which, in order of importance, are:
- Strictly Protected Areas- Very fragile very important areas; hunting, logging and development is strictly prohibited and there is no established human influence.
- National parks historical and educational interest; fishing and grazing by nomadic people is allowed, and parts of the park are developed for ecotourism.
- Reserves- Less important areas protecting rare species of flora and fauna and archaeological sites; some development is allowed within certain guidelines.
- Natural & Historical Monuments- Important places of historical and cultural interest; development is allowed within the guidelines.
In 2000, the government created five new national parks and one new nature reserve. The 48 protected areas now make up more than 13% of Mongolia's territory. The government seeks to secure the status of natural protected lands to 30% of the country's territory, which will make Mongolia the largest nature reserve on the planet.
RESERVES
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Great Gobi |
5311.7 thousand hectares |
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East Mongolian |
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Mongol-Dagursky |
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Namregskiy |
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Otgon-Tengersky |
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Khan-Henteisky |
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Khokh-Serkhiinnursky |
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Khasagt-Khairkhanulsky |
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Ubsunur basin |
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Small Gobi |
NATIONAL PARKS
RESERVES
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Nagalkhanulsky |
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Bat-Hanulsky |
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Lhachinvandad |
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Bulgangolsky |
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Bulganulsky |
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Ugtamul |
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Sharga-Mankhansky |
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Zagiinussky |
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Alaghairkhansky |
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Burganbuudaisky |
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Ergeli |
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Ikhnartsky |
National park fees
To visit a national park you usually need to buy an entrance ticket or obtain (for a fee) a national park permit (either from a park ranger or local office). Income from the entrance fee goes towards infrastructure development and wages for park workers.
Travel fees to the national park vary. They can charge from 1000 to 3000 tugris (per person) for entry into the national park. They can take an additional 300 to 3000 tugris per vehicle. Moreover, if you are a foreign citizen, the fee is higher than what local residents pay. In some parks, the guide and driver do not pay for entry into the park (payment is taken ONLY from the tourist)
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
- Information about Mongolia 2000. Da. Gandbold. ADMOND Co.Ltd., Mongolia.
- Guide "Mongolia". Le Petit Fute. Ed. Vanguard 2005
- State and prospects of nature conservation in Mongolia. B. Oyuungerel
Institute of Geography of the Academy of Sciences of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar.
A new analysis of tree rings has shed light on drought periods in Mongolia, both in the past and in the future.
By studying semi-fossil tree rings, researchers reconstructed Mongolia's climate history over the past 2,060 years - 1,000 years more than previous studies. Some of the trees are said to be over 1,100 years old, and a fragment of one of the trees found dates back to around 650 BC.
The severe drought that lasted from 2000 to 2010, killing tens of thousands of livestock, is believed to have been unprecedented in the region's history and was a consequence of human influence on the climate. But evidence from tree-ring studies suggests that drought, although such extended periods of dryness were rare, was within the limits of natural climate variability. The researchers reported online March 14 in Science Advances.
"We know little about past climate," says Williams Park, a bioclimatologist at Columbia Lamont-Doherty University. “This data will help provide more information about past droughts in the region.”
In recent years, many studies have failed to distinguish between the role of anthropogenic climate change and natural variability in extreme weather events. Such work is needed to more accurately predict future climate trends and help governments prepare for the most severe scenarios, says study co-author Amy Hessl, geographer at West Virginia University in Morgantown. This is especially true in countries such as Mongolia, which do not have enough water bodies to mitigate the impact of prolonged drought, for example.
Hessl and her colleagues studied the tree rings of hundreds of specimens of Siberian pines that were well preserved in Mongolia's naturally dry climate. The width of the ring indicates the growth of the tree per year. In dry years the rings are narrower, in periods with sufficient rainfall they are wider.
The recent drought was the worst in history. But the rings “told” that an even more severe drought occurred about 800 years ago, long before the onset of anthropogenic climate change.
However, through computer modeling, researchers found that about a third of recent droughts could be caused by rising temperatures linked to climate change. This finding is consistent with research on the role climate change played in recent droughts in South Africa and California.
Using computer modeling, Hessl and her colleagues concluded that droughts in the coming decades could be no worse than those in the past in Mongolia. The team predicts that as global temperatures rise over the next century, Mongolia will first become drier and then wetter. Excessive heat will dry out the plains first. But at a certain point, hot air will hold more moisture, leading to more precipitation.
These climate patterns are likely to shape Mongolia's development, Hessl says, because they have already happened in the past. In 2014, she and her colleagues published a paper detailing how a 15-year period of unprecedented temperate and rainy conditions in 13th-century Mongolia may have led to the rise of Genghis Khan. In the years 1211 - 1225, which saw the active expansion of the empire, an unusually mild climate with regular precipitation and moderate temperatures was established in Mongolia.
Climate. Sharply continental. The coldest month of the year is January. In some areas of the country the temperature drops to -45...-50 o C. The hottest month is July. The average air temperature during this period in most of the territory is +20 o C, in the south up to +25 o C. Maximum temperatures in the Gobi Desert during this period can reach +45...+58 o C. Average annual precipitation is 200-250 mm. 80-90% of the total annual precipitation falls within five months, from May to September. The maximum amount of precipitation (up to 600 mm) falls in the aimags of Khentii, Altai and near Lake Khuvsgul. The minimum precipitation (about 100 mm/year) occurs in the Gobi. The winds reach their strongest in spring. In the Gobi regions, winds often lead to the formation of storms and reach enormous destructive power - 15–25 m/s. Spring is coming in Mongolia after a very cold winter. Spring begins in mid-March, usually lasting about 60 days, although it can be as long as 70 days or as long as 45 days in some areas of the country. For people and livestock, this is also the driest and windiest season. In spring, dust storms are common, not only in the south, but also in the central regions of the country. Summer is the warmest season in Mongolia. There is more precipitation than in spring and autumn. Rivers and lakes are the deepest. However, if the summer is very dry, then closer to autumn the rivers become very shallow. In Mongolia, summer lasts approximately 110 days from late May to September. Autumn in Mongolia is the season of transition from hot summer to cold and dry winter. Autumn lasts approximately 60 days from early September to early November. However, we must take into account that snow may fall at the beginning of September, but within 1-2 months it will completely melt. In Mongolia, winter is the coldest and longest season. In winter, the temperature drops so much that all rivers, lakes, streams and reservoirs freeze. Many rivers freeze almost to the bottom. It snows all over the country, but the cover is not very significant. Winter begins in early November and lasts approximately 110 days until March. It snows occasionally in September and November, but heavy snow usually falls in early November (December). Relief. Basically it is a plateau, elevated to a height of 900-1500 m above sea level. A series of mountain ranges and ridges rise above this plateau. The highest of them is the Mongolian Altai, which stretches in the west and southwest of the country for a distance of 900 km. Its continuation are lower ridges that do not form a single massif, collectively called the Gobi Altai. Along the border with Siberia in the north-west of Mongolia there are several ranges that do not form a single massif: Khan Huhei, Ulan Taiga, Eastern Sayan, in the north-east - the Khentei mountain range, in the central part of Mongolia - the Khangai massif, which is divided into several independent ranges. To the east and south of Ulaanbaatar towards the border with China, the height of the Mongolian plateau gradually decreases, and it turns into plains - flat and level in the east, hilly in the south. The south, southwest and southeast of Mongolia are occupied by the Gobi Desert, which continues into north-central China. According to the landscape features, the Gobi consists of areas of sandy, rocky, covered with small fragments of stones, flat for many kilometers and hilly, different in color - the Mongols especially distinguish the Yellow, Red and Black Gobi. Hydrography. Surface waters. The rivers of Mongolia are born in the mountains. Most of them are the headwaters of the great rivers of Siberia and the Far East, carrying their waters towards the Arctic and Pacific oceans. The largest rivers in the country are the Selenga (within the borders of Mongolia - 600 km), Kerulen (1100 km), Tesiin-Gol (568 km), Onon (300 km), Khalkhin-Gol, Kobdo-Gol, etc. The deepest is the Selenga. It originates from one of the Khangai ridges and receives several large tributaries - Orkhon, Khanui-gol, Chulutyn-gol, Delger-Muren, etc. Its flow speed is 1.5-3 m/s. The Selenga freezes for six months, the average ice thickness is 1-1.5 m. It has 2 floods a year: spring (snow) and summer (rain). The average depth at the lowest water level is at least 2 m. Rivers in the western and southwestern parts of the country, flowing from the mountains, fall into intermountain basins, do not have access to the ocean and, as a rule, end their journey in one of the lakes. In Mongolia, there are over a thousand permanent lakes and a much larger number of temporary lakes that form during the rainy season and disappear during the dry season. The largest lakes are located in the basin of the Great Lakes in the north-west of the country - Uvs-nur, Khara-Us-nur, Khirgis-nur, their depth does not exceed several meters. In the east of the country there are lakes Buyr-nur and Khukh-nur. Lake Khubsugol (depth up to 238 m) is located in a giant tectonic depression in the north of Khangai. The groundwater. Aquatic biological resources. Vegetation. It is a mixture of mountain, steppe and desert with inclusions of Siberian taiga in the northern regions. Under the influence of mountainous terrain, the latitudinal zonation of the vegetation cover is replaced by a vertical one, so deserts can be found next to forests. Forests on the mountain slopes are located far in the south, adjacent to dry steppes, and deserts and semi-deserts are found along plains and basins far in the north. The mountains in the northwestern part of the country are covered with forests of larch, pine, cedar, and various deciduous tree species. In the wide intermountain basins there are magnificent pastures. As you move to the southeast, with decreasing altitude, the density of vegetation cover gradually decreases and reaches the level of the Gobi desert region, where only in spring and early summer some types of grasses and shrubs appear. The vegetation of the north and northeast of Mongolia is incomparably richer, since these areas with higher mountains receive more precipitation. Water meadows are common in river floodplains. Forest resources. Soils. Chestnut soils are widespread (over 60% of the country's area), as well as brown soils with significant salinity, developed mainly in the Gobi. Chernozems are found in the mountains, and meadow soils are found in river valleys and lake basins. Agriculture. Due to Mongolia's harsh continental climate, agriculture remains vulnerable to natural disasters such as severe drought or cold. The country has little arable land, but about 80% of the territory is used as pasture. Animal husbandry. Cattle breeding, sheep breeding, goat breeding, horse breeding, camel breeding, yak breeding, reindeer breeding. Plant growing. They grow wheat, oilseeds, potatoes, tomatoes, watermelons, fruits, and sea buckthorn. Regions of Mongolia
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Information sources:
Mongolia (Mongolian People's Republic)
Territory - 1.57 million km 2. Population - over 1.55 million people (1978). Most of the country is a plateau, with mountains rising in the west and north (Mongolian Altai, Khangai, Khentei).
The climate is temperate, very dry, with sharp temperature fluctuations. Average precipitation is from 50 to 200 mm per year in deserts and semi-deserts in the south and from 200 to 500 mm in the mountains in the north of the country. The forests of Mongolia occupy a transitional zone between the mountain-taiga forests of Siberia and the deserts of Central Asia and are concentrated mainly in the mountainous regions in the north and west of the country. These are forest areas along the northern slopes of Khangai and Khentei at an altitude of 1000 m to 1800 m in the west and up to 2200 m in the east. As you move south, more and more spaces are occupied by grass and herb steppes, the landscape resembles a mountain forest-steppe, and forest areas gradually disappear.
The southern part of Mongolia is treeless. Forest cover in individual aimags ranges from a fraction of a percent to 40% of the total land area. In the Gobi aimags, among semi-desert and desert spaces, small areas of saxaul (Haloxylon ammodendron) and individual species of caragana (Caragana pygmaea, C. bungei) are found in places on the sands.
The predominant species in the forests of Mongolia is Siberian larch (Larix sibirica). It is widespread over a vast area along the northern border of the country from Ulangoma in the west to the middle reaches of the Onon in the east. As admixtures in larch plantations there are pine, Siberian cedar, less commonly spruce (Picea obovata), birch and aspen. In the floodplains of rivers, laurel poplar (Populus laurifolia), various types of willows and shrubby birches grow, in mountain valleys and along the banks of temporary streams - squat elm (Ulmus pumila). Pine occupies significant areas in the Eastern, Khentei, Selenga and partly Central aimaks, and is also found as an admixture with larch.
Larch and pine are widespread in the middle part of the mountain slopes, while in the lower part, in the forest stands, deciduous species predominate, especially birch (Betula platyphylla) and aspen. Birch owes its predominance in the lower part of the slopes to a large extent to humans, since coniferous forests in this more accessible part of the slopes are more often subject to felling.
In the upper part of the slopes of high ridges, at an altitude of 2000-2100 m, where the soils become wetter and colder, cedar is mixed with larch, which, as it approaches the upper border of the forest belt, forms pure cedar stands. At an altitude of 2200-2300 m, dwarf cedar (Pinus pumila) is found in the Khentei mountains. The banks of small forest rivers and streams are bordered by a dense border of shrubby birches (Betula humilis, B. gotundifolia) and willows (their height reaches 2-3 m), and higher in the mountains, in river hollows, there are gallery valley forests of Siberian spruce (Picea obovata ) here and there with an admixture of fir (Abies sibirica). Within the river valleys of the Khangai-Khentei mountain region, as well as in the west of the country in intermountain basins and valleys, a complex complex of valley tree and shrub communities called urema is widespread. It is dominated by different types of willows, bird cherry, hawthorn, sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides), wild Siberian apple tree (Maius pailasiana). In some places there are tall laurel poplar trees, singly or in groups. Some Urema tracts reach a width of 6-8 km and stretch along river valleys for tens of kilometers.
Forest lands occupy 15 million hectares. Of these, 9.5 million hectares are coniferous-deciduous forest stands, 3.8 million hectares are saxaul forests and 614 thousand hectares are shrubs, the remaining area - 926 thousand hectares - unforested clearings and burnt areas. Forest cover - 9%.
Coniferous plantations predominate, occupying 83% of the forested area (excluding saxaul and shrubs); of these, larch forests - 66%, cedar forests - 11, pine forests - 6, spruce forests (mainly valley ones) and fir forests - less than one percent. In deciduous forest stands, 17% of forests are birch, the remaining species (aspen, poplar, etc.) account for about one percent.
The productivity of Mongolian forests is quite high. The average reserve per 1 hectare: larch - 130 m 3, cedar - 163, pine - 152 and birch - 57 m 3. Often there are larch plantations with a reserve of 300 m 3 or more per 1 ha, and cedar - up to 600 m 3 / ha.
The total wood reserve is 1223 million m3, including coniferous wood - 1165 million m3. Of the total reserve of mature and overmature forests, approximately 560 million m3 are forests available for exploitation. The annual growth of forests is 5.6 million m 3, the annual cutting area is 11.3 million m 3.
The forests of Mongolia are of great water and soil protection importance.
In the past, indiscriminate deforestation and frequent forest fires led to the destruction of tree stands and greatly disrupted the forest environment over large areas. As a result, the southern border of the forests moved somewhat to the north. In the south of the country, forests have survived only in isolated small tracts. Therefore, forest laws were based on issues of forest protection and protection, as well as their rational use.
The Law on Forests (1957) established forbidden forest belts 5 km wide along large rivers, and protective strips up to 1 km wide were established along railways and highways. Green zones are planned around the cities: Ulaanbaatar (with a radius of 50 km), Sukhbaatar and Zun Khor (with a radius of 25 km), aimak centers (with a radius of 15 km), state farms and other settlements (with a radius of 10 km). It also provided for the creation of several nature reserves. The volumes and rules of felling, forest rates were regulated, and measures were determined to protect forests and forest pastures from fires.
In 1964, the country's forests were divided into three groups. The first group includes all forbidden and protective forest belts along rivers, railways and highways, all green zones around cities and towns, nature reserves of republican significance, as well as saxaul forests of the Gobi-Altai, Bayan-Khongorsky, Ubur-Khangai, South Gobi, East Gobi, Middle Gobi and Kobdo aimags. In forests of the first group, only maintenance felling and sanitary felling are allowed. The remaining forests are classified into the second and third groups. In the forests of the second group, final felling is allowed in the amount of annual growth, and in the forests of the third group - all types of felling in an unlimited amount.
From 1968-1970 The country has organized aviation protection of forests from fires. 12 forestry enterprises with forest nurseries and 5 independent forest districts were created.
Forestry is self-supporting and financed from 15% of the tax value of the forest allowed for felling. Logging work is carried out by specialized enterprises and self-procurers, as well as partially by forestry enterprises and forestry departments. Forest management is low. Thus, the volume of logging in 1973 reached 2.4 million m 3 (commercial timber - 1 million m 3). Forest exploitation is carried out in the areas of railways, in the basins of the Tola and Iro rivers, and to a lesser extent along the river. Selenge.
There are forest processing enterprises, the main products of which are lumber, plywood, particle boards, standard houses, convoy products, furniture, industrial chips, and containers. A small amount of wood is exported.
In recent years, secondary use of forests has been developing. The most important products currently being harvested include: juniper branches, medicinal herbs, mushrooms, berries, wild onions, garlic (ramson), pine nuts, hay, deer antlers (antlers). Particular importance is attached to the collection of sea buckthorn fruits. In 1970, 30 thousand hectares of sea buckthorn thickets were identified.
Forestry specialists are trained in special departments at the Agricultural Institute and Construction College of Ulaanbaatar. The USSR and other fraternal socialist countries provide great assistance to Mongolia in training forestry specialists.
All forests are state-owned. Forestry activities are coordinated by the Ministry of Forests and Wood Processing Industry of the Mongolian People's Republic. In addition to forestry enterprises and forest districts, the ministry’s system includes logging, woodworking and furniture enterprises.
Rare species of various animals have been preserved in the Mongolian People's Republic. Here you can meet wild camel and snow leopard, Przewalski's horse and kulan, Altai maral, reindeer, and elk. Hunting in forests is regulated by special laws.
There are three forest reserves with a total area of about 400 thousand hectares. The largest of them (125 thousand hectares) is Choibalsan-Ula (or Bogdo-Ula) with taiga forests (larch and cedar) and characteristic taiga fauna.
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