Mongolia’s Sixth Desertification Assessment Puts 81.9% of Territory Affected, Up Five Points Since 2021
Mongolia's latest national assessment finds a larger share of the country affected by desertification than five years ago — and a smaller share of it in the worst condition.
The sixth assessment of desertification and land degradation, completed by the National Agency for Meteorology and Environmental Monitoring with the Institute of Geography and Geoecology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, found that 81.9% of Mongolia's total territory has experienced some degree of desertification or land degradation.
That is a five percentage point increase since 2021. But the area classified as severely or extremely severely affected has decreased by 16.2%, agency director E. Battulga said in an interview with The UB Post published on Wednesday.
Battulga was cautious about attributing the headline rise entirely to worsening conditions. The increase in the overall area identified may to some extent be linked to improvements in monitoring capacity, he said, with conditions previously undetectable now identified with greater precision.
Earlier assessments relied primarily on MODIS satellite data. This one also incorporated data from the Sentinel programme.
The monitoring network behind the number
The assessment rests on infrastructure Mongolia has been expanding rapidly.
The agency's observation network covers 318 soums and settlements, with hydrological monitoring at 150 locations and agricultural meteorological monitoring at 1,550 sites. Meteorological records have been centrally preserved since 1936, with the sector's foundations dating to 1924.
Capacity has advanced sharply in the past two years. Supercomputers entered operational use last year, Doppler weather radars were deployed in the western and Khangai regions this year with state budget funding, two aerological centres for studying the upper atmosphere have been commissioned, and the agency now receives data daily from eight satellites. The World Meteorological Organization has provided an AI-based server supporting multi-hazard early warning.
The most consequential change may be international. Mongolia transmitted weather data internationally from 63 stations until recently; that number reached 138 in 2026. Forecasts have moved from twice-daily reports to 10-day outlooks at three-hour intervals.
What is still missing
Battulga was direct about the gap, and it sits at the base of the system.
Around 65% of Mongolia's observation posts still rely on mechanical, manually operated instruments. He described this as a major shortcoming.
More pointedly, mercury-based instruments remain in use at some grassroots stations despite Mongolia's commitment to phase out mercury under the Minamata Convention. This needs to be addressed immediately, he said.
What COP17 produced for the agency
Mongolia's hosting of the UN desertification summit gave NAMEM unusual access. Battulga said the agency initiated and organised more than 20 events during the conference.
Three areas were prioritised. The first was a Mongolian government initiative on reducing sand and dust storm risk, agreed with the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat — Mongolia being a major source country for storms affecting Northeast Asia.
The second was integrating the monitoring network with artificial intelligence, machine learning, satellite technology and supercomputing.
The third was weather modification. NAMEM held a side event with the WMO and Thailand's Department of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation, which Battulga said was intended to counter misconceptions about cloud seeding with evidence-based information.
The agency is now developing a National Drought Management Plan.