Mongolia’s geographic location, fragile ecosystems and socio-economic conditions make the country highly vulnerable to climate change. To address the additional ecological challenges presented by climate change, there is an urgent need to conserve and rehabilitate the ecosystem services upon which Mongolia’s rural economy, traditional culture, and rich biodiversity depend.

The Project “Ecosystem Based Adaptation Approach to Maintaining Water Security in Critical Water Catchments in Mongolia”, co-funded by the Adaptation Fund, the Government of Mongolia and UNDP (US$ 10.57 million in total), addresses exactly this. It aims to support the government and local communities to maintain water provisioning services supplied by mountain and steppe ecosystems by internalising climate change risks within land and water resource management regimes. The project applies the principles of Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EBA) - a range of strategies for managing ecosystems to increase resilience and maintain essential ecosystem services and reduce the vulnerability of people and the natural environment to climate change impacts.

Working with communities, local and national governments and NGOs in the Altai and Eastern Steppe landscapes, the project supports integration of ecosystem resilience into land use and water resource planning and management at the landscape level. It supports evidence-based decision making through improved knowledge and understanding on ecosystem dynamics and resilience and impact of different land uses. The project also assists community actions to implement EBA principles and practices for the long-term sustenance of their livelihoods. At the national level, the project supports mainstreaming of the EBA approach in the country’s adaptation framework and related sector policies. The project marks great steps forward for safeguarding the world’s largest Steppe ecosystem and its keepers.