Nearly eighty percent of Mongolia’s land is degraded, that is nearly twice as much as the global rate. This stark reality places the country at the center of one of the world’s most urgent environmental challenges—desertification. As grasslands give way to dust and livelihoods are pushed to the brink, Mongolia is a powerful example of both the severity of land degradation and the real, replicable solutions to reverse it.
That is why, in 2026, Mongolia will host the 17th session of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17), a crucial global forum to accelerate action against desertification, land degradation, and drought. This recognition reflects not only the scale of the country’s land degradation, but also Mongolia’s growing voice in the global movement to restore ecosystems and protect the communities who depend on them.
Mongolia is home to some of the world’s most fragile rangelands, with desertification threatening biodiversity, rural livelihoods, and food security. In response, the country has launched bold initiatives, like the “Billion Tree” campaign to restore degraded ecosystems and the successful effort to designate 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, approved by the United Nations. By hosting COP17, Mongolia is offering its land, experience, and solutions to the world.
UNDP Mongolia
One such experience can be found in Mongolia’s Research and Experimental Station for Desertification Mitigation in Elsentasarkhai, strategically located between the grassland and the desert. Established in 2011, this unique 45-hectare site, one of the only three in the country, is reshaping how the country approaches desertification by becoming the testing ground for land restoration and sustainable land management solutions. 
Supported by UNDP’s “Sustainable Land Management to Combat Desertification” project (2008–2012),  funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and the Government of the Netherlands, the Station has grown from a modest outpost into a living laboratory for scalable, community-adapted solutions. With support from the project, the Station was equipped with essential infrastructure—including a training center, solar panels, and a transport vehicle, as well as capacity-building training for staff. These contributions played a crucial role in ensuring the Station's sustainable operation over the past 14 years.
Here, science meets the soil, literally. The station tests everything from straw-based sand barriers that halt dune movement, to windbreak forest belts that reclaim degraded roadsides, to the cultivation of 21 rare and endangered native tree and shrub species. Each intervention is tested not in theory, but in the dry, wind-swept conditions that define much of Mongolia’s rangelands.
“We call it a station, but it is really a living laboratory,” says Dr. Khaulanbek Akhmadi, Senior Researcher of Desertification Study, Institute of Geography and Geoecology of Mongolia, and Adviser to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. He is also the Station’s founding lead scientist, who has been overseeing the operation since 2011. “Everything we try here is meant to work not just in theory, but in the real, harsh conditions herder communities face every day.”
The Station’s influence extends well beyond its physical boundaries. Its research directly informs Mongolia’s National Action Programme to Combat Desertification, feeds into major national efforts like the Billion Trees campaign, and provides a foundation for future climate-resilient planning.
UNDP Mongolia
One of the station’s successes has been the development of windbreak forest belts. Across a stretch of degraded land, rows of hardy native trees were planted in strategic patterns. These strips reduced wind speeds, enabling sand to accumulate and perennial grasses to re-establish themselves naturally, a proof that nature-based solutions can reverse the desert's advance.
“This is not just about planting trees,” says Matilda Dimovska, UNDP Resident Representative in Mongolia. “It’s about piloting what works, proving it, and then scaling it through national leadership. This Station is the testing ground that feeds into Mongolia’s broader land restoration strategy.”
In another project, the station installed mechanical straw barriers across 10 hectares of shifting sand dunes spanning Bulgan, Uvurkhangai, and Tuv provinces. These simple but effective 1x1 meter grids stabilize sand for 3–4 years giving native vegetation a chance to reclaim the land. 
Training and public awareness are also core to the Station’s work. Through partnerships with local governments and conservation authorities, the Station regularly hosts workshops on land degradation monitoring, seed propagation, and environmental stewardship. For herders, local officials, and students, the station is more than a research site, it’s a place of learning and action.
“The station embodies the spirit of what we hope to showcase at UNCCD COP17,” says Her Excellency Chimguundari Navaan-Yunden, Ambassador-at-Large and Director of Mongolia’s COP17 Preparatory Office. “It is a model of how science, community, national government, and international cooperation can come together to address one of the most pressing issues of our time.”
UNDP Mongolia
The center’s operations are also climate-smart. Since 2011, it has operated a solar-powered deep well providing uninterrupted access to water for over a decade. Also, the Station takes advantage of energy generated by solar panels. This low-cost, low-maintenance solution allows it to operate more sustainably and clean compared to coal-based electricity-generating solutions. 
At a time when scientific and practical expertise in land degradation and desertification is needed more than ever, the Station is also emerging as a vital knowledge hub serving not only as a research site, but also as a learning ground for the next generation of scientists. It has supported over 40 research projects, including five international collaborations, and has attracted Master’s and PhD students from Mongolia and abroad, including from the Republic of Korea.
UNDP Mongolia
“We are grateful to see that the investments made by SDC and the Government of the Netherlands in our project have had a significant impact here,” says Matilda Dimovska, UNDP Resident Representative in Mongolia. “The lessons from Elsentasarkhai extend far beyond its borders. This is a story of transformation of land, of knowledge, and of national capacity.”
As Mongolia prepares to host UNCCD COP17, the Station in Elsentasarkhai offers a concrete model for action grounded in science, driven by experience, and equipped with tried-and-true local solutions to inform global progress in sustainable land management. Its success reflects what is possible when local institutions are empowered, international partners collaborate meaningfully, and innovation is rooted in the realities of rural life.

Published Date:2025-04-22