The updated Desertification Atlas, which provides a scientific evaluation of the state of desertification and land degradation in Mongolia, was presented on August 18, 2026, during the COP17 conference.

According to the updated atlas, 81.9% of Mongolia’s territory has been affected by desertification and land degradation to some extent. The atlas was developed utilizing data from the national network for water, weather, and environmental monitoring from 1991 to 2025, alongside global observation data, reanalyzed climate data, and satellite remote sensing information.

The research indicates that Mongolia's average annual air temperature increased by 2.5°C between 1941 and 2025. A warming of 1.2–1.6°C was observed across 72.6% of the country's total territory. Precipitation shows a decreasing trend in 49.7% of the land, primarily in the western regions, while it tends to increase in 50.3%, mostly in the east.

Based on drought and aridity assessments, 51.1% of the territory is characterized as dry or predominantly arid, whereas 48.9% is humid or adequately humid. Of the areas experiencing dry conditions, 25.3% fall into the extremely arid category. Furthermore, the drought index reveals a trend of intensifying drought across 53.5% of Mongolia's territory.

Regarding soil conditions, severely water-eroded soils make up 54.8% of the total land area. Meanwhile, areas experiencing wind erosion at a rate of 0.16–1.25 tonnes per hectare annually account for 34.3% of the entire territory.

Additionally, a trend of decreasing soil moisture was detected across 93.3% of Mongolia's territory, with a sharp decline in 44% of these areas raising significant concern.

In terms of water resource assessment, river runoff has decreased in nearly 60% of all rivers across the country. Regarding water quality, 67.5% of rivers showed minimal change, 28.6% experienced a decline in quality, and 3.9% showed improvement.

Vegetation productivity showed an increasing trend across most of Selenge aimag, certain soums of Tuv, Dornod, and Sukhbaatar aimags, as well as select parts of the southwestern region, covering 8.4% of the total territory.

According to the integrated assessment of desertification and land degradation, 81.9% of Mongolia’s territory has been affected: 0.9% is extremely severe, 6.2% is severe, 42.9% is moderate, 31.9% is slight, and 18.1% shows no signs of degradation.

The updated atlas features 12 land cover classification maps alongside drought and vegetation condition maps, which serve as the baseline data for Mongolia's 2026/2027 National Report on Desertification and Land Degradation to be submitted to the UNCCD.

Furthermore, this data enables national-level evaluation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators, facilitating Mongolia's transition from general international data to national, calculation-based Tier 2 reporting standards.

Published Date:2026-08-19