Mongolia Publishes Updated National Desertification Atlas
Mongolia presented its sixth nationwide assessment of desertification and land degradation, based on data from 1991–2025 and prepared with satellite imagery, remote sensing, geographic information systems and spatial analysis. The updated atlas is intended to inform environmental policy and Mongolia's commitments under the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. The assessment found that 81.9 percent of national territory is affected by some degree of desertification or land degradation, while soil moisture has declined across 93.3 percent of the country. Compared with the 2020 assessment, the affected area increased by five percentage points, although severe and very severe categories declined.
M-International Editorial DeskUpdated August 13, 2026
The Minister of Environment and Climate Change presented an updated National Desertification Atlas to the Cabinet on August 12. It is Mongolia's sixth nationwide assessment and uses data from 1991 through 2025. The work applied satellite data, remote sensing, geographic information systems and spatial analysis.
The atlas is designed to support land-protection policy and reporting under the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. Its findings indicate that 81.9 percent of Mongolia's territory is affected to some degree by desertification or land degradation and that soil moisture has declined across 93.3 percent of the country. The area affected increased by five percentage points compared with the 2020 assessment, while the share categorized as severe or very severe reportedly declined by 16.2 percentage points.