WATERCOPE - China, Mongolia

Supporting national research capacity and policy development to cope with dwindling water resources and intensifying land use in the transborder Altay-Dzungarian region of Mongolia and China

Duration: Dec 2011 - Nov 2016

Funding:IFAD

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Research focus: Within the framework of WATERCOPE, the livestock projects investigated the management of winter, spring/autumn and summer pastures along the gradient from the low- to the high-altitude Altay mountain ranges, by combining participatory research methods, vegetation analysis and livestock behavior and intake monitoring on the Chinese and Mongolian rangelands.

Completed PhD theses: Alimu Shabier, Tsevegmed Munkhnasan

Publications

Altmann B., Jordan G., Schlecht E. 2016. A community-based approach to identifying grazing pressure and land-use management structures among herders in the Altay Mountains, Mongolia. Proc. Xth International Rangeland Congress, 16-22 July 2016, Saskatoon, Canada.

Altmann B., Jordan G., Schlecht E. 2018. Participatory mapping as an approach to identify grazing pressure in the Altay Mountains, Mongolia. Sustainability 10(6), 1960. DOI 10.3390/su10061960

Jordan G., Goenster-Jordan S., Lamparter G.-J., Ulziisuren B., Soninkishig N., Schlecht E., Buerkert A. 2018. Water use in agro-pastoral livelihood systems within the Bulgan River watershed of the Altay Mountains, Western Mongolia. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 251, 180-193. DOI 10.1016/j.agee.2017.09.008

Jordan G., Goenster S., Munkhnasan T., Shabier A., Buerkert A., Schlecht E. 2016. Spatio-temporal patterns of herbage availability and livestock movements: A cross-border analysis in the Chinese-Mongolian Altay. Pastoralism: Research, Policy and Practice 6, 12. DOI 10.1186/s13570-016-0060-2

Jordan G., Shabier A., Munkhnasan T., Goenster S., Buerkert A., Schlecht E. 2016. Crossborder analysis of biomass availability and stocking densities on seasonal pastures in the Chinese-Mongolian Altay Dzungarian Region. Proc. Xth International Rangeland Congress, 16-22 July 2016, Saskatoon, Canada.

Lv C., Schlecht E., Goenster-Jordan S., Buerkert A., Zhang X., Wesche K. 2019. Vegetation responses to fixed stocking densities in highly variable montane pastures in the Chinese Altay. Rangeland Ecology and Management 72, 812-821.

Shabier A., Jordan G., Buerkert A., Zhang X., Schlecht E. 2022. Seasonal variations in voluntary intake and apparent digestibility of forages by goats in the Chinese Altai mountains. Animals 12(13), 1652. DOI 10.3390/ani12131652

Soma T., Schlecht E. 2018. The relevance of herders' local ecological knowledge on coping with livestock losses during harsh winters in  western Mongolia. Pastoralism 8,3. DOI 10.1186/s13570-017-0108-y

Tsevegemed M., Norovsambuu T., Jordan G., Schlecht E. 2019. Feed Intake of Small Ruminants on Spring and Summer Pastures in the Mongolian Altai Mountains. Sustainability 10(20), 5759. DOI 10.3390/su11205759

Tsvegemed M., Shabier A., Schlecht E., Jordan G., Wiehle M. 2018. Evolution of rural livelihood strategies in a remote Sino-Mongolian border area: A cross-country analysis. Sustainabiliy 10(4), 1011. DOI 10.3390/su10041011