Appendix 1 to the Government Resolution
No 44, 2005
“GREEN BELT”
NATIONAL PROGRAMME
One. Background
1.
The Current Status of Mongolia’s Forest Reserves, Desertification, Sand
Movement and Dust and Sand Storms.
Mongolia’s forest reserve comprises of 18.3 million hectares with 12.9 million
hectares of forest-covered area or 8.2 percent of country’s total territory, including 10.5
million hectares of coniferous and hardwood forest, which is equivalent to 6.7 percent of
the forest reserve. These facts are showing that Mongolia is one of the low forest cover
countries.
In 1940-2002, 45.0 million cubic meters of timber had been cut from over
320,000 hectares. In addition, forest areas damaged by fire 392,500 hectares on the
average annually, and another 101,100 hectares affected by pests and diseases each year.
In 1996-1997 alone, 5 million hectares of forest area was exposed by fires including over
500,000 hectares of forest totally destroyed.
In Mongolia with the specific features as its location in the heart of Central Asia,
landlocked, low precipitations and elevated 1,580 meters above the sea level, the Gobi
desert region constitutes 42.5 percent of the country’s territory.
Mongolia is categorized by highly fragile landscapes. It is an arid region due to its
geographical location, topography and ecological systems and has been affected by
desertification processes over the time.
In the past 60 years cycle, the annual average temperature of air in Mongolia
raised by 1.56 degrees as result of global warming and climate change. Surveys show that
the drought encompassing 25 percent of the territory happens once in 2-3 years; drought
encompassing 50 percent of the territory happens once in 4-5 years. In comparison to
1960s, frequency of dust storms in steppe and Gobi desert regions increased 3-4 times on
the threshold of the 21st Century.
Intensification of the desertification process in the wake of climate change has
resulted in perpetual snow melting, drying up of lakes, rivers and streams, a sharp decline
in the yield of pastures, salinization of soil and water, soil erosion, land degradation, loss
in fertility, acceleration of sand migration and movement, and an increase in the
frequency of natural disasters.
In addition to natural factors, multifaceted anthropogenic impacts have also added
to the desertification process.
Over the last decade, the scope of arid areas has expanded by 3.4 percent with
areas of “strong desertification” increasing by 5.4 times and “very strong” by 1.8 times.
Overuse of Saxaul trees, endemic in the Gobi desert region, is marked by 125,000
hectares of Saxaul forest being totally eliminated.
2.
Rationale and Need for Developing the Programme
Rationale and need for developing the “Green Belt” National Programme is described as
following:
a) About 70 percent of the country’s territory has been affected by impacts of
desertification and sand movement, and shrinking in volume and distribution of green
areas in the Gobi desert and steppe regions resulted in upset of ecological balance, and as
a consequence, they are negatively influencing to the country’s sustainable development.
Notwithstanding the significant activities and measures towards combating these factors,
we could not reach the expected results.
b) Today we are encountering the challenge of combating the negative outcomes, when
the adverse impacts of global warming and climate change are significantly affecting the
country’s economy, social life and the population livelihood, when sand movement, dust
and sand storms and desertification are intensifying.
Two. Objectives, Tasks and Schedule
1.
Objectives of the Programme
The objective of this Programme is to create a “Green Belt”, which totally covers the
junctional area between the Mongolian Gobi and steppe regions, in an effort to reduce the
present intensification of loss in forest reserves, desertification, sand movement and dust
and sand storms, caused by climate change and inappropriate anthropogenic activities.
The long-range Programme will be realized in a step-by-step process involving the local
community, harmonizing environmental and socio-economic development policies and
measures with specific features of the respective areas.
2.
Tasks of the Programme
Tasks of the Programme are defined as following:
1) Conduct comprehensive research on the composition and distribution of
hardwood, cluster and vegetation plants, biomass, water availability, pedology
and climate in the Gobi desert region, and to develop scientific framework of
economic activities to implement the Programme;
2) Build “Green Belt” or Eco-Strip and sub-strips with tree, shrub, cluster and
vegetation cover in conjunctional area of the Gobi and steppe regions with the
purpose of decelerating the desertification and sand movement process;
3) Expand activities for building green strips to protect forest reserves, pasture land,
agricultural fields, roads and railways in the Gobi and steppe regions;
4) Promote public involvement in deceleration of the desertification, sand movement
and dust and sand storm process;
5) Restore forests and plants; and
6) Create legal and organizational environment at national and local levels for
implementing the “Green Belt”.
3. Phases of Implementation
The “Green Belt” National Programme can be implemented in 3 phases as
following:
First Phase (2005-2015) – Not less than 20 percent of the planned Programme
shall be completed on the basis of forming legal coordination and capacity, and acquiring
implementation methodologies and technologies.
Second Phase (2015-2025) – Not less than 30 percent of the planned activities
shall be completed on the basis of assessing the First Phase progress and strengthening
the national capacity. Outcomes shall be improved.
Third Phase (2025-2035) – Not less than 50 percent of the Programme shall be
completed on the basis of improving ecological and socio-economic efficiency of the
Programme, and mastering methodologies and technologies for reducing adverse impacts
of desertification and sand movement.
In each phases of the Programme implementation, priority will be given to
awareness raising, training and publicizing of the Programme objectives, importance,
expected outcomes and participation of individuals and institutions, and to strengthen
international cooperation.
Three. Principles of Implementation Activities
Following principles will be abided on implementation activities of the
Programme:
a)
Shall cohere legislative, social and economic structure for forest
rehabilitation, as well as the environmental management system,
and shall abide ecologically sustainable and economically efficient
b)
principles on activities to weaken desertification process and sand
movement. Also, the Programme shall be in line with the principles
of decentralization, support development in the Gobi and steppe
region, improvement of cross-sectoral relations and coordination,
and development of international cooperation;
Shall create an atmosphere for involving individuals, government
and non-government organizations and economic entities into
Programme implementation, and shall develop a lever to encourage
their contributions.
Four. Programme Activities
Following activities will be carried out to complete the tasks of the Programme:
In the scope of the Task 1:
Within the framework of tasks to develop scientific framework of economic
activities to implement the Programme:
a) Establish tree planting places after the synthesis of research works in the Gobi,
desert and steppe area ecosystems;
b) Organize mobile and fixed study to define full characters of ecosystems for
determining soil, vegetation and water reserves, and to choose the initial site for starting
Eco-Strip, and
c) Expand research works on biotechnological breeding of seedlings and cultivars
from the Gobi and steppe region plants.
In the scope of the Task 2:
The following activities will be completed for the establishment of the main “Green belt”
or Eco-Strip and sub-stripes:
The “Green belt” or Eco-Strip, protecting from desertification, sand movement, will be
built, transmitting through the Gobi, desert and steppe regions from East to West with
length of up to 2,500 kilometers and with width of not less than 600 meters and will
cover 90 thousand hectares of land. By location the Green belt will be in Khovd,
Zavkhan, Gobi-Altai, Bayankhongor, Uvurkhangai, Umnugobi, and Dornogobi
provinces.
The assisting green stripe, protecting from desertification, sand movement, will be built,
transmitting through the southern part of Gobi and steppe region from East to Southwest
with length up to 1000 kilometers and with weight of not less than 430 meters and will
cover 42,8 thousand hectares of land. By location this assisting green stripe will be in
Khovd, Zavkhan, Gobi-Altai, Bayankhongor, Uvurkhangai, Umnugobi, Dornogobi
provinces.
In the scope of the Task 3:
In the frame of activities to build protecting Green stripes under the Programme:
a/ Extend activities to build Green stripes to protect saxual, foliate forest
recourses, pasture land and agricultural land at Gobi, desert, and steppe region
b/ Build Green stripes on both sides of international and national roads, and
railroads at Green belt Programme area
In the scope of Task 4:
The following activities will be done to promote public participation for the Programme
implementation:
a/ Capacity building at central and local organizations on planting tree, shrubs,
perennials;
b/ Extend trainings, advertisements on building Green belt;
c/ Increase the participation of Governmental, Non-Governmental organizations,
private sectors and individuals;
d/ Provide support to solve social and economical problems of local population in
deserted area through Programme activities;
e/ Study and conduct effective economic encouragement mechanisms for public.
In the scope of Task 5:
Implementation of practical measures of rehabilitating forests within the frame of
Programme contribution.
a/ Include places with weak ecosystem in Gobi and desert region into National
and local Special Protected Area;
b/ Increase tree planting activities in Gobi and steppe region by planting trees,
shrubs in deserted area, establishing new tree planting farms and fields in Gobi and desert
area;
c/ Stop making the fence for livestock with wood, however substitute with wide
spreaded materials of nature, such as stone, mud;
d/ Establish protecting units for Green belt around the Programme area.
In the scope of Task 5:
The following ativities will be done in the frame of activitites to form the organizational
and legal environment for building “Green belt:
a/ Make a favourable legal environment for implementation of the Programme;
b/ Provide soft loan for citizens for building Green strip in some regions of the
Programme; Transit this forest to the National Forest Reserves and estalish legal
environment for step by step financing to guarantee ownership to citizens, economic
entities and organiztions;
c/ Make an effective capacity, organization form of cross-sectoral, local
administration for the Programme.
Five. Management, organization and financng of the Programme
1. Organization and Management
a/ National Steering Committee is responsible to organize and coordinate the
implementation of the Programme at national level. The coordination at Regional,
provincial, capital, district level will be done by sub-committees.
b/ The National Steering Committee is headed by the Prime Minster of Mongolia,
the Minister of Nature and Environment will be the Deputy-Head of the Programme.
Steering Committee members will consist representatives from Governmental, NonGovernmental organizations, local and foreign citizens, and the sub-committees will be
headed by
Governors, subcommitte members will be governmental and non
governmental organizations, citizens.
c/ Central and local controlling council will be responsible for the activities for
public evaluation and analyzing of the Programme implementation.
d/ Minister of Nature and Environment leads the controlling council of the
Programme, and a representatives of non-governmental organization, and previous
Ministers of Nature and Environment are in the structure. Representatives of economic
entities, organizations, local citizens and environmental inspector, environmental leader,
individuals, who had worked at the official position of leading at the governmental
organization are included in the controlling Council.
2. Programme funding
The prospects required for implementation of the Programme are completed from the
following resourses:
a/ Fiscal budget;
b/ Donor countries’ and international organization’s loan, technical and granted
aid donor property;
c/ Property of organizations, and economic entities;
d/ Civil donor property;
e/ Environmental protection fund;
f/ Forest rehabilitation fund;
g/ Other.
May establish “Green belt Fund” with the properties, which are gathered from other
resourses and donor assisstances of economic entities, foreign and domestic citizen to
coordinate the Programme finance.
Six. Cooperation and implementation methods of the Programme
1. Implementation method
a/ Plan of activity for implementing the reflected goals on the programme are
confirmed by the Government decision. The measures, which are implemented annually
are reflected and organized for the main direction to develop society.
b/ Economic entities and ogranization, of soum, province, and local citizens
propose a project, which is in-line with the special condition of the place and
implemented according to the rules. (Schemes are shown at the 3rd and 4th annex)
c/ Erect a place for replanting trees, which is in-line with the local soil and water
features, seedlings, strengthen replanting areas, and buy them from foreign countries and
suply with them from foreign countries and supply with them. They are aspen, willow,
saxaul, elm, tamarisk and long aged plants.
d/ Involve the pupils, students, local, employed people, of soum, province, which
are close to the position of “Green belt” and implement it with the assistance of
professional organizations, governmental and non governmental organizations.
e/ Make legal environment to be possessed replanted areas, economic entities and
citizens in long-term agreement.
f/ Upgrade the technology, techniquies, and other techniques to replant the desert
and steppe region
g/ Advertize the Programme to foreign countries and increase the activity to take
support, international assistance
3. Cooperation
a/ Make a contact to work together with foreign countries and international
organizations, establishing Green Strip and replanting the desert and steppe areas,
are reflected on the on the project document and implement it together
b/ Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, member countries of
UNCCD, and other organizations of the UN, use a chance to co-work with the
centre of Asian region combating Dust nd Sand Storms.
Seven. Results and its report.
1. Result
Upon the implemention of the Programme, Mongolian forest square will be increased
with 1,6 percent and positive changes will be appeared in eosystem of desert and steppe
region. Negative consequence of dust and sand storm will decrease the desertification
process and sand movement will be weakened in national and regional level.
It is encouraged that there will be 20 thousand working places and family income would
be increased and the level of poverty will be decreased. New resourse of income will
appear using seedlings of trees, fruits, branches, resourse of saxaul forest of desert and
steppe region will be protected, square of leaf forest will be increased, suitable condition
of nature and weather will be appeared, and ecological balance will be preserved.
Legal environment of replanted forest and forest strip in desert and steppe areas will be
upgraded.
2. Reporting programme outcomes
A progress report of the programme shall be compiled every two years and submitted to
the Government in accordance with specific criteria for monitoring and assessing
programme implementation by state central organ in charge of environmental issues