Ulaanbaatar
Around 20 Thousand Trees to Be Planted in Khovd Aimag This October
Society
Ulaanbaatar, September 11, 2024 /MONTSAME/. Since the launch of the “One Billion Trees” National Campaign initiated by the President of Mongolia, over 300 thousand trees have been planted in Khovd aimag, Mongolia, to combat desertification and land degradation. Environmental officials are now focusing on supporting the local tree nurseries and increasing the number of tree seedlings and saplings to sustain this momentum. As part of the National Tree Planting Day and the "One Billion Trees" National Campaign, 48,000 trees were planted this spring across 17 soums of Khovd aimag. Looking ahead, approximately 20,000 more trees will be planted in October. Additionally, Khovd aimag plans to plant trees on 250 to 260 hectares of land this fall to strengthen its climate adaptation. These initiatives are crucial in light of the severe desertification affecting Khovd aimag. Over 90 percent of the land in the aimag has been affected by land degradation and desertification to varying degrees. Specifically, in Khovd aimag, 1.4 percent of the land is classified as severely desertified, 13.3 percent as strongly desertified, 29.2 percent as moderately desertified, and 46.4 percent as mildly desertified. Only 6.7 percent of the land in Khovd aimag remains unaffected by desertification. A study shows that most territories of Durgun, Chandmani, Erdeneburen, Myangad, Mankhan, Zereg, Buyant, and Jargalant soums of Khovd aimag are particularly hard-hit by desertification, and the grazing capacity is exceeded.
