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Mongolia
Forest Information and Data
According to the U.N. FAO,
7.0% or about 10,898,000 ha of Mongolia is forested, according to FAO. Of this 47.3% ( 5,152,000 ) is classified as primary forest, the most biodiverse and carbon-dense form of forest. Mongolia had 145,000 ha of planted forest.
Change in Forest Cover: Between 1990 and 2010, Mongolia lost an average of 81,900 ha or 0.65% per year. In total, between 1990 and 2010, Mongolia lost 13.1% of its forest cover, or around 1,638,000 ha.
Mongolia's forests contain 583 million metric tons of carbon in living forest biomass.
Biodiversity and Protected Areas: Mongolia has some 558 known species of amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles according to figures from the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Of these, 1.6% are endemic, meaning they exist in no other country, and 6.3% are threatened. Mongolia is home to at least 2823 species of vascular plants, of which 8.1% are endemic. 13.5% of Mongolia is protected under IUCN categories I-V.
The following contains data relating to forest cover in Mongolia
Previous version of this profile (2009)
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Mongolia : Forest Cover, 2010
| Total Land Area (1000 square kilometers) | 1426 |
| Total Forest Area (1000 ha) | 671 |
| Percent Forest Cover | 626 |
| Primary Forest Cover (1000 ha) | No |
| Primary Forest, % total forest | Yes |
| Other wooded land (1000 ha) | 605 |
| Percent other wooded land | 583 |
Mongolia : Breakdown of forest types, 2010
| Primary forest (1000 ha | % of forest area) | No | Yes |
| Other naturally regenerated forest (1000 ha | % of forest area) | 2002 | In implementation |
| Planted Forest (1000 ha | % of forest area) | 2007 | Yes |
Mongolia : Trends in Total (Net) Forest Cover, 1990-2010
| TOTAL FOREST COVER (1000 ha) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| n.s. | n.s. | | 280 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| 100 | - | - | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| 611 | - | - | |
Mongolia : Trends in Natural Forest Cover (Deforestation), 1990-2010
| FOREST COVER (excluding planted forests) (1000 ha) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 415 | 33 | - | 256 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| 415 | Yes | Yes | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| | Yes | Yes | |
Mongolia : Trends in Primary or Old Growth Forest Cover, 1990-2010
| PRIMARY FOREST COVER (1000 ha) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 35 | 44 | 36 | 28 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| 30 | 5 | 16 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| | 30 | 30 | |
Mongolia : Trends in Planted Forest Cover, 1990-2010
| PLANTED FOREST COVER (1000 ha) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 0 | 2 | - | 5 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| 20 | 50 | 658 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| 2 | | 222 | |
Mongolia : Primary designated function (percent)
| Production | Protection of soil and water | Conservation of biodiversity | Social services | Multiple use | Other | None or unknown |
| - | - | | - | - | - | - |
Mongolia : Forest ownership and management rights 2005 (percent)
| OWNERSHIP PATTERN |
| Public ownership | Private ownership | Other |
| 584 | 100 |
| PRIVATE OWNERSHIP |
| Individuals | Business entities and institutions | Local, indigenous and tribal communities |
| 50 | 100 | 624 |
| HOLDER OF MANAGEMENT RIGHTS OF PUBLIC FORESTS |
| Public administration | Individuals | Business
entities and Institutions | Communities | Other |
| 472 | 574 | 70 | | n.s. |
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Mongolia: Environment
| Environment - current issues | limited natural fresh water resources in some areas; the policies of former Communist regimes promoted rapid urbanization and industrial growth that had negative effects on the environment; the burning of soft coal in power plants and the lack of enforcement of environmental laws severely polluted the air in Ulaanbaatar; deforestation, overgrazing, and the converting of virgin land to agricultural production increased soil erosion from wind and rain; desertification and mining activities had a deleterious effect on the environment | | Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements | | Natural hazards | dust storms, grassland and forest fires, drought, and "zud," which is harsh winter conditions |
Mongolia: Land use / Resources
| Land use (%) | arable land: 0.77%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 99.23% (2001) | | Natural resources | oil, coal, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, phosphates, tin, nickel, zinc, fluorspar, gold, silver, iron |
Mongolia: Economy
| Economy - overview: | Economic activity in Mongolia has traditionally been based on herding and agriculture. Mongolia has extensive mineral deposits. Copper, coal, molybdenum, tin, tungsten and gold account for a large part of industrial production. Soviet assistance, at its height one-third of GDP, disappeared almost overnight in 1990 and 1991 at the time of the dismantlement of the USSR. The following decade saw Mongolia endure both deep recession due to political inaction and natural disasters, as well as economic growth because of reform-embracing, free-market economics and extensive privatization of the formerly state-run economy. Severe winters and summer droughts in 2000, 2001, and 2002 resulted in massive livestock die-off and zero or negative GDP growth. This was compounded by falling prices for Mongolia's primary sector exports and widespread opposition to privatization. Growth averaged about 5% from 2002 to 2005, largely because of high copper prices and new gold production. Mongolia's economy continues to be heavily impacted by its neighbors. For example, Mongolia purchases 80% of its petroleum products and a substantial amount of electric power from Russia, leaving it vulnerable to price increases. China is Mongolia's chief export partner and a main source of the "shadow" or "grey" economy. The World Bank and other international financial institutions estimate the grey economy to be at least equal to that of the official economy. The actual size of this grey - largely cash - economy is difficult to calculate since the money does not pass through the hands of tax authorities or the banking sector. Remittances from Mongolians working abroad both legally and illegally constitute a sizeable portion. Money laundering is growing as an accompanying concern. Mongolia settled its $11 billion debt with Russia at the end of 2003 on favorable terms. Mongolia, which joined the World Trade Organization in 1997, seeks to expand its participation and integration into Asian regional economic and trade regimes. | | GDP - per capita | $2,200 (2005 est.) | | GDP - real growth rate (%) | 5.5% according to official estimate (2005 est.) | | Agriculture - products | wheat, barley, vegetables, forage crops, sheep, goats, cattle, camels, horses | | GDP - composition by sector (%) | agriculture: 20.6%, industry: 21.4%, services: 58% (2003 est.) | | Industries | construction and construction materials; mining (coal, copper, molybdenum, fluorspar, and gold); oil; food and beverages; processing of animal products, cashmere and natural fiber manufacturing | | Economic aid - recipient | $215 million (2003) | | Debt - external | $1.36 billion (2004) | | Population below poverty line (%) | 36.1% (2004 est.) | | Labor force - by occupation (%) | herding/agriculture 42%, mining 4%, manufacturing 6%, trade 14%, services 29%, public sector 5%, other 3.7% (2003) |
Mongolia: Population / Demographics
| Population (July 2005) | 2,791,272 | | Population growth rate (%) (2005) | 1.45% | | Population density (people/sq km) (2005) | 1.8 | | Percent rural (2003) | 43.3% | | Median age (years) | total: 24.28 years | | Total fertility rate (children born/woman) | 2.26 (2005 est.) | | Ethnic groups (%) | Mongol (mostly Khalkha) 94.9%, Turkic (mostly Kazakh) 5%, other (including Chinese and Russian) 0.1% (2000) |
Largest Cities in Mongolia
Cities and urban areas in Mongolia with population over 100,000 All figures are estimates for 2002.
| City | Country | City Population | Urban Area Population |
| Ulaanbaatar | Mongolia | 762200 | 762200 |
Mongolia: Infrastructure
| Telephones - main lines in use | 142,300 (2004) | | Telephones - mobile cellular | 404,400 (2004) | | Roadways (km) | total: 49,256 km
paved: 8,874 km
unpaved: 40,376 km (2002) |
Mongolia: Health
| Life expectancy at birth (years) | total population: 64.52 years
male: 62.3 years
female: 66.86 years (2005 est.) | | Infant mortality rate | 53.79 deaths/1,000 live births | | HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate (%) | less than 0.1% (2003 est.) |
Mongolia
: References & Data Sources
 Environment, Land use / Resources, Economy, Population / Demographics, Infrastructure, Health -- CIA World Factbook, 2005
Forest Cover, Forest types, Breakdown of forest types, Change in Forest Cover, Primary forests, Forest designation, Disturbances affecting forest land, Value of forests, Production, trade and consumption of forest products -- The FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS's Global Forest Resources Assessment (2005 & 2010) and the State of the World's Forests (2009, 2007, 2005, 2003, 2001)
Protected Areas, Plant and animal biodiversity -- United Nations Environment Programme - World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). 2004. World Database on Protected Areas.
Biosphere reservers -- United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) - Man and Biosphere Program. 2004. UNESCO - MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory.
RAMSAR sites -- The Bureau of the Convention on Wetlands . 2005. The Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.
World Resources Institute's EarthTrends web site
The 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Population Data -- United Nations Population Fund
With additional analysis by Rhett Butler of mongabay.com
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