Batkhishig, a herder and noted horseman, along the Tuul River near the Hustai National Park, 2023. Mongolia has a long history of nomadic pastoralism, with herders raising livestock on the steppe for thousands of years. Multi-species herds and mobility were, and still are, key aspects of nomadic livestock production. Herders have extensive traditional ecological knowledge and understanding of the environment they live in. Horses are very important to Mongolians. A famous Mongolian proverb says, "A Mongol without a horse is like a bird without wings."

A large deer stone, Huvsgol province, 2023. A stone monument built about 3,000 years ago by early nomads on the Mongolian Steppe, it has highly stylized deer carved into the surface of the rock. There are about 700 of these stone monuments scattered across Mongolia and are a testimony to the rich nomadic heritage of Mongolia. Believed to be associated with funerary rites they are often found in association with large mound graves.

Mongolian steppe, Bulgan province, 2023. Two features dominate the landscape of Mongolia: the steppe and the sky. Having worked as a cowboy in Montana and with nomads in the Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau, I am accustomed to big, wide-open landscapes. In Mongolia, however, the steppe landscape seems to be on another dimension. A magnitude that is hard to comprehend at times.

Herder with a large flock of sheep on the steppe, Arkhangai province, 2019. Mongolian herders now face many challenges: an increase in livestock numbers that are overgrazing the range, increasing signs of rangeland degradation, livestock diseases, climate change, and new markets. Mongolian herders will have to adapt to these changes to survive, but as long as they manage the rangelands and livestock well and combine the best aspects of their traditional practices and knowledge with the appropriate, science-based range and livestock management practices, they should be successful and have a bright future.

A dirt track across the steppe, Hustain National Park, 2019. A key challenge Mongolia faces today is a decline in the health of the rangelands. This is due to an unprecedented increase in livestock numbers (a tripling of the total head of livestock to over 75 million in just two decades leading to overgrazing and declining rangeland health or condition, The increase in livestock numbers has led to conflicts with wildlife, disputes over land use, and concerns about the sustainability of many current livestock production practices.

A herder with his horses at the Yak Festival, Ik Tamir, Arkhangai, 2019. Most herders understand the need to reduce livestock numbers and adjust the number of animals they have to pasture stocking rates, but face challenges in knowing where to market excess animals for a good price. Training is needed for herders to make the transition from subsistence-based herding to producing livestock products for the market while maintaining the best aspects of their traditional nomadic culture.

Traditional Mongolian saddle, Saraa's Ger Camp, east of Ulaanbaatar, 2023. Recent research has found a wooden saddle in Mongolia that dates to the 4th century AD, which is the earliest record for a saddle.

Grassland in the Hustai National Park, 2023. The core area of the park is protected from livestock grazing and the rangeland is in good condition.

Przewaslkii wild horses, or "takhi" as it is known in the Mongolian language. Hustai National Park, 2018. Przewalski horses, named after the famous Russian explorer, who traveled across Mongolia in the late 1870s and 1880s and discovered these wild horses. They went extinct in the wild in the 1960s but have been reintroduced from populations maintained in zoos in Europe. There are now about 400 wild horses in Hustai National Park, which was established as a place to reintroduce them to Mongolia.

Crested wheatgrass in flower. It is an important grass in the Mongolian Steppe. Crested wheatgrass is native to Central Asia and was first introduced into the Western United States in the early 1900s for reseeding degraded rangeland.

Hereford cattle in Khushaat county, Selenge province, 2017. Hereford cattle were introduced by the Russians in the 1960s to improve livestock productivity.

Milking goats in the Gobi Desert. These are cashmere-producing goats and the increase in prices paid for cashmere encouraged herders to raise a lot more goats, leading to overstocking of many rangelands.

A camel caravan. The Bactrian two-humped camel is one of the five important species of livestock raised by Mongolian herders. The others are: horse, cattle/yaks, sheep and goats.

Mongolian "gers" (felt tents more popularly known by the Russian word, "yurt." on the steppe. To Mongolians, a "ger" is a representation of the universe. A person enters with the right foot and progresses clockwise, following the sun shining over the "ger" during the day. The "toono" or dome symbolizes the sky. It is supported by two central poles that represent women (on the east) and men (on the west), who equally support the universe. The north side of the "ger" is the most sacred place and is opposite the door on the south. "Gers" are not anchored to the ground, so as not to harm the earth, a reflection of Mongolian's respect for the land.

Herder's summer camp with the round felt tents ('gers"), near Kharhorin, 2016.

Setting up a "ger" requires putting up a trellis-like frame and central pillars and then covering it with felt. Arkhangai, 2019. A "ger" can be taken down easily and packed on camels or yaks to be taken to the next pasture (and increasingly today carried in trucks). It is the perfect nomad home.

Delgermurun river, near Murun, Huvsgol province, 2023.

A sacred "ovoo" with horse skulls on it along the Orkhon River, Harkhorin, 2023. "Ovoos" are a pile of rocks found on passes or mountaintops. They are traditional sacred monuments associated with the worship of mountains and the sky. A person must always stop upon encountering an "ovoo," circumambulate three times and place a small stone or an offering of money or milk products on the pile of rocks. The Mongolian landscape is imbued with a sacredness. Mongolia's nomadic heritage instilled respect for the environment and the local deities that inhabit the sky, mountains, lakes, and rivers among its people. Tibetan Buddhism further enhanced this respect for the environment. Saving the steppe requires nurturing a renewed environmental ethic among the population, especially the youth. Because of the close connection between Mongolian herders and their horses, the skulls of horses that have died are often placed on "ovoos" as an offering to the spirits and to honor a specific horse.

Mongols from the Buryat ethnic group who are found in northeast Mongolia. 2015.

A herder grazing his flock of sheep in the winter pasture, Selenge province, 2016. "Dzud" is a Mongolian term for a natural disaster and refers to a winter of intense cold, snow storms, and deep snow that makes it difficult for animals to graze on the rangelands. This often leads to large livestock losses. A dry summer the year before can lead to less grass on the rangelands for livestock to graze on and less grass for making hay for winter feeding. This results in livestock going into the winter in poor condition (i.e. not enough fat reserves) and exacerbates the effects of snow and cold. One of the worst "dzud" was the winter of 2009-2010 when about 10 million head of livestock died, 25 percent of the total herd. A "dzud" risk report for November 2023 prepared by the Government of Mongolia indicated that about 54 percent of Mongolia was at high risk and another 40 percent at moderate risk of dzud because of poor forage conditions and overstocking. By late November 2023, about 57 percent of Mongolia was snow-covered. This means that this winter may be a bad "dzud" with large livestock losses.

Herders getting water for their livestock from a well in the winter. Khovd province, 2018.

Storm clouds, Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, north of Ulaanbaatar. 2022.

A fenced exclosure to study the effects of livestock grazing. Tuv province, 2023. On the inside of the fence, the rangeland has been grazed according to the carrying capacity of the pasture. Outside the fence has been subjected to heavy grazing and the rangeland is not as healthy. Plants preferred by livestock are few due to long periods of overgrazing. Understanding the ecology of Mongolia's rangeland requires robust rangeland monitoring to determine their condition or health.

The national flower of Mongolia, Scabiosa comosa

A herder has stopped at a mini market and tied his horse outside, near Darkhan City. 2017. Improved transportation and growing markets are driving changes among the rural population of herders in Mongolia. The new mantra for herders needs to become "produce to sell" rather than "sell what you produce."

Herder with cell phone, Gobi Desert, 2016.

A young girl from Ulaanbaatar visiting her herder relatives, near Darkhan City, 2017.

Herder examining a cowboy saddle, Ikh Tamir, Akhangai province, 2019. To me, this photograph illustrates the commonality between cowboys of North America and the herders of Mongolia. In 2019, I was on my way to the Yak Festival in Arkghangai province when I saw a group of herders riding along the road. I stopped and talked to them and after asking where they were going I asked if they wanted to see some cowboy saddles I had with me. This was a saddle I had used in Tibet thirty years earlier and had brought to Mongolia to use. The Mongolian herders were fascinated with how the saddle was made. For an hour we discussed saddles, horses, livestock, and the condition of the rangelands; things cowboys and ranchers talk about. Despite our different upbringing and cultures we shared many common interests.

A "ger" at sunset in the Gobi Desert, near Bayanzag (Flaming Cliffs), 2016.