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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 13, 2026

Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress in Rats based on the Mongolian medicine

Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress in Rats based on the Mongolian medicine

Published on: October 27, 2023

Changing climate and overgrazing are decimating Mongolian steppes.

Yi Y Liu¹, Jason P Evans, Matthew F McCabe

¹Water Research Centre, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. yiliu001@gmail.com

|March 2, 2013

Summary

Mongolian steppes face significant biomass reduction, comparable to rainforest deforestation. Overgrazing by goats and wildfires are identified as key drivers of this grassland degradation, beyond climate variations.

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Published on: November 21, 2015

Area of Science:

Ecology
Environmental Science
Remote Sensing

Background:

Mongolian steppes are identified as a global hotspot for biomass reduction, with impacts rivaling tropical rainforest deforestation.
Understanding the drivers of grassland degradation is crucial for conservation and restoration efforts.

Purpose of the Study:

To differentiate the impacts of climate variations and human activities on Mongolian steppe grassland degradation.
To quantify the contribution of non-climatic factors to observed biomass reduction.

Main Methods:

Utilized a 21-year satellite-based vegetation optical depth (VOD) record (1988-2008) as a proxy for vegetation water content and aboveground biomass.
Analyzed VOD data to assess trends and correlated them with climate variables (rainfall, temperature) and human activity indicators (goat density, wildfires).

Main Results:

Nearly all Mongolian steppe grasslands exhibited significant decreases in VOD over the study period.
Climate variations (rainfall and temperature) explained approximately 60% of the VOD decline.
A significant decreasing trend in VOD residuals persisted after accounting for climate influences, indicating non-climatic drivers.

Conclusions:

Increased goat density and associated grazing pressures, along with wildfires, are identified as the primary non-climatic factors driving grassland degradation in Mongolia.
These findings highlight the critical role of land management practices in mitigating steppe degradation.