90% of Mongolia is vulnerable to desertification according to the United Nations. The delicate ecosystem that traditional herdering families rely on is being put at risk by the rapid economic development and lack of suitable infrastructure to support it. The lack of railway lines and paved roads forces large trucks to drive across the desert and grasslands, kicking up dirt that smothers plants and can lead to increased rates of desertification at the fridges of the Gobi desert. Herders are feeling the impact and say that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find suitable grazing land for their herds, something they couldn't have imagined a decade ago when good land was abundant. Development has winners and losers and these herders and their thousand year old traditions are losing out in a country where there are over ten times more heads of livestock than there are people. This issue highlights the need for responsible, equitable and sustainable development in the world's fastest growing economy.
