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Community‐based rangeland management (CBRM) has been promoted as a promising option for achieving both rangeland conservation and community well‐being. However, research on its effectiveness is limited, and the reported outcomes are mixed, especially with regard to socioeconomic outcomes. We measured social outcomes of CBRM in Mongolia by comparing 77 formally organized pastoral groups with 65 traditional herder neighborhoods across four ecological zones. We used household surveys, focus groups, and interviews to measure livelihoods, social capital, and management behavior. Members of CBRM groups were significantly more proactive in addressing resource management issues and used more traditional and innovative rangeland management practices than non‐CBRM herders. However, the group types did not differ in social capital or on most livelihood measures. Our results demonstrate that formal CBRM is strongly associated with herder behavior, but calls for consideration of how to reach livelihood outcomes, a key incentive for community‐based conservation.

Two pairs of herding communities with and without formal communitybased rangeland management experience were studied to understand how the resilience of pastoral communities is infl uenced by their ability to combine different knowledge types for learning. The two types o f communities differed in number, use and integration of existing knowledge types. Challenges in knowledge integration for learning occur when outside knowledge carriers present their information to herders without relating it to prior knowledge systems. When they establish trusted relationships and meaningful communication with herders, oneway knowledge exchanges are avoided, stimulating equitable, inclusive and durable integration of various knowledge systems essential for social-ecological resilience building.

This paper describes and evaluates the performance of Pasture User Groups (PUGs) in Ikhtamir Soum, Arkhangai Aimag (province): one of Green Gold's five pilot sites. Two PUGs were selected from two different locations. The Ishgent PUG, located around the lower reaches of the Khoit Tamir River, mainly herds sheep and goats, while the Kukh Davaa PUG, on the upper reaches of the Tamir River and close to a high mountain area, mainly keeps yaks.