Effects of cold-season climate hazards on livestock health and mortality in Mongolia

Applying Multi-Sensor Satellite Data to Identify Key Natural Factors in Annual Livestock Change and Winter Livestock Disaster (Dzud) in Mongolian Nomadic Pasturelands

“…Since the early 1990s, two episodic countrywide Dzud events have occurred: one from 1999 to 2002 and one from 2009 to 2010, each resulting in more than 20% livestock mortality [8,33]. The catastrophic 1999-2002 Dzud called great attention to international, government, and individual herder efforts to improve pasture and livestock management and risk preparedness [11]. After the 1999-2002 Dzud, the national herd of Mongolia steadily grew until 2009 before dropping sharply with the 2010 Dzud.…”

“…However, in harsh winter conditions, sometimes following poor summer pasture conditions, livestock loss is high and usually peaks in mid or late winter (i.e., January or later); this may last until the spring gestation period, resulting in a low birth rate. Emergency migration, otor, is a rapid and sometimes long-distance movement of herders and their pastoral household in autumn to seek better pastures or to flee bad weather and poor foraging in a coming Dzud [11,34]. Because of the complex social and administrative factors that influence this migration [34], it is difficult to predict the timing, magnitude, and destination of otor.…”

“…For the last two decades, our understanding of the natural factors and socio-ecological contexts of Dzud disasters have been advanced. Researchers evaluated the key natural factors that caused the 1999-2002 and 2009-2010 Dzuds [11][12][13]. Some studies have used satellite data as proxies of grassland production and snow depth to evaluate the potential factors driving and influencing Dzud disasters [13][14][15][16].…”