Assessment of Nomadic Pastoralists' Livelihood Vulnerability to Climate Change in the Third Pole Region: A Case Study of Western Mongolia

Abstract

Abstract The High Mountains of Asia, called the "Third Pole" because they have the third largest reserve of water after the North and South poles, are an important landscape around the world. Mongolia is one of the countries that make up the Third Pole. The high mountains of Mongolia and its ecosystems, including the nomads that live there, are fragile and vulnerable to the slightest change in the environment. Based on the household interviews with nomads in the Tsambagarav and Munkh Khairkhan Mountains, we used a sustainable livelihood approach to assess the livelihood vulnerability index of the nomads. Findings indicate that the overall LVI was 0.41 for Tsambagarav and 0.44 for Munkh Khairkhan, and the corresponding IPCC-LVI was 0.01 for Tsambagarav and − 0.02 for Munkh Khairkhan. Based on the findings, we recommend that decision-makers focus on setting up an appropriate number of livestock that can be owned by one household, the proper structure of livestock, effective management of pasture land, and an insurance-based compensation system for livestock. Moreover, to develop a mobile-economy informative early warning system this can be a new innovative idea to prevent climate change disasters. These actions can contribute to a long-term sustainable livelihood in the fast-changing climate.