This study investigates the hydrological, ecological, and socio-economic responses of Ugii Lake—a freshwater body in semi-arid Central Mongolia—to climate variability and anthropogenic pressures. Seasonal field surveys conducted during the spring, summer, and fall of 2023–2024 revealed notable spatial and temporal variation in water quality, with pH ranging from 7.54 to 8.87, EC from 316 to 645 µS/cm, and turbidity between 0.36 and 5.76 NTU. Total dissolved solids (TDS) values and ionic compositions indicated increased salinization in some zones, particularly those exposed to high evaporation and shoreline disturbance. Heavy metal analysis identified elevated levels of aluminum, manganese, and zinc at several sampling points; however, concentrations generally remained within national environmental standards. Vegetation surveys showed that disturbed areas—especially those affected by grazing and tourism—exhibited reduced native plant diversity and dominance of invasive species. Socio-economic interviews with local herders and stakeholders indicated that 67.3% of households experienced declining livestock productivity, and 37.1% reported increased allergies or respiratory symptoms linked to deteriorating environmental conditions. Despite some ongoing conservation efforts, respondents expressed dissatisfaction with enforcement and impact. These findings highlight the need for community-driven, integrated lake management strategies that address environmental degradation, climate adaptation, and rural livelihood security.

Mongolia is a massive, semi-arid country in Central Asia with a huge territory of 1,500,000 km2, with rangeland making up around 75% of the country's territory. These rangelands have supported herders and grazing animals for millennia. The transition from nomadic to stationary livestock husbandry in Mongolia’s rangeland has resulted in major changes in vegetation communities due to increased livestock numbers. The primary objective of this study is to examine the impacts of grazing on the vegetation of rangelands in the desert steppe ecosystem. The purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of livestock grazing by measuring vegetation standing crop biomass, vegetation cover, and species' richness. The study was carried out in Khanbogd soum (district), Umnugovi aimag, the southern province of Mongolia. To assess the grazing impact, we sampled fourteen winter camps of herders who are members of the four herder groups, who were located at 1000 m and 2000 m from each. In total, we sampled 28 plots in two consecutive years. Our results indicate that aboveground biomass, cover, and species' richness did not differ with increasing distance from winter camps. Similar grazing pressures were shown at 1,000 and 2,000 meters away from the winter camps as well.

Mongolia’s arid landscapes and sparse population pose unique transportation challenges, particularly in Umnugovi aimag (province), where over 90% of roads remain unpaved. Informal dirt tracks, which were made because there weren't enough paved roads, have damaged the environment by causing soil erosion, loss of vegetation, and habitat fragmentation. This study applies advanced remote sensing techniques, including machine learning classification and GIS-based analysis, to quantify the spatial extent of paved and unpaved roads in the desert steppe of Khanbogd, Tsogttsetsii, and Sevrei soums (sub-district). High-resolution Sentinel-2 imagery (2010–2025) was processed to extract road networks and calculate their surface areas. Results indicate rapid road expansion, with Tsogttsetsii’s road area increasing from 324 ha in 2015 to 1,105 ha in 2024, at an average annual growth of 86.35 ha. Road expansion in Sevrei soum, a non-mining control area, was higher due to wider pastoral corridors. Findings highlight the importance of integrated infrastructure planning that mitigates environmental impacts through dust control, wildlife corridors, and pastureland conservation. This study provides a methodological framework for assessing road-induced landscape transformation in arid regions, contributing to sustainable transportation and land-use policy development.