Once deserted areas of Mongolia have sprung back to life with the growth of dense forest.

The Korea Forest Service has carried out the “Mongolian Greenbelt Forestation Project” over a span of 10 years and, as a result, approximately 3,046 hectares, equal to the size of roughly 3,000 soccer fields, have been colored in green.

The forested sites cover the area of Lun soum, a district about 125 kilometers to the west of Ulaanbaatar, Dalanzadgad, which lies 580 kilometers to the south from the capital city and Bayanzag, located approximately 100 kilometers to the west. Species adapted to survive in desert conditions such as dwarf elms, tamarix and haloxylon, have been planted in these locations.

Additionally, educational programs are being run as part of the project, so as to help the plants to flourish. More than 200 Mongolian public servants, as well as experts involved in afforestation and forest industries, took part in the programs and learned about technologies pertaining to cultivating young trees and afforestation. Through the programs, they also developed their capabilities with regards to plantation management.

This project was launched, following the 2016 signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the cooperation on the prevention of yellow dust and desertification. Next year, the Korea Forest Service plans to share its ability to keep plantations intact in a stable manner with the Mongolian government.



“This project which we’ve put our time and energy into over a decade has certainly made a significant contribution to the prevention of desertification not only across Mongolia, but across Northeast Asia, as a whole,” said an official from the Korea Forest Service. “We plan to expand this kind of project, reaching out to Latin American, African and Central Asian regions, in line with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).”

By Sohn JiAe
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Korea Forest Service
jiae5853@korea.kr