SMOKE ON WATER

Mongolia: ecosystems containing peatlands 1974

Ecosystems containing peatlands Continuous permafrost region Discontinuous permafrost region

Island permafrost region Sparse permafrost region Sporadic permafrost region

Darhadiin Khotgor

Bulgan

Tesiin River

Western Khentey

Onon-Balj

Dornod Lake Kettle

L ÓPEZ , 2017 100 km

Tuvshruulekh Orkhon

Solongotiin Davaa Terkhiin Tsagaan

Priority areas

Change of the area of peatlands in the priority areas

1960

2017

700 Km 2

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

Orkhon

Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur

Dornod Onon-Balj

Tuvshruulekh Western Khentey

Tesiin gol

Bulgan

Darhadiin Khotgor

Sources: Gravis G.F. et al., 1974, Geocryological conditions of Peoples Republic of Mongolia.; Minayeva T, et al., 2004, Peatlands in Mongolia: the typical and disappearing landscape. Peatlands International, 2:44–47; Minayeva T. et al., 2016, Highland Peatlands of Mongolia, in Finlayson C.M. et al. (eds.), The Wetland Book, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

GRID-Arendal

Figure 3. Distribution of peatlands and permafrost in Mongolia. Permafrost is thawing due to human activities like fire and mining operations as well as climate change. This accelerates peatland degradation and increases the amount of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere.

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