Mongolia produces 40% of the world’s cashmere supply from goats, but climate change and overproduction threaten this unique lifestyle
human
February 1, 2023
Ganbaatar Davasuren (known as ‘Buhu’) in Uvurkhangai Province, Mongolia Matilda Gatoni
40% of the world’s cashmere is produced in the windswept plateaus of Mongolia.
Bukhuu’s 14-year-old son Mungun Huleg gathers the goats before choosing which ones need to be combed for the day Matilda Gatoni
The fabric is made from the undercoat of local goats. Goats develop particularly tight fur to survive harsh winters with temperatures down to -40°C. Over the last few decades, cashmere has brought wealth to local nomads and has become the main source of income for her third of the Mongolian population.
Tserennadmid Khaltarkhuu cuts to mark a kid’s ears with the help of children Matilda Gatoni
However, recent climate change and overproduction are threatening the supply of cashmere, threatening the unique way of life with cashmere.In Mongolia, the temperature has risen more than 2 degrees Celsius above the global average over the past 80 years. and could rise by up to 5°C by the end of the century. Mild winters, which adversely affect cashmere quality, are followed by long, dry springs and short summers when there is not enough rain to sustain pastures.
Bukhuu’s father Davaasuren Tsogt sits outside his ger (traditional Mongolian dwelling). Matilda Gatoni
The global cashmere boom has caused goat numbers to surge from 10.2 million to 26.5 million, causing overgrazing and desertification. His 70% of Mongolian meadows are already considered degraded.
A herd of goats on a stone wall in the Gobi desert Matilda Gatoni
To combat this problem, local nomads are reviving traditional pasture management practices. Cooperatives have also been established to coordinate grazing and crop rotation between pastures, giving nature the opportunity to replenish itself, and the state imposes taxes on livestock to keep numbers down.
Orkhontuya Oidovdagva answers the family’s mobile phone from the center of the ger. There the phone has been left on her all day. Matilda Gatoni
So far, however, there appears to be no alternative source of income to replace fabrics, which provided an economic lifeline to a nomadic lifestyle that would have been lost.
goat being combed Matilda Gatoni
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