Mongolian nomads turn EU steppes conservation around

A survey of Mongolia’s vast grasslands has convinced Hortobágy National Park to overhaul conservation strategies in Hungarian steppes. The report outlines how nomadic traditions could benefit ecosystems and help boost local livestock production. Traditionally, cattle, sheep, buffalo and horses reared in the Hungarian Puszta have fed on dry grass and shrubs. The marshy vegetation around lakes in Hungarian steppes offers richer sustenance, but herders typically save this food for when dry grass runs out, or in the event of a drought. An expedition funded by LIFE’s Steppe lake grazing project to inspect steppe landscapes in distant Mongolia is questioning this logic.