“There is still a window of time, nature can win if we give her a chance.” Dr. Jane Goodall
Pearly Jacob, a documentary filmmaker from Mongolia talked about the cashmere goats on Mongolia in her two documentaries she made on the biodiversity loss of the Mongolian Steppes and the complex cultural relationship nomads have with their cashmere goats - "The culprits stand innocently grazing nearby, their sharp hooves cut through the soil surface, their eating habits voraciously ripping up plants by their roots make it impossible for grass to thrive.”
AVSF and the Sustainable Cashmere Association are two organisations I am excited to be working with. They work with the pastures and herders directly to create a symbiotic relationship. They educate the herders on the strains of the cashmere industry on the landscape, which encourages them to harvest quality cashmere over quantities of it as not to strain the environment but add value to this already very valuable wool. There are currently now 350 nomadic family livestock- farming families working with them in the province of Bayan-khongor Aimag in Mongolia, a very remote area which has many challenges facing it.
The Family Ger in the Bulgan Province, central Mongolia
The Mongolian steppe is a fragile ecosystem that is particularly vulnerable to a number of threats, such as climate-related disasters and Dzud’s (extreme cold, which have become more devastating in recent decades and effect the biodiversity of the region), mining and overgrazing. These phenomena are particularly common in the South of the country, where the desert is spreading. Only nomadic livestock farming can sustain and protect this arid and harsh environment.
Nomadic livestock farming is an ancestral practice that is still very much alive in the local culture. I recently met many proud herders who were young and enthusiastic, but more importantly, passionate about their landscape.
Mongolian livestock farmers traditionally raised five different types of animals native to the steppes: Goats, sheep, cattle, horses and camels. But when Mongolia entered the global economy about twenty years ago, after independence from their Soviet neighbours, the nomadic farmers faced major changes that threatened their traditional way of life. They were used to a subsistence economy, and now had trouble generating enough income from livestock farming to make a living.
Back then, there was an estimated 20 million livestock in Mongolia. Livestock numbers are now estimated at 66 million. Cashmere is just about their only source of income, so they have been increasing the size of their goat herds to the detriment of the other animals and the natural equilibrium of the steppes. This could prove fatal if nothing is done now before it exceeds again. 60% of these animals are cashmere goats.
The country now faces a major overgrazing crisis that is threatening the sustainability of the local ecosystems. Unless controlled, cashmere is going to create some horrendous effects on the climate in Central Asia and China. Mining is also a treat to the environment. The climate has been increasingly unpredictable in recent years, where thousands of animals die from extreme winter and summer temperatures in freak storms known as Dzud’s.
Sheep shearing by hand brings in much needed additional income for the wool.
Nightly routine of milking the pashmina goats.
China, Mongolia's biggest trading partner and Southern neighbour, has strict controls on importing meat and milk from Mongolian sheep and cows, but not on cashmere - China is the biggest consumer of Mongolian cashmere.
The total value of de-haired cashmere from China from their high-tech spinning mills is around 90 million USD, which is 17.8% more compared to 2017. Most of this cashmere has come from Mongolia. Cashmere now makes up over 40% of Mongolia's non-mineral exports, It is becoming an exciting time for Mongolia in this industry, as it progresses into the future with increasingly good technology (sponsored by Japan and Korea). Mixed with the knowledge of the new environmental impacts, Mongolia hopes to be able to bring back their grasslands, where all animals will flourish again.
Despite just loosing his camels due to no water, Mr Byambatogtoh rose at dawn to fix his Ger by hand.
Five committed co-operatives are working to adopt sustainable practices in the province of Bayankhongor in central Mongolia in order to give members access to programs running for the ecological benefit of the herders and clients in search of responsible sourcing.
The co-operative members are trained in sustainable practices, animal breeding, health, nutrition, welfare and sustainable pasture land management. These herders are then monitored all throughout the year by the sustainable cashmere certification committee, S3C, and at the end of each year rewarded (or not) with a certificate to show that they have complied to the necessary guidelines set by AVSF, all scientific partners, the Mongolian administration and the herders themselves - This is a massive step in optimising production per goat in terms of quality, a healthy goat will provide more wool for the nomads so they can keep their herd numbers to a minimum.
The youngest of 3 in a herding family - solely dependant on Pashmina goats, was the life and soul of the Ger.
The Sustainable Cashmere Association, a partner of AVSF, then promotes the sustainable cashmere locally and internationally, to clients such as myself. This enables them to financially compensate the herders directly for their efforts of optimising herding practices and cover the running costs of the co-operatives and user groups which helps support the herders through the oncoming winters with additional feed, veterinarian support and the digging and rehabilitation of local wells - There have now been more than 20 wells built so far in these provinces helping with the summer droughts. Last but not least, this helps with the unavoidable situation of reduction in livestock, which leads to healthier green pastures.
By working with these very determined and knowledgeable people, I hope to always know where my cashmere is coming from and that it is never to the detriment of the environment.
If this good work that they have started and implemented in the local communities continues, the herding culture and the pastures in Mongolia have a future.
A Beautiful week was had by all. Thank you Mongolia and the families I met and learnt so much from.