Collaborative national park management and its social and ecological effects in Mongolia: Toward combating desertification

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K18818
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Environmental agriculture(including landscape science)
• Research Institution: Nagoya University (2017-2018); Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (2015-2016)
• Principal Investigator: Miyasaka Takafumi 名古屋大学, 環境学研究科, 助教 (80635483)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: ガバナンス / 乾燥地 / 植生回復 / ゾーニング / 土壌劣化 / 放牧地 / 保護地域 / 牧民生計

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The present study aimed to clarify the collaborative management system of Hustai National Park in Mongolia and its social and ecological effects and challenges. Hustai National Park established a buffer zone around the park and collaborated with the local people on the buffer zone management, aiming to improve not only ecological but also socioeconomic conditions in the zone. I found that herders who were subject to the influence of the buffer zone management tended to reduce their livestock numbers in the future and that some of them successfully diversified and improved their livelihoods. As a whole, however, the park's social and ecological effects were still limited, and some management activity had an unexpected negative effect. I proposed some ideas for improving the current park management.

Free Research Field

社会-生態システム　ランドスケープエコロジー　自然資源管理　砂漠化　保護地域　土地利用

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

モンゴルの砂漠化対策の中で過放牧の緩和は重要な課題であるが、牧畜は伝統的な営みであり、多くの国民にとって唯一の生業である。そのため、行政による一方的なトップダウンの規制は文化・経済両面において現実的ではない。さらに、遊牧民は基本的に一カ所にかたまって定住しないため、牧民を巻き込んだボトムアップの対策を講じることも容易ではない。本研究で明らかにした、フスタイ国立公園の協働型管理形態とその効果および問題点と改善案は、遊牧社会における現実的な砂漠化対策の一つの指針となり得るものである。