Lessons from the Dzud: Community-Based Rangeland Management Increases the Adaptive Capacity of Mongolian Herders to Winter Disasters

We investigated the role of formal community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) in responding and adapting to the 2009–10 winter weather disaster in Mongolia, by comparing herders’ adaptation strategies and adaptive capacity in communities with and without formal CBNRM. Livestock mobility and forage and hay storage were the most important strategies for limiting livestock loss, but these depended on resource pooling and exchange strategies. CBNRM herders demonstrated greater adaptive capacity than non-CBNRM herders, due to greater knowledge exchange, information access, linking social capital, and proactive behavior. Social factors mediate and institutional constraints limit the implementation of adaptive strategies in Mongolia.