The Limitations of Wintering Away From Customary Pastures in Relation to Dzud in Mongolia's Gobi Region

Abstract

This article, based on ethnographic research in a Gobi district in Mongolia, focuses on herders 'wintering away' from customary winter campsites to access better pasture elsewhere. Because of the drawbacks associated with wintering at non-customary as opposed to 'home' pastures, many herders consider 'wintering away' to be a last resort. In the 2009–10 dzud (winter disaster), in Bayanlig soum, most households that wintered away were hit by unusually heavy snowfall and suffered higher livestock losses than those households that stayed at their customary campsites. While herders' migration decisions are guided by expert knowledge of the environment, complicating factors and high uncertainty can contribute to livestock losses despite their best efforts. Mobility is essential to herders' success in a variable environment, but not all forms and instances of migration are equally beneficial. This article draws on herders' accounts to explore a migration dilemma in the Gobi that may become more common.