Good Practices and Lessons Learned from Experiences in the Asia-Pacific Region
Zud and Drought: June-September Forest fires: April – June in Spring, September – October in Autumn Heavy rains: June – August Infestation of harmful forest insects – May (beginning of growing season) – September
The main objectives of the herder communities are to ensure rational use of pastures, prevention and mitigation of natural disasters and a shift to a market economy. Grass-root level initiatives that extend beyond water and pasture protection to a broader scope including environmental protection, sustainable use of natural resources and disaster management are encouraged.
Social Organization
Indigenous practices are prevalent due to a need to mobilize disaster management actions at the grass-root level. It is the local community that is hit by disasters and therefore its members must directly understand local disaster risks and undertake measures to mitigate the consequences of impending disasters.
In rural areas, herders and residents form many selfhelp units and cooperatives in order to collectively solve problems related to drought, zud, forest and steppe fires. During disasters, neighbors, family members, relatives and soum authorities provide the most assistance. Moreover, the local Red Cross and Member of Parliament elect also give aid and support.
Lessons Learned There are several key lessons learned with regards to indigenous knowledge for disaster reduction from the case of the Shiver community: 1. In Mongolia, herders in rural areas have already developed the initiative and built up enthusiasm to join groups in order to work, conduct business activities and overcome problems and difficulties through a collective effort. 2. The Shiver community is able to recognize and identify common natural disasters in Mongolia such as zuds, droughts, forest and steppe fires, storms and heavy rains. Special characteristics of the disasters include: relatively long duration, enormous scope and large amount of damages. Rural communities should be able understand their vulnerability to these continual and economically destructive disasters. 3. Livelihoods of Mongolian herders, their settlement and occupation are considerably different from other countries. Therefore, a disaster management system should be adapted to specific local conditions. 4. Local disaster management systems at the grassroots level are needed to enable herders to overcome disasters with minimal losses. 5. Disaster management should not focus only on availability of good pastures and hayfields to enable herders to overcome winter successfully. It is important that management also involves sustainable utilization of natural resources of the area. 6. Use of indigenous knowledge of rural communities for disaster risk reduction is a cost-effective and efficient method and is vital for reducing risks of most frequent, continuous and economically destructive disasters such as zud, drought, and forest and steppe fires. 7. State institutions should implement comprehensive measures aimed at increasing awareness of “disaster mitigation” among the population, especially among the poor. Moreover, grass-root initiatives should be promoted. People’s perceptions on vulnerability to disaster should be altered and the understanding of disaster management as limited to post-disaster relief assistance should be broadened to include disaster risk reduction and prevention from disasters.
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