Wetlands in Mongolia. An Emerging Theme for an Anthropological Approach

In this text I will focus on a little-known and little-treated topic in the socioanthropological literature on Mongolia: wetlands in rural and nomadic areas. Wetlands are an expression of abundant water, various landscapes, biodiversity, yet involved in the global and local ecological crisis, current desertification and destruction. They are among the richest ecosystems in biodiversity, and the most diverse on our planet. At the same time, they are the most threatened ecosystems, in Mongolia as in all other parts of the world. We will see the importance of these areas for nomadic and rural cultures, the threats to which they are subjected, and some experimental attempts to address the problem of safeguarding these environments. The anthropological approach to this theme inspired by an integrated and non-dichotomous vision of nature and culture, wants to highlight the importance of an approach that is not only ecological but which integrates the skills, knowledge and expectations of local nomadic communities, so closely intertwined with their environment.