Uses and knowledge of plant species by Mongolian herders in the Gobi Desert and identification of species of interest for planting

In Central Asia, many projects propose to establish single-species saxaul (Haloxylon ammodendron (C.A. Meyer) Bunge) plantations. An ethnobotanical survey was carried out among herders in Ulaanbadrakh, in the Dornogobi province, and herders in Gurvansaikhan, in the Dundgobi province in the Gobi Desert (Mongolia). The aim of this survey is to verify the interest of saxaul for the local populations, and to identify other woody species of interest for planting. Herders were questioned about the use of plant species from the Gobi grazing lands: livestock feed, human food, and then about plant species non-eaten by livestock and those that could be toxic to them. A total of 75 species and 413 uses related to these species were cited. We retained the species cited by at least 25% of the herders: 8 species of interest were selected, then sorted according to the number of associated positive uses, while focusing on the species cited in Ulaanbadrakh (area of interest in the Dornogobi). Saxaul appears to be the most numerous woody species for the herders and their livestock. Three other woody species of interest have also been identified. These results show that there is a high diversity of plant species used. It would be interesting to investigate the interest of a multi-species plantation for herders and their livestock in future surveys.