Annotations - rangeland management

That's why Densambuu and other activists and groups are working with herders to come up with viable solutions. Gankhuyag Nyam-Ochir, who directs the Mongolian Association of Pastureland User Groups, representing a third of all nomadic herders in Mongolia, says the trick is to supplement herders' income from cashmere goats with other animals that carry the promise of high revenue, like yaks or camels.

(maximizing revenue from secondary products)

"Ninety percent of this total degraded rangelands can be recovered naturally within 10 years if we can change existing management,

Corporations have also signaled their interest in pursuing sustainable cashmere—and their Corporations have also signaled their interest in pursuing sustainable cashmere—and their willingness to pay a premium for it. H&M has made a willingness to pay a premium for it. H&M has made a commitment commitment to phase out ‘conventional’ to phase out ‘conventional’ cashmere in favor of sustainably-sourced cashmere, while cashmere in favor of sustainably-sourced cashmere, while French luxury fashion group French luxury fashion group Kering Kering (which owns such brands as Gucci, Alexander McQueen, and Yves Saint Laurent) is (which owns such brands as Gucci, Alexander McQueen, and Yves Saint Laurent) is working with the Wildlife Conservation Society to develop its own sustainable cashmere supply working with the Wildlife Conservation Society to develop its own sustainable cashmere supply chain in Mongolia. Kering has partnered with Stanford University’s Natural Capital Project to map chain in Mongolia. Kering has partnered with Stanford University’s Natural Capital Project to map out the grasslands; on the ground, the Wildlife Conservation Society works with 207 herder families out the grasslands; on the ground, the Wildlife Conservation Society works with 207 herder families to create annual pasture management plans, which aim to spread herders across viable grasslands to create annual pasture management plans, which aim to spread herders across viable grasslands and maintain reserve and emergency pastures.

These are all given as examples of market-based sustainability initiatives

Through the Gobi Revival Fund, the company has invested in veterinary care for more than 1 million animals and provides sustainable breeding programs. It also fenced off 500 square miles of Gobi Desert as a protected food source for 100,000 goats and fresh pasture for over 1,000 herders every year, according to the company’s website.

The issues of demand are causing a number of brands to rethink the process and find a more sustainable approach to making cashmere. This includes label Le Kasha, which produces all of its pieces in just one factory, meaning its impact on the planet is minimised. The brand also works with farmers and herders to practise ‘sustainable grazing’ to ensure preservation of the land.

(as centralization of production)

High-end brands in recent years have been working to establish a presence in Mongo­ lia and China, encouraging herders to graze their animals in ecologically friendly ways.

(as "ecologically friendly grazing")

Those problems are pushing fashion labels to respond. Fastfashion giant Hennes & Mauritz AB in March said it would phase cashmere out of its product lineup by 2020. Gucci parent Kering SA is backing a project to encourage Mongo­ lian herders to graze their goats in ways that protect the steppe. Stella McCartney and Patagonia have sworn off cashHerds of cashmere goats have grown sharply in Mongolia. mere produced directly from goats in favor of garments made using cashmere scraps left over from workshops. “We hope that it will be pos­ sible to source cashmere more sustainably in the future, and we want to contribute to mak­ ing the industry more transpar­ ent and responsible,” H&M said

Fashion industry responses.

Perhaps the most fundamental result already achieved is the culture of collaboration that it has created. Gone are the days when companies told themselves that they could tackle sustainability alone. Co-operation is taking off with other pasture-based projects in the rest of Mongolia. There has been a “step change”, evidenced by the national roundtable on sustainab le cashmere organised by the United Nations Development Program in June. This event, which brought together buyers, the government and the scientific community, is one of the tangible results of Kering’s pioneering initiative.

note the actors here are "buyers, the government and the scientific community".

At the same time, the project is also helping herders to plan where and for how long to graze their different pastures during the year. Satellite images gathered by Stanford University and NASA, who joined the project in 2017, are being used to monitor pasture quality and provide new information on which areas can support pasturing. That phase of the project is still in its early days, but the potential for better-managed grazing is huge