WCS at UNCCD - WCS.org

The 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17) will take place Aug. 17–28, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

WCS experts will be on the ground throughout the conference, highlighting the critical role of healthy rangelands and intact ecosystems in conserving biodiversity, supporting livelihoods, and building resilience to climate change.

UNCCD COP17 Overview

What is WCS’s Role at COP17?

Rangelands

Connectivity is About More than Protecting Wildlife

Press Release

As Global Land Degradation Accelerates, WCS Brings Science and Wildlife Conservation Expertise to UNCCD COP17

"Mongolia's vast rangelands demonstrate that healthy ecosystems, thriving wildlife, and sustainable pastoral livelihoods are deeply interconnected," said Dr. Justine Shanti Alexander, Country Director of WCS Mongolia. "Hosting COP17 provides an opportunity to share lessons from Mongolia with the world while reinforcing that conserving ecological integrity is fundamental to restoring land and securing a sustainable future for both people and nature."

WCS Events at COP17

WCS Wild Audio

What’s So Special About Rangelands and Grasslands?

While COP17 focuses on the growing threats of drought and land degradation, it's also an opportunity to draw attention to one of the planet's most important—and often overlooked—ecosystems.

Reporting: Nat Moss
Guests: Susan Lieberman, Justine Shanti Alexander

WCS Wild Audio · What’s So Special About Rangelands and Grasslands?

PBS Nature Opinion Series

What the World Can Learn from Mongolia’s Drylands

Across Mongolia, herder communities are adapting to a changing climate while protecting the grasslands and deserts that sustain both people and wildlife. Their experiences help explain why Mongolia is such a fitting host for COP17.

In Mongolia, Looking Beyond the Snow Leopard

The future of snow leopards will depend on healthy rangelands that support wild prey and livestock alike, writes WCS's Justine Alexander for PBS Nature. It will depend on functioning water systems—a limiting factor for many in the Gobi Desert. It will depend on communities that have the knowledge, resources, and resilience to adapt to a changing climate.

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Empowering Local Women in Conservation

To succeed, writes WCS's Susan Lieberman, policies must directly empower the permanent stewards of those places—particularly Indigenous and local women, park rangers, and local advocates. It is not only vital that women have a seat at the table, but that we women help design and build the table and are all fully empowered.

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