We are developing and implementing a model organization of pasture user groups, soum associations of pasture user groups, and cooperatives, sustainable financing, fundraising, and income distribution, which is a collective organization of herders who share common rangelands. A pasture user groups (PUGs) has been established nationwide and NFPUG provides professional and methodological support to them. In order to support the organization of pasture user groups and to represent their interests, the Aimag Federation of Pasture User Groups (AFEDs) and the Soum Association of Pasture User Groups (APUGs) have been established to increase the value and added value of herders' livestock raw materials. Credit and savings cooperatives have been established and are being developed to increase revenue sources. These cooperatives generate MNT 1.03 billion from 12.6 thousand herder households, employ 292 full-time and 342 temporary workers, have total annual sales of more than MNT 2.7 billion, and pay MNT 4 million in taxes annually. In addition, MNT 3.05 billion was accumulated by 24.2 thousand herder households in 818 PUGs in 127 mutual fund special accounts.

The Mongolian National Federation of Pasture User Groups (MNFPUG) is a national professional organization working to improve rangeland management and the legal environment through the development of pastureland resilience and herder-participatory organizations. We support the participation of citizens, the public and the private sector in supporting researchers, introducing innovative research methods, and developing rangeland communication infrastructure. Organizing herders in the traditional way of using shared rangeland provides employment for half of the country's population and is a major source of income. Pastoral livestock production plays a major role in economic development and is more in line with the development process. We provide professional guidance, support, design and implementation of projects and programs, strengthen and improve human resource capacity, and find new partners and markets for herder households in the same area that share common rangelands.

The following services are provided by the Mongolian National Federation of Pasture User Groups in order to achieve its operational objectives.

• Provide capacity building services to member and non-member organizations
• Provide member organization development and financial supportt
• Consulting services for the establishment and development of herder organizations
• Cooperate with the Government and its agencies to improve the legal environment for pasture use
• Provide professional consulting services for pastureland use policies, procedures, contracts and disputes
• Intermediary for concluding cooperation agreements with foreign and domestic organizations
• Organize exhibitions abroad and domestically
• Organizational support activities
• Study experience, exchange delegates and organize
• Exchange of best practices, business and investment information
• Support media and public relations of member organizations
• Organize trainings, seminars and meetings

In the 1990s, as our country transitioned to a market economy, herder households privatized their livestock. Due to the change in the system that regulated the livestock sector, it became difficult to control and regulate the sector. As the industrial sector stagnated, workers moved to the agricultural sector, the number of herders and the number of livestock increased. Herders' main source of income is raising livestock number, which has led to a loss of proper herd structure, resulting in insufficient grazing capacity. We started looking for solutions to these problems.

Rangeland issues are being addressed based on the PUGs system

With the organization of the PUGs, herders began to work together on activities that they could not manage on their own:

• Pasture use management and organization
• Cultivation of fodder, haymaking, cultivation of potatoes and vegetables
• Organization of livestock breeding
• Herder training and extension activities
• Supply and sale of livestock products
• Business knowledge, education, thinking, etc., adapted to market conditions on how to distribute and use income.

Traditional and emerging social organizations (subjects) such as herder households, khot ails, herder groups, pasture user groups, associations of pasture user groups, and cooperatives are trying to manage pasture livestock issues. Herder households, khot ails, and herder groups have limited opportunities to manage rangeland issues and cannot use rangeland use agreement. For example, rangeland resources are insufficient if rangeland use agreements are made with herder households and khot ails level. The grazing radius of herder households and khot ails is 2-3 km, which is the grazing distance for sheep and goat. However, the grazing distance for large animals like camel, horse and cattle is more than 10 km. In the case of small herder groups, in addition to these problems, there is a risk that the voluntary entry will be blocked and restricted. Not all herder households have the capacity to monitor rangeland quality, and financial opportunities remain limited.

Soum association of pasture user groups (APUGs) and cooperatives are fully capable of managing rangeland issues, but cannot be contracted to rangeland use agreement as they have the status of business entities and organizations.

We are always confident that PUGs can be used as a rangeland use agreement basis as well as for rangeland management, that include all households with shared rangelands.

Activities implemented during the PUG development

We describe the development of PUGs in following 8 stages:

1. In the first phase, herders will be provided with insights on rangeland management and best practices, and a model on-site PUG activities will be introduced.
2. Rangeland regulation, planning, approval, implementation, and contracting are repeated over a period of time.
3. We then describe in detail the activities to be implemented at each stage, the partner organizations, the direction and methods of consulting services, the sources of financial support, and the results to be achieved.
4. The project will focus on the initial stages of PUG development in the new aimags and soums
5. Provide support to PUGs that have reached the appropriate level of development in implementing procedures, plans and agreements, and monitor and re-plan activities;

• Participate in social relations on behalf of PUgs
• Cooperate with local governments
• Provide training, information and advice to PUGs
• Promote and localize the results of researchers' research on pasture management
• Link PUGs to projects and programs to increase revenue and support their cooperation with organizations

• Herder organizations should not be seen as focusing solely on pastureland and herder issues.
• It is important to look at these organizations as employers, taxpayers, innovators, developers, research and training institutions.
• Remind them of some activities that were missed during the organization's development. For example, clarifying the organization's mission, goals, vision, and values, and expanding partnerships
• To receive all-round support from government organizations, to be accepted by them, to submit financial and social insurance, population and business reports to the government in a timely manner
• Implement management appropriate to the stage of development of the organization

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