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Studies on past changes in vegetation are a central key to understanding modern plant distribution, to reconstructing past climates, and to testing biome and climate models. This chapter is an initial attempt to reconstruct and to map spatial changes in the vegetation across Mongolia since ca 15,000 14C yr B.P. Our work is a logical continuation of extensive studies on the late Quaternary vegetation and environments of Mongolia done by Soviet and Mongolian scientists during recent decades (Giterman et al., 1968; Lavrenko & Rachkovskaya, 1976; Dinesman et al., 1989; Logatchov, 1989; Sevastyanov et al., 1994; etc.). Since the main publications only are published in Russian and poorly accessible for the English speaking scientific community, we first briefly will summarize previous studies, which reconstructed regional vegetation changes in Mongolia. These vegetation reconstructions are broadly correct, but some major discrepancies do appear. This summary demonstrates that Mongolian pollen records, rather than other sources of paleobotanical data, are the main information source for vegetation reconstructions and that these are based on relationships between modern pollen spectra and actual vegetation. Moreover, we will describe some potential problems that different types of sediments can cause in the interpretation of fossil pollen spectra.

Introduction to Studies on the Vegetation of Mongolia. Natural and Anthropogenic Factors and the Dynamics of Vegetation Distribution in Mongolia. 1.1. Introduction. 1.2. Natural Features of Mongolia. 1.3. Landscape-Ecological Regions. 1.4. Landscape and Ecological Factors of Vegetation Dynamics. 1.5. Conclusion. Late Quaternary Vegetation History of Mongolia. 2.1. Introduction. 2.2. An Overview of Previous Studies. 2.3. Data Used in this Study. 2.4. Regional Pollen Records from Individual Sites. 2.5. Holocene Changes in the Distribution of Tree and Shrub Taxa in Mongolia. 2.6. Spatial Reconstruction and Mapping of Mongolian Vegetation during the Last 15,000 Years. 2.7. General Discussion and Conclusions. Assessing Present-Day Plant Cover Dynamics. 3.1. Introduction. Modern Methods for Studying and Monitoring Plant Cover. 3.2. Mountain Plant Community Dynamics. 3.3. Plant Community Dynamics in Plains and Rocky Areas. 3.4. Dynamics of Water-Associated Vegetation. 3.5. Conclusions. Analysis of Present-Day Vegetation Dynamics. 4.1. Basic Changes in Vegetation. 4.2. Regressive Plant Community Successions. 4.3. Progressive Plant Community Regeneration. 4.4. Mapping Vegetation Dynamics. 4.5. Conclusions. Strategies for Nature Management and Vegetation Conservation. 5.1. Introduction. Methods for Vegetation Conservation. 5.2. Restoration and Conservation of Botanical Successions. 5.3. Systems for the Conservation of Botanical Diversity. 5.4. Conclusions. Summary Conclusions and Recommendations. References. Appendix 1. Appendix 2. Index.

The livestock-grazing based society of Mongolia is directly dependent upon the primary production of its vegetation. Vegetation on the vast fenceless steppes of Mongolia has sustained this society for many centuries. Evenso the vegetation of Mongolia is in a very strained ecological condition, hence work on plant cover dynamics is of central importance to help sustain and develop sound considered nature management programs.