Yurts in the grasslands of Mongolia

A steppe ahead. World Nature Conservation Day

Every July 28, World Nature Conservation Day reminds us that protecting nature isn't optional—it's essential. Mongolia's vast grasslands, featured today, are a powerful example. These ecosystems are among the largest intact temperate grasslands on Earth, stretching across millions of acres of open steppe. They support around 200,000 nomadic herder families and provide habitat for rare species like the Mongolian gazelle and snow leopard.

While the day isn't tied to a single founding organization, it aligns with the mission of global conservation leaders like the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which has worked to protect biodiversity since 1948. That mission lives on across Mongolia's open steppe, where nomadic herder families still live in traditional white yurts that dot the grasslands like part of the ecosystem itself. Here, nature isn't just a backdrop—it's home. And Mongolia's grasslands show how people and wildlife can thrive together when ecosystems are respected and protected.