The country of Mongolia, lies in Central Asia, and without the benefit of a coastal location, it has a strong continental climate, the result of being dominated by a region of high atmospheric pressure throughout much of the year (Worden and Savada, 1989). The spatial distribution of its climate transitions gradually from a semi-humid region in the north and east to semi-arid, arid, and extremely arid regions in the south and west. The climate of Mongolia is extremely variable and more than any other factor, has resulted in an environment dominated by ecologically marginal areas, which are unsuited to agriculture. This, in turn, has generated a culture of nomadic pastoralism in response to the variability of the climate and mar- ginal ecosystems that permanent cropping or livestock grazing would soon deplete. Today nearly one half of Mongolia’s population still depends on livestock production, which contributes a little more than 20% of the country’s GDP (Vernooy, 2011). Due to the fragile nature of its environment, Mongolia’s ecosystems are increasingly vulnerable to changes in climate and to human activity. The most important environmental issues include increasing rangeland degradation, land desertification, soil acidification and erosion, reduction in available water resources, and rapid decreases in forest resources (CIA, 2016). Farming and animal husbandry, particularly sheep and goat herding, are the traditional means of subsistence. However, emphasis on industrial and economic growth during the last two decades has greatly affected this region, and brought an increasing pressure on natural ecosystems. The ability to maintain a balance between economic growth and ecosystem stability, and thus foster long-term societal sustainability, has become a serious challenge for the people of Mongolia. In recent years, Mongolia has increased development of its mineral resources expecting to gain significant economic and social benefits from expansion of the mining sector. With significant deposits of metals (copper, gold, silver, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, tin, nickel, zinc, and fluorspar) and energy (uranium, oil, and coal), Mongolia has increased its export income six fold in the past decade from $1.1 billion in 2004 to $6.1 billion in 2014. The top exports (monetary value) in 2014 as percentage of total value of exports, were copper ore (42%), coal briquettes (14%), crude petroleum (11%) and iron ore (7%), (OEC, 2016).