1.1. We call on COP17 to adopt decisions that: (1) recognizes traditional nomadic livestock grazing as an ecosystem of strategic importance for land degradation neutrality (LDN), climate change adaptation, and biodiversity conservation; (2) supports nomadic pastoralism as a traditional and adaptive management system for the sustainable use of dryland ecosystems through policies; and (3) recognizes rangeland as a natural structure that stores carbon, regulates water, and conserves biodiversity, and as a foundation for poverty eradication and food security, rather than just a production resource.

1.2. Land degradation mitigation policies cannot rely on biological restoration alone. They must also guarantee local residents’ and herders’ right to participate in decisions on land and natural resource use. Therefore, we call on Parties to: (1) recognize and secure herders’ collective customary right to use pastureland; (2) protect seasonal migration routes, winter and spring camps, and water sources, and make decisions on mining, road, and infrastructure projects based on the input of herders and local residents; (3) guarantee the meaningful participation of herders and local residents in the process of land use, monitoring, and acceptance of biological restoration; (4) beyond the consultation meetings, apply the principle of free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) in mining, energy, and infrastructure projects throughout every stage of planning, site selection, design, implementation, closure, and restoration; (5) apply the principles of fair valuation, fair land acquisition, fair compensation, and restitution in practice to ensure environmental and social justice; (6) recognize herders not only as implementers of land degradation policy but as rights-holders, with meaningful participation guaranteed at every stage of policy development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.

1.3. Recognizing that herders living in areas directly or indirectly affected by mining, extractive industry, energy, road, rail, port, and transport and logistics projects are among the groups most vulnerable to land degradation, pasture fragmentation, water scarcity, and climate change risk, the Parties’ decisions should reflect a dedicated policy supporting the “Sustainable Pastoral Rights Red Line”, an initiative led by herders of Mongolia’s desertified regions to protect their land use, traditional nomadic systems, and livelihoods.

1.4. Designate traditional nomadic corridors, rangeland ecological linkages, and seasonal grazing-rotation zones as mandatory protected areas in national and local land use planning

1.5. Provide legal guarantee for the establishment of an independent, accessible, and effective grievance mechanism for resolving environmental and social disputes arising from project activities;

1.6. Require project developers to provide full financial assurance for mine closure, restoration, and long-term ecological risks;

1.7. Assess the value of pasture services, water services, cultural services and nomadic livestock lost due to mining and infrastructure projects in the assessment of ecosystem services;

1.8 Install permanent and participatory environmental monitoring systems with the latest technology around mining and other business project sites, and connect the resulting data to an open network to build a credible information base.