AKIPRESS.COM - The saxaul forest will be restored in Mongolia as part of the "One Billion Trees" initiative, implemented with the assistance of the Japanese Embassy in Mongolia.

This initiative officially launches a project to restore the saxaul forest in Tsogt district, which is part of the ambitious goal of planting 108 million trees in Gobi-Altai province.

"I remember my visit to Gobi-Altai province and was touched by how the rich nature and ecosystem of the Great Gobi nature reserve have been preserved. In some areas of Tsogt district, the area of ​​saxaul forests has been significantly reduced due to logging, and I hope that this project will contribute to the restoration of shrub vegetation, the restoration of forests and their ecosystems, and the prevention of desertification," Ambassador of Japan to Mongolia Igawaharu Masaru said.

This project is funded by the Japanese government and is being jointly implemented by the Gobi-Altai Province Department of Environment and the non-governmental organization OISKA Mongolia.

Saxaul is the only tree that forms forests in the Gobi and desert regions of Mongolia. Saxaul forests are economically and ecologically important because they protect soil from erosion and provide a rich source of animal feed. However, due to the widespread use of saxaul for fuel in the 1960s and 1970s, 125,000 hectares of saxaul forests were destroyed, and 370,000 hectares of saxaul forests lost their ability to regenerate.