APPLICATION OF SEED ZONE MAPPING IN MONGOLIA: A CASE STUDY FOR MINE REHABILITATION;

Abstract

Land degradation from mining activities represents a critical environmental challenge in Mongolia, where the lack of a systematic framework for native plant material selection has limited the effectiveness of mine rehabilitation. This study addresses this gap by developing the first comprehensive GIS-based seed zone map for Mongolia, delineating 44 discrete seed zones through the integration of natural vegetation zones, plant hardiness zones derived from January minimum temperature, and precipitation zones derived from long-term annual precipitation data. The delineation followed a hierarchical, ecoregion-first approach implemented in ArcMap 10.8, with statistical validation performed using PERMANOVA, pairwise environmental distance matrix analysis, and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA). PERMANOVA results confirmed statistically significant environmental differentiation among the six ecoregion groups (F = 4.808, R² = 0.388, p = 0.001), with LDA accounting for 72.8% of between-group variation along the first discriminant axis. The framework was applied to the Energy Resource LLC (Ukhaa Khudag coal mine) in Umnugovi province as a case study. The mine was identified within seed zone MZ7 (Dundgovi Desert zone, H5, Semi-dry), and evaluation of current practices revealed that distant seed sourcing introduces a measurable risk of maladaptation. Native species such as Haloxylon ammodendron and Caragana spp. were identified as the most ecologically suitable for MZ7 conditions. The developed framework provides a scientifically grounded spatial decision-support tool for guiding seed sourcing in mine rehabilitation and ecological restoration across Mongolia.