Gobi Desert in the eastern Gobi Desert, where rainfall is heavier and may sustain livestock). In Mongolia, grasslands have been degraded by goats, which are raised by nomadic herders as source of cashmere wool. Large copper deposits are being mined by Rio Tinto Group. The mine was and remains controversial. There was significant opposition in Mongolia's parliament to the terms under which the mine will proceed, and some are calling for the terms to be renegotiated. Specifically, the contention revolves primarily around the question of whether negotiations were fair (Rio Tinto is far better resourced) and whether Rio Tinto will pay adequate
Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area an arid region of the Gobi desert. The vegetation is dominated by desert and desert steppe. Great Gobi A is generally drier than Great Gobi B. Together with Great Gobi B, the reserve was established in 1975 and has been designated by the United Nations as an international Biosphere Reserve in 1991. With a total area of about 46,369 km it is one of the largest reserves worldwide. The headquarters for the Great Gobi SPA is situated in Bayantooroi, a settlement about 20 km north to the Great Gobi A reserve. The Climate is extremely "continental". Temperatures in the Gobi