TUESDAY November 17, 2020: 'NOMADS NO MORE' from ZUMA Press award winning photographer David Ryder who specializes in in-depth issue reporting: For millennia, pastoral herders have lived on the Mongolian steppe, moving with their livestock according to the seasons. Herding is a way of life for over a third of Mongolians, and of symbolic importance to the whole country. Thanks in part to rural-to-urban migration, it is now under threat. In Mongolia, as in other parts of the world, this century is proving to be an era of fast and furious change. Modernization, a new economic system, opportunities in mining, and the effects of overgrazing and climate change are nudging an ancient nomadic culture to adopt a more urban, settled lifestyle. Nomads now face a choice that will shape the future of their country: withstand new threats on the steppe, or give up herding in search of new opportunities. Welcome to: 'NOMADS NO MORE'
© zReportage.com Story of the Week #762: TUESDAY November 17, 2020: 'NOMADS NO MORE' from ZUMA Press award winning photographer David Ryder who specializes in in-depth issue reporting: For millennia, pastoral herders have lived on the Mongolian steppe, moving with their livestock according to the seasons. Herding is a way of life for over a third of Mongolians, and of symbolic importance to the whole country. Thanks in part to rural-to-urban migration, it is now under threat. In Mongolia, as in other parts of the world, this century is proving to be an era of fast and furious change. Modernization, a new economic system, opportunities in mining, and the effects of overgrazing and climate change are nudging an ancient nomadic culture to adopt a more urban, settled lifestyle. Nomads now face a choice that will shape the future of their country: withstand new threats on the steppe, or give up herding in search of new opportunities. Welcome to: 'NOMADS NO MORE'

ULAMBADRAH, 20, carries an uurga, or traditional lasso pole, while herding livestock on horseback in the vast steppe of rural Mongolia. An estimated 600,000 former herders, like Ulambadrah, have migrated to the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar in the past three decades, around 20% of the country’s population.
© David Ryder/ZUMA Wire

BURMAA washes up outside of her traditional yurt, or ger, in rural Mongolia, beside her are modern technology on the steppe, satellite TV and solar panels to generate power for the families moveable home.
© David Ryder/ZUMA Wire

ULAMBADRAH, 20 lassos a horse in rural Mongolia in Erdene. Horses are prized as means of transportation, sources of meat and milk, investments and displays of wealth. In the old days, they served the same function as money.
© David Ryder/ZUMA Wire

In fading light at the end of a long day, ULAMBADRAH, 20 carries an uurga, or traditional lasso pole, while on horseback in rural Mongolia in Erdene.
© David Ryder/ZUMA Wire

The family's dog keeps watch as ULAMBADRAH, 20, ties up his horse next to a storage yurt in rural Mongolia. Horses are prized as means of transportation, sources of meat and milk, investments and displays of wealth. In the old days, they served the same function as money.
© David Ryder/ZUMA Wire

ULAMBADRAH, 20, rests in his family's traditional yurt, or ger, in rural Mongolia. At more than one million, youths aged 15 to 34 represent the largest demographic group in the country, constituting 34.9 percent of the population in 2019, according to data from the statistic organization of the country.
© David Ryder/ZUMA Wire

ULAMBADRAH, 20 collects a non co-operative goat at the end of the day. The main concerns for animal herders are finding enough grazing land and water for their animals.
© David Ryder/ZUMA Wire

ULAMBADRAH, 20, uses a motorcycle to herd sheep in rural Mongolia. Throughout the year, nomads in Mongolia regularly move their ger, or traditional yurt, along with the herds of grazing animals on which they depend.
© David Ryder/ZUMA Wire

ULAMBADRAH, 20, chases a goat with a lasso at the end of the day on the Mongolian grasslands. Two out of every five people in Mongolia make their living herding livestock. Herders generally keep sheep, goats and horses, and sometimes camels and cattle.
© David Ryder/ZUMA Wire

A neighbor, left, helps while ULAMBADRAH, 20 wrangles an untrained horse to ride bareback in rural Mongolia. Mongolian horses are small, stout, and muscular. Prized for their strength, speed and agility, they are built to withstand the harsh weather and lengthy migrations and are able to forage for grass under the snow during the winter.
© David Ryder/ZUMA Wire

ULAMBADRAH, 20, gives water to sheep in rural Mongolia. Mongolians value sheep that can withstand the harsh conditions of the steppe.
© David Ryder/ZUMA Wire

BURMAA carries a calf in rural Mongolia. Daily life revolves around tending, feeding, washing and milking the animals and collecting dung for fuel. These chores have changed little since the time of the Mongols.
© David Ryder/ZUMA Wire

A horse saddle rests on a livestock pen near the family's traditional ger home. Mongol horses are suitable for the steppe grasslands and have traditionally been highly prized by the Mongolians. There are few roads on the steppe and horses are still the ideal way to get around.
© David Ryder/ZUMA Wire

BURMAA prepares a meal of noodles for her family using a wood burning stove inside her traditional yurt, known as a ger, in rural Mongolia.
© David Ryder/ZUMA Wire

BURMAA prepares dumplings for dinner inside her family's traditional yurt, known as a ger. A ger is a portable, circular dwelling made of a lattice of flexible poles and covered in felt or other fabric. They are a sturdy, reliable type of tent. Gers have been the primary style of home in Mongolia for thousands of years.
© David Ryder/ZUMA Wire

A cellphone and a knife sit on a table after dinner in a family's traditional yurt, known as a ger, in rural Mongolia.
© David Ryder/ZUMA Wire

Mongolian herdsman and nomad LKHAGVAA smokes a cigarette after a meal in their traditional yurt, known as a ger, in rural Mongolia.
© David Ryder/ZUMA Wire

Alpha males from separate groups of horses and scuffle near the family's livestock watering are in rural Mongolia in Erdene. Because these mongol horses are allowed to live much the same as wild horses, they require little in the way of hoof care. The hooves are left untrimmed and unshod, and few farriers are in the country.
© David Ryder/ZUMA Wire

ULAMBADRAH, left, and a neighbor lasso horses with traditional uurga poles in rural Mongolia. An uurga is a long pole with a noose at the end. It is the chief instrument used by Mongols to catch a horse.
© David Ryder/ZUMA Wire

From left, LKHAGVAA, his wife, BURMAA, son ULAMBADRAH, 20, and daughter ULAM-URNUKH, 3, all pose for a portrait outside of their traditional yurt, known as a ger, in rural Mongolia in Erdene. Throughout the year, nomads in Mongolia regularly move their ger, along with the herds of grazing animals on which they depend.
© David Ryder/ZUMA Wire

ULAMBADRAH, 20, collects goats at the end of the day, behind him the vast empty Mongolian steppe stretches into the distance.
© David Ryder/ZUMA Wire