Mongolian herders enlist new tech against harsher, drier climate

When Mongolian herder Ganchimeg's sheep strayed dangerously near a salty lake this summer, driven by hunger as nearby vegetation was poor, she was in a "total panic".

"If they drank or stepped into it, the whole flock would be destroyed," she told AFP outside her traditional ger, the tent's shape silhouetted on the vast horizon of the Gobi Desert.

But thanks to an app helping herders navigate the risks that climate change is bringing to Mongolia, her husband was able to reach the sheep before they drank the brackish water.

"He immediately rushed over at top speed and intercepted them," said Ganchimeg, a mother of four who, like many Mongolians, goes by just one name.

"If we hadn't used that GPS tracker, we might have lost our entire flock."