In Mongolia, freshwater is naturally and geographically scarce. The average annual rainfall of 230 mm (360 km3) that Mongolia receives is three times lower than the global average. The country is the 19th largest in the world. However, only 0.7% of the territory is covered by water. Of the total annual rainfall, barely 10% (34.8 km3) goes toward renewing the freshwater supply and the other 90% is lost through evapotranspiration. Nonetheless, for 4,000 years, Mongolians have lived off of this arid land. Today, half of all Mongolians still lead a nomadic lifestyle and receive their drinking water from freshwater rivers and lakes. The health of these scarce and unique freshwater ecosystems is directly linked to the future and health of the Mongolian people and their nomadic lifestyle. However, within the most recent decades, natural and anthropogenic factors have been responsible for extensive damage to the freshwater ecosystems and adversely impacted the livelihood of the Mongolian people.