Nomadic herders across Mongolia are increasingly relying on smartphone technology to protect their livelihoods as climate change and desertification threaten the country's vast rangelands. The Hunu app — whose name means "strong nomad" — provides GPS livestock tracking via solar-powered devices, along with AI-driven alerts for dust storms, blizzards, and drought conditions, helping families make critical decisions about where to move their herds. The tool was developed after a catastrophic 2024 dzud (an extreme Mongolian weather event combining severe cold and snow), in which temperatures plunged to minus 45°C and over eight million animals perished, wiping out the incomes of countless herding families. With nearly 82 percent of Mongolia's territory affected by desertification and around one in four citizens living as nomadic pastoralists, the stakes are enormous — and worsening overgrazing and mining activity are adding further pressure. The app's founder hopes to expand the platform to other pastoral communities across Central Asia and beyond, a goal underscored when herders from Tanzania and Uruguay expressed interest during COP17 (a global desertification treaty summit recently hosted by Mongolia).