Mongolia’s extensive arid and semi‑arid landscapes host fragile ecosystems that are highly sensitive to climate variability and human pressures. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the status, formation mechanisms, and ecological impacts of soil salinization across major geomorphic settings, including Gobi Desert oases, river floodplains, and lake basins. Evidence indicates that salinization in Mongolia is driven predominantly by natural processes—most notably cryogenic freeze–thaw dynamics and groundwater fluctuations within closed basins—contrasting with the irrigation‑induced salinization common in Inner Mongolia. Representative cases include progressive sulfate‑type salinization in the Ekhiin‑Gol oasis and topography‑controlled natural salinization in the floodplains of the Khovd, Kerulen, and Uldz rivers. Recent long‑term monitoring and limnological studies (e.g., Ugii Lake) further reveal that localized anthropogenic pressures, such as overgrazing and tourism development, are accelerating secondary salinization under a warming climate. These emerging trends threaten biodiversity and impose socioeconomic and health risks on local communities. Effective sustainable land management in Mongolia therefore requires spatially targeted zoning and adaptation strategies that account for basin‑specific natural drivers—cryogenic, geological, and hydrological—as well as prevailing land‑use patterns, rather than generalized interventions.