Community project in the south-east Gobi_Dornogovi aimag

One of our objectives is to implement as soon as possible, a community project in the southeast Gobi, where we already conduct our research and conservation actions to protect the endangered Mongolian Khulan and its habitat.

This community project will be first implemented in the Dornogobi aimag (southeast Gobi) were we already involved some families and people interested to cooperate with us. 

       The goals of this community project are to:

a) make local people ambassadors of the Mongolian Khulan, other species and its habitat protection,

b) contribute to income diversification of the local community: to reduce poverty, decrease illegal hunting of endangered species such as the Mongolian Khulan and decrease overgrazing caused by cashmere goats,

c) and reinforce the cultural and economic value of the Mongolian Khulan.

        It will be accomplished thanks to:  

        -involvement of some families and people in research and actions to protect the endangered Mongolian Khulan, other endangered wildlife and its habitat.  Binoculars, disposable cameras and notebooks will be donated to these families and people, 

-training and commercial outlets to these families and people for handmade articles, souvenirs and artworks to sell in Ulaanbaatar (UB - capital city of Mongolia) and abroad,

-technical and financial support to schools and Buddhist monasteries of our study area,

-conservation education to kids of our study area in both mongolian and english language (and maybe french language too),     

-involvement of the local communities  in wildlife and birds watching tours (our organization will co-organize with the Mongolian Ornithological Society and other local partners). These local communities will directly benefit from these activities and will become more responsible of wildlife and nature protection of their area,  

-establishement of an anti-poaching network in which local people will be directly involved with local rangers,

-other activities we will soon define.

To thank families for their help and support for this project, we will give to each family of a specific community a young animal (preferentially a baby sheep, camel or horse). Then, all families of a specific community will put together the young animals to create a livestock commun to the community (following advice of the ranger Mr. BAT-IDER, who works in the Khantanbulag sum, Dornogobi aimag and who wish to get involved in this project).

We also would like to provide each community with a radio to allow the different communities to communicate together and share their observations during the year, but also to communicate with some other families they know in the south Gobi, to share with them their own observations and also ask for any assistance they could need in their daily life.