Community project in the south-east Gobi_Dornogovi aimag

We wish to implement since the summer 2009, a community project in the south Gobi where we will conduct research and conservation actions for the Mongolian Wild Ass conservation.

This project will be first implemented in the Dornogovi aimag (south-east Gobi) were we already met some families interested to cooperate with us to this project.

Within this project the families will be involved as additionnal monitors. These families will be in charge to record their own observations concerning the Khulan as well as concerning other endangered species (such as : the mongolian goitered gazelle and argalis). Binoculars, disposable cameras and notebooks will be donated to these families.

As part of one community project, that will gather together around three-four families – in order to bring something to these families that helped us for our project – we will implement various activities, such as :

-  We will learn them some methods to sell their dairy products on markets in

   Ulaanbaatar, as well as to create some hand-made souvenirs to sell in France ;

- We will distribute them some educational supports for kids to educate them to

  nature protection and also learn them english language ;

-  We will teach to some of them to read and write, because in the countryside

   there are still some people that don’t know to read and to write ;

- And other activities we have to define.

To thank families for their help and support for our project, we will give to each family of a specific community a young animal (baby sheep, goat, camel or horse). Then, all families of a community will put together the young animal to create a livestock commun to the community.

We also would like to provide each community with a radio to permit to the 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 and then share with them their own observations of wildlife in the south Gobi.

One ranger working in the Hatanbulag soum (Dornogovi aimag) gave me evidence last summer of his interest for this project and his wish to cooperate with us to implement it and manage it in-situ.