Our mission

The association Goviin Khulan "for a best harmony between nature, animals and humans”, is a non-profit organization created in November 2007 by Anne-Camille Souris, ethologist for species conservation, member of the SSC/IUCN Equid Specialist Group and president of this association.

*Goviin Khulan means in mongol :  the Mongolian Wild Ass (or Khulan in mongol) from the Gobi.

Because the human population is continually increasing, while spaces and habitats are decreasing and deteriorate day after day and because natural resources become rare for humans as well as for animals, conflicts between them are highly increasing.

The conservation of an endangered species has a long term success and a real interest only if we consider needs and difficulties of local people sharing the same habitat.

Thus, the association Goviin Khulan has for aim to define and implement conservation programmes in-situ that will be formed by several sections that are complementary each other:

.A scientific action in the field, concrete and vital 

In a close cooperation with local and international researchers and professionnals in biodiversity and endangered species conservation, and with relevant institutions - following the priorities of conservation actions defined by the SSC/IUCN Equid Specialist Group - our mission is to participate to endangered species conservation in the world, and especially in a first time to Mongolian Wild Equids conservation, such as: the Mongolian Wild Ass or “Khulan” in mongol (Equus hemionus hemionus) and the Przewalski’s horse or “Takh” in mongol (Equus ferus przewalskii); and to resolve and mitigate humans-wildlife conflicts, by conducting in-situ research in various domains and conservation actions. Thanks to the results obtained by our projects it will be possible to define and implement optimal management recommendations with respect for the local activities and traditions and while considering needs and difficulties of local people.  

.Essentials information, education and involvement of local people

Parallel to research and actions conducted in-situ, our will is also to inform, grow awareness, educate and involve local people to biodiversity conservation and natural resources management of their own country, to permit them to become the principal actors in the futur of biodiversity conservation of their own country. Nature protection is not only the responsability of scientists, environmentalists, local governments and relevant institutions, but is also the responsability of local people who cohabit with this nature and should, by their attention and action, permit the success on the long term of conservation projects.

.Take needs and difficulties of local people into consideration

The conservation of an endangered species has a success on the long term only by the information of local people sharing same spaces and natural resources and by the consideration of their needs and difficulties. Thus, our mission is also to participate to local population support in the face of their difficulties, with the aim to find a compromise between the species survival and local activities and traditions.

.A local and international cooperation

Our main principle is to be active in-situ in agreement with priorities of conservation defined by the SSC/IUCN Equid Specialist Group, and to work in a close cooperation with local and international researchers and professionals specialised in biodiversity and wildlife conservation, information and education, as well as with the local government, universities, relevant institutions and organizations, and with the native population.

.Information, growing awareness, education and involvement of the international population

Because the protection of our environnement is the responsability of each of us, our will is also to inform, grow awareness, and educate the international population about the present critical situation of the biodiversity and the urgent need to protect it. To permit to each citizen to become an actor of the environment protection, for today and for the futur. Our will is also to make tourists responsible to the environment of the countries visited, by our participation to the creation of supports for eco-tourism in the country where we are acting.

In the face of the critical situation of the Mongolian Wild Ass or “Khulan” in mongol, wild Equid endemic to the south Gobi listed in the red list of the IUCN as a species “threatened with a high risk of extinction in the wild”, and because very few research has been conducted on this sub-species before, the actions of our association will be principally focused on its conservation, on management of conflicts between humans and wildlife, and on information, sensibilisation, education and involvement of local people to biodiversity conservation in Mongolia and natural resources management.