Batsukh Nemekhjargal

Support herders initiative to establish community managed areas at the borders of Buren and Bayan-Unjuul soums of Tuv aimag

"Argali wild sheep". Photo by B.Munkhtsog

"Herder in the pastureland". Photo by N.Batsukh

LocationCountryCategoriesDate
The Buren and Bayan-Unjuul soums (villages) of Tuv province are located in the central part of MongoliaMongoliaAsia, Community, Mammals15 Feb 2007

The Argali are the most important game species for big horn trophy hunting but little material benefit to the impoverished local people.

The habitat fragmentation, poaching, over grazing and increasing poverty is the main root causes that can be solved only basing on sustaining wildlife and traditional livelihoods. This will transform the confused current system of locally poor managed areas into a community-managed, scientifically based conservation zone.

The Argali wild sheep’s historical home range is threatened of disappearance and the planned area is one of them in Mongolia. The focus of this particular project is to build local level capacity for the conservation and sustainable utilisation.

A long-term strategy needs to be agreed at the local level for the conservation and utilisation of natural resources in which the benefit to the local population is the principal orientation. The establishment of community conservation area will directly contribute to poverty reduction.

Viable populations of Argali and Ibex as two key species for community based wildlife management generate sustainable revenue for the benefit of the local communities.

Planned activities:
• Establish community managed conservation areas at the borders of Buren and Bayan-Unjuul soums of Tuv aimag
• The participatory rural appraisal (PRA), SWOT analysis will be used as basic methodologies. The project will train also the stakeholders on wildlife and sustainable natural resource management and the promotion of the income generating activities, etc.
• Biological and socioeconomic data collection and analysis will be done mostly based on available information both at the national and local level and including collected information and data during the field activities.
• Design and identify boundaries of the planned community managed conservation areas and mapping involving local communities.
• Development of draft management plans for community managed areas
• Prepare and submit herder’s communities proposal to the Citizen’s Representatives Meeting of two soums and aimag for final decision making and approval.

For more information contact nbatsukh@magicnet.mn

Project Update March to April 2007

South Unjuul Mountains - Argali main habitat

Project team

Mr. Batsukh.N, Team Leader, Mr. Nyam.L, Land Expert.

Scope of Activities

During the reporting period WHA has undertaken the following activities in accordance with the schedule developed:

1. Meeting with Mr. I. Davaanyambuu, head of the department of Nature and the Environment from Tuv aimag (province) governor’s administration and were introduced the project objectives and informed about the first field trip results. It has been agreed our field of further cooperation and were provided recommendations to the two soums’ governors.

2. Most of wild life habitat areas are belonging to the Bayan-Unjuul soum’s territory and the available basic information collection started and currently working on the analyses of detailed scientific research studies’ reports and documents on biological and socio economy (focusing on wild life and pasture land regulation issues), that carried out by different organizations according to request of State land relation department.

3. The number of families and population who is living in the planned community area and amount of livestock are determining based on the statistic information which done by soums and aimag in 2006. The initial information started to enter into GIS data base. Contracts with GIS and other experts will be completed in a recent time. All of data will be checked and corrected in the field during the further field trips.

Project Update February to March 2007

Herders family in the winter place

During the reporting period WHA has undertaken the following activities in accordance with the schedule developed:

Project management issues: Made contracts with Land expert Nyam and assistant/finance manager Bolormaa. Initial meetings took place with some experts and authorities from Institute of Biology and Ministry of Nature and the Environment for further cooperation on implementation of the project and support. Available basic data and information collections are started on two soums of project site.

It has been undertaken the first planned field trip to the project site. During the field trip organized an introduction meeting with herders and local authorities.

The team visited herders’ families in their winter place or station (see picture) who are living in the planned community conservation area from both soums. More than 50 herders, local citizens and soums’ governor administration representatives have been met in different places during the first field trip.

The project objectives and importance introduced to the herders and local authorities. All of the local stakeholders supported the idea which were initiated by some herders of Buren soum and expressed their willingness to cooperate in the future.

Have been collected more detailed information on planned community conservation area from local stakeholders and visited several important Argali and other wildlife habitats. It could be visited more important places but the snow and off road is very hard and difficult in Mongolia particularly in winter and spring times.

Discussed and agreed to organize joint workshop on theme ”Project management, methodology, community managed area and stakeholders’ participation”.

The spring is most harsh and hard time for all of herders and they suggested to organize the workshop at the beginning of summer when finishing to rear young animals and getting warm.

Project Update April to July 2007

Participants from Buren soum

Project team

Mr. Batsukh.N (Team Leader), Mr. Nyam.L (Land and Herder Group Development Expert), Mr. Togoldor.E (Field biologist and research worker of “Argali” research center), Mr. Budsuren.B (Herder Group Leader), Ms. Ichinnorov.M (Herder Group member), Mr.Batchuluun.B (Advisor/expert on socio economy and supporting group member of the project implementation at the site), Mr. Mandakh (volunteer ranger from herder group), Ms. Namjilmaa and Mr.Delgersaikhan State inspectors for Nature and Environment from Bayan-Unjuul and Buren soums).

Scope of Activities

Organize the first workshop on theme”Project management, methodology, community managed area and stakeholders’ participation” as well as planned and carry out field surveys.

1. The team has organized the workshop/training seminar on 19 June in the Herders’ summer camps of Buren soum.

More than 53 participants attended the meeting including representatives from environmental department of Tuv aimag (province), governors and authorities from two soums.

The workshop more focused on the following issues:

- Explain about an alternative development options for mobile livestock keeping under the present ecological and socio-economic circumstances

- Inform the participants about the advantages of a herders` community-based conservation and sustainable natural resource use approach and convince them that its implementation offers the best possibilities to overcome the present problems of pastoral economy and pastoral management

- Introduce an Argali ecology, current situation and conservation measurements. Inform about the present legal environment regarding the conservation and use of natural resources

- Ways to improve the conservation management in the selected soums through introducing land use planning and land use agreements

- Determination of location and borders of herders’ community managed area

The audience was very much interested in the seminar topics and raised extensive discussions that provided very useful insights for implementing project activities on a participatory basis.

2. The project team has formed two groups for information collection and field surveys and worked 5 days in their own directions. The first group worked on socio economy and other planned issues and conducted initial PRA and SWOT analysis.

The Argali team has undertaken the survey covering the whole South and North Unjuul mountain areas.

Some examples of collected data of the field surveys:

Name of household head
Location of winter camps around the planned community areas and water points by name of place and topographic co-ordinates of winter camps, water points /and recorded GPS measurement on the site/
Number of livestock by species

Final Report

Read more about the activities undertaken and findings of this project in the final report below.

File DownloadSize
Final report.pdf1.23 MB
2nd RSG Awarded

Read about the continuation and development of this project with a 2nd RSG at http://www.ruffordsmallgrants.org/rsg/projects/batsukh_nemekhjargal_0


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