You may know that Mongolia is facing an environmental crisis, with growing threats to its many rivers and lakes. This crisis has come to a head recently, with the advent of democracy and the rapid emergence of a market-oriented economy. In the last two decades the pressure on the environment has markedly increased, putting the health and sustainable use of our country’s natural resources at risk.

Mongolia’s deteriorating environmental situation may worsen further still, thanks to our neighbours’ seemingly insatiable appetite for our natural resources. Mongolia’s governmental agencies have been mostly unable to regulate, much less monitor environmental conditions adequately. They certainly have proven reluctant to confront those who are extracting the natural resources in an environmentally unsustainable way. For this reason, our Mongol Environmental Conservation (MEC) project has decided to step into the breach, and reach out to protect and heal our country for future generations. Our plan of action is to first assess Mongolia’s environmental health, while at the same time generating greater international interest and community involvement in the development of our countryside.

This coming August, our MEC project at Earth Island Institute will be organizing an expedition to explore the land of Chinggis Khaan (Genghis Khan). The purpose of this trip is to start us on our quest, and help us find ways to promote cooperation and involvement of the international community in environ-mental conservation work in Mongolia. We cannot stand alone in our work to preserve the environment and cultural heritage of our country. It will only be through cooperation with all sectors of society that we will be able to ensure a sustainable future where best practices are the rule rather than the exception.

We ask you to join us on this 15-day journey this summer so that we might introduce you to some of the most spectacular, historically and culturally important sites from north to south in Mongolia. We will traverse the country with prominent environmental leaders, and will experience day to day life, enjoying both the local hospitality and the wild beauty of Mongolia. We will also visit sites where the adverse impacts of mining and other resource extraction are most evident. At these sites, we will meet with local community representatives, and will ask you to share your preliminary impressions and suggestions for improvement. The journey will bring you up close and personal as you meet local people, and introduce you to the deep-felt spirituality of our native land.

Our journey will start in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. From there, we will continue on to Lake Hovsgol, one of the most pristine freshwater lakes on the planet. As we continue traversing the country to the south, we will head towards the canyons and sand dunes of the Gobi Desert. Along the way we will stop at ancient monuments, and visit dormant volcanoes and the ruins of temples from centuries past. As our environmental leaders lead us on this journey, we will also be introduced to the stories of how our ancestors were able to preserve the land, and how we are now struggling to continue their work of conservation in the face of global climate change and the rampant development of our natural resources.

If you would like join our expedition, please email us at info@mongolec.org to receive more information.