Water resources policy and administrative management

Community based natural resources management is something new in Mongolia since the recent start of shifting the country from communism to a market economy. Currently rural communities are mostly poor people. According to official statistics, the poverty rate is around 36 % over the last ten year. Although there were some programmes implemented or being implemented on poverty, it does not go down. Although livestock were privatized for free, many communities have already lost them due to natural disasters like dzud and still remain poor. As they are poor, many of them destroy nature, being involved in illegal logging, poaching etc. The project is trying to introduce a community based conservation and management practice to Ugii lake ecosystem where thousands of migrotary birds habitat over warm seasons with an intention of community based bird watching eco-tourism development in the near future. 7 local citizens guided by Ramsar Centre of Mongolia have been strugling to succeed in protecting the lake and establish a community camp there. Ifr they succeed, the lake attracting many tourists and tour companies will be better managed and protected. They will enjoy new additional income from tourism. A ger camp has been established and some protective measures are being taken with regard to lake ecosystem and to thousands of birds. The lake is now a Ramsar site and a locally protected area. Ugii lake is about 20 km away to north-west from Ugii nuur sum centre. Soon local people wil be benefiting from eco-tourism activities at the lake.

Mongolia