Intends to assist local communities alone with the Buffer Zone Council of Eej Khairkhan protected area in promoting tourism activities around protected area to support local administration conservation efforts and livelihoods of the local community by helping them establish a community camp.



June 29, 2007
One more community-based tourist camp was opened at the foot of the Eej Khairkhan mountain, a place of outstanding natural beauty and a local sacred spot in Gobi Altai province. In Mongolia, tourism is becoming a valuable new income-generating alternative for herders highly dependent on their livestock, the main source of livelihood. Increasing frequency of natural disasters such as consecutive harsh winter combined with summer droughts brought many herders to poverty.

In the recent years, flow of tourists, especially domestic tourists to the given area has been increasing which necessitates creation of tourist infrastructure and tourism coordination at the local level. Along with this, rangers of the Great Gobi Strictly Protected Area recorded an upward trend in the number of violations such as contamination of the vicinities with household waste, poaching of rare and endangered animals and uncontrolled utilization of saxaul tree for fuel.

To address the issues above, a branch of the Mongolian Environmental Conservation Association (NGO) in Bayantooroi village, 1000km from Ulaanbaatar, developed a project proposal to ensure long-term protection of the unique Central Asian semi-desert ecosystem and its flora and fauna while creating new employment opportunities and introducing an alternative source of income for local herders. Small Grants Program of the Global Environmental Facility (GEF SGP) supported the initiative by providing 9200 USD funding to co-fund purchase of gers, power and water supply equipment, furniture and other items required for a tourist camp. The cost of setting up a camp totaled to 15,000 USD.

Local herders have been trained in provision of camel and horse riding tours and agreed to supply dairy products, including camel milk highly valued for its medicinal qualities. Also, the residents of the village will be operating a souvenir shop where handcrafts will be sold. Guided tours to local attractions such as 30m high waterfall in Tsagaan Khaalga, wild camel breeding center, canyons in the Ureltiin Khundii valley and Buugiin Khar and Bayantooroi oasis - the largest oasis in Mongolia, will be organized.

According to Erdenebat, the Vice Governor of Gobi Altai province, one has to travel 500km in average, by dirt road, from one nomadic household to another. Therefore, every job matters here. By establishing this tourist camp about ten new job openings have been created.

Eventually, the camp will be developed into a local community-based tourism model following the example of the successfully operating Khustai Nuruu tourist camp (Central Mongolia, the first reintroduction site of Przewalski horse).