Ecotourism is a new tourism type in Mongolia. As it is a nature friendly activity, SGP has to experience it. The number of individual tourists and eco-tourists coming to Mongolia every year has been increasing more rapidly than that of collective tourist groups. In this situation, some herder families set up extra gers during tourist season in summer in addition to their own and receive individual tourists at lower prices and costs. They often ask the Government for support, the government can not support at the current stage of transition.
The project assists local herders in establishing a self-help group to introduce participatory management of natural resources, to combat land degradation and desertification with intention of supporting their livelihoods by introducing community ecotourism services.
Three community groups have been established, namely ?Tsahir Hairhan? in Ushgiin nuruu and ?Saikhan Sanaachlaga? in Huren hadnii am and ?Taats? in Taats river bank. A small community tourism camp is established with in-kind contributions from the Saikhan Sanaachlaga group in Huren hadnii am. Taats and Saikhan Dush groups have organized a community training workshop on fruit planting and planted sea buckthorn and black currant seedlings and established a green belt with 500 aspen trees to stop sand shift and desertification. Some families have been provided with energy efficient stoves to make fire from animal dung.
So in total, four groups, each with over 10 families have been involved in, and benefited from the project.