In this late autumn, I was in Uvorkhangai aimag where I've heard people there sell their livestock at very low price. For example: matured sheep sell in 25000 tugrugs.  As soon as I heard it I would like to buy a cheap sheep because I love to eat sausage of sheep. This information looks like a white moon which is our traditional holiday, and will bring good things to people such as a luck, happiness and joy.

When I met with the herder of Bayangol soum of the Uvorkhangai aimag, he said they(herders there) don't have  cash, so the only way is to sell their livestock to buy fuel for the motorbike which is outside his home.  Two liter fuel  is enough for half month usage of this motorbike.

I think, that on one hand I can buy a cheap priced sheep,  on the other hand I help them to buy their fuel. Then I said that I want to buy a sheep from the herder. He said sure,  you should buy it at 30000 tugrugs. Most of mongolians know how to bargain. I have that expereince. I can do bargain, so I said then I'll buy it at 25000 tugrugs.  He told me that this sheep is a fat and matured sheep. However, even though I was born and grow in the countryside, but I don't know how to identify a sheep quality visually.

I was happy to bring back a good and cheap priced sheep. I aksed someone to kill it. After slaughtered, its carcass was only up to 15 kg and it looked like a lamb. I think that a matured sheep is to be 45-50 kg, its carcass is 26-29 kg.  You should think about how weird that a matured sheep is merely 15 kg.

I hope, if I tell the herders of the Steppe about a matured sheep is only 15 kg , they won't believe me and say that is impossible. But I can't believe what I heard whn I asked someone else to identify the sheep's age who know how to identify animal ages.  He told me that this is a matured sheep. Therefore I didn't argue with the herder instead I have compassionated with the herder because the herder spent three years taking care of animals to support his livelihood, they don't know what's influencing the quality of livestocks.  This is directly connected with desertification.

Righ now people known about desertification and land degradation which both influence changes of rangeland quality, but they don't know how the disappearing rangeland influences their livestock quality.

The desertification can influence livestocks' body development. Livestock  grassing  in the non-grass rangeland go forward and backward looking for grass but nothing touch their nose. Livestock can only feed on leaves sprout of the shrubs during these days, while these fed-on cannot keep fatness on their bodies but only support their daily energy expenses.

In the socialist system, I knew that we used to use a slogan such as "fat animal will bring many benefits".  Now all people particularly the herders have forget this slogan and they like to increase number of livestock amount more than their quality.

We take care of livestocks on rangeland over carrying capacity, and nobody knows what is going wrong.

The herder won't understand desertification as the reason of unqualified livestock, while they want to increase their livestock amount but without knowledge and information.  I think, that desertification make herders understand that they need the capabilities and skills to take care livestock better.

The phrase "fat animals will bring many benefits" tell them many things that you should consider animal quality as the first priority such as their fatness, smoothness of cashemere, wools and taste of milk.   If you have such qualified livestock, you can thus have more income, and support your livelihood.  At the end, the herders need to obtain knowledge of environment and nature. If you want to learn about it you should attend training programs at professional institutions.

The principle is: whoever can protect the nature, will get benefit from it. Please follow this principle.

It seems like our government will do to messurement after dug hole and acumulated soil cover whole territory of Mongolia. Every day, discussion on mining rehabilitation goes on and on through mainstream media and daily news that gave a bad message to the community who are not concerning about it.  The dug hole and acumulated soil are everywhere...A plan of the every mining companies can be done due to a recommendation in environmental impact assessment such as how to recover a specific area and its nature which was used for exploration and exploitation purpose.

Environmental Impact Assessment has nothing to do with a real assessment. Environmental Impact Assessment Companies made a agreement with Mining companies, and the agreement is nothing but two institutions exchange their materials and money. No audit is around when mining companies submit materials.  EIA companies have good expereinces and skills that they can cheat it without effort, dependent on their ability. Selection of EIA companies seems like very easy: just select the EIA companies that have most experiences.

Nobody concerns about if a mining company uses EIA recommandation after EIA.  Sometimes State inspectors will monitor, in this case, the mining company will show them the EIA report, and then the inspectors shall report back that this company is good, they have EIA.  Such circle is already formed, and so Mongolian environment is getting degraded.

If a mining company earns money then this company is a good. Most companies have foreign bosses who have no idea of what is good rehabilitation, in this case, this is remunds me our old phrase such as "a divorsed wife do not concern about calves with cows". Because they have their own homeland, they only work and live in Mongolia for a certain period. So what they do is try to find more mine sources, make profit from them and then go back to their homeland.  Their State, Family and Relatives always wait for them to bring gifts back.

They have money or they can do fund-raising for treasure hunting because they do not worry about how Mongolian land will be degraded, and when we lost our treasure, they will find another new place which is not yet exploited by others where there is poor people at a corner of the world.  For them, this is the golden rule.

I have written in my prevouis article about Menen steppe where Mongolian gazelle used to grass around but now this steppe has dug hole with used oil after oil exploration.  Also, there are other empty holes dug by gold mining companies everywhere in Mongolia. I can never finish counting the amount of all these holes....

Furthermore, our young generation now see our environment from only poem "My homeland" by Natsagdorj.  I am afraid that if our environment loss continues that such a nice description of our environment would be left in the poem.

Even Mongolian people do not feel that "this is my country". For example: "Ninja" are people who are very undisciplined and dig the land after rehabilitation by mining companies. If someone tell them to stop, they will always fight back. They don't obey any rules.  Local administration did bring police to deal with them but a few days later, policemen became friends of them.  Government needs to take measurement to stop this.

The winter already came in the Bayangol and Taragt soum of Ovorkhangai aimag by middle of autumn. I've met with vice governor, Enkhbayar to ask about herders' winter place.  She said, that you couldn't meet with the herders, most of them moved to other places, followed grassland, very few herders who have less amount of livestock stayed in the their grazing area. Because our rangeland is degraded, most of the herders have moved at least 100 km, or even further than 200-300 km from their original winter places. On the way, no grass is observed on the ground, only shrubs stayed without leaves and branches. I think that winter would be harded.

The Bayangol soum is bordered with desert steppe, 80% of its rangeland is degraded. This soum herders can't celebrate "Tsagaan sar" (one of our national holiday) in the other part of Mongolia. The herders have grown their livestock without rangeland management, because they lacks the knowledge of rangeland management. This soum rangeland is degraded by overloaded livestock and overgrazing.

Last few years, livestock price increased so the herders like to grow their livestock under uncontrolled system, that they think if they have a lots of livestock population they can produce money.

Many winter place stayed in the narrow valley with shrubs, which is streched from north to south that showed us what the herders are facing.  "Zudh" (snow diaster) covered whole valley. We visited one family who may have look for all winter places and stayed alone in this area.  I talked with this household. He said calmly that "This family has 150 of sheeps, goats, one horse and no milking cows. He takes care livestock using a motorbike. Household says that long leg livestock could not be stayed in this area and only short leg livestock eat leaves and branches of the Cargana (shrubs). Soon we will move. Not yet decided to where to move, but we are waiting for promised money by two big parties before snow which would be thucked and harded. If we move, we need money. Promised money need to be distributed as soon as possible, since we need the money to loan money from bank".

In countryside, people are still waiting for promised money by two parties. Pralaiment Members seem like that they don't know that the herders plan their activities accounting based on promised money, which would be a block to arrange their livelihood. Otherwise, they know this situation but they are really too busy for planning next plan for coming election.

A good timing would let herders, who had made wrong choices in election dependent on less imformation. One project is implementing in this soum under the ADB fundation. I asked how to support your livelihood improvement by this project? Hmm hmm  we don't know someone came and said something. Not rememdered. What they said?  Such as herder would be not compared with whom and what , no choise. Promiser made them  such as inactive herders.  Promiser can promise whole community and for only individuals's ear as well.
Sir/ madam Pralaiment Member, the people are waiting for your promise, cash and other donations.  Particularly, the herders are still waiting for your promise to be kill their livestock by disaster.

Already winter is going to be hard,  the herder are still waiting for your promised money. The herders could not move becuase they do not have cash. If you distrubute money to them, they can do loan it from the bank but if not,  the herders are still staying in the overgrazed area with their livestock. The PM seems like already to forget what they said and promised for whom. And PM are thinking about how to distribute money which raise out from mining companies.

The herders' brains had been washed out by PM's promised money and beautiful words. The herders believe in promised money absolutely.

My advice to the herders: you don't believe others' help particularly promised money, you believe only yourself.

He taught Buddhism in the temple and initiated many nature conservation activities.

In the period of time, he was one of the 13 khutukhtu who kept special stamps of Bogd Khaan and he was the leader of the Eastern region of Mongoia.

He introduced two deers and two marmots into his hometown from Umnodelger soum of Khentii aimag.  A male and a female marmots were from the south slope of Khuran and the two deers were from Khondlon khailast which is surrounded by elm forest that is unique in the Steppe. The introduced marmots can feed our five generation while introduced deers are now up to 300000,  but then were hunted by Chinese people for increasing their money deposit. His hometown people or locals wouldn’t shoot the deers as well as nobody would shoot a marmot which was first introduced in this place.

He knows biodiversity, habitation, and ecology well since he introduced deers to Khondlon khailaast where the landscape and vegetation are very close to Mountian region.  The two deers are now 300000 (estimation figure) deers due to good habitation. And he also transplanted Rose( Rosa acicularis), bird cherry(Padis sp), and elder ( Sambucus manjuaricus) to this region.

But now, his hometown is surrounded by dug holes and piled-up soil through mining exploration and exploitation.

By 2007, two mining field were operating in about five km from his birth place. Company boss seat in the north side of a herder's home (in Mongolia only household can seat at the north side of the home) and use their rangeland.

I was born in this area as well. There is lack of water sources and very thin soil layer with fertility which are easily degraded by widened roads by mining heavy lorry.

Our soum administration do not put attention to mining activity due to the lack of knowledge about irreversible resources. Other two mining exploration companies transport the raw materials they got all the way to China.

Our "big potatoes" are not interested in the little bit of mine deposit in my hometown because they do not get huge profit from those minings.

I’ve read a sentence in one article which says "as soon as local leaders is listening to thousands tugrig, they are ready to change their land and resources with cash".

Our soum is situated near the border with China, so residents of it can buy cheap stuff from China, their livelihood is good enough for their income level, because they don’t worry about other things. They are calm, lazy and always trust high ranking people.

I think, since Batsaikhan is twice elected as soum governor, he can do his job better but he did not.  Nowadays, local administration has power to solve mining activity happening on their ground, in this time, he said that you should put 50,000 tugrugs in the account of the "Red Cross" NGO then you will start your exploration. In this case, either he doesn’t know his right, or he is against everything built by Euguzer khutukhtu.

I have known him since he was born, and we grow up, work and live in Erdenetsagaan together, except the four years study in the agricultural college in Dornod aimag.

I wish him to do one merit activity for our residents and start to initiate nature protection and work closely with nature protection movement.

Actually you need money to build your annually budget; you should get big money from mining companies.  If your budget is enough, you shouldn't allow them to dig the area. You should take the rehabilitation of mining site into account. You and your team should pay attention to the mining activity and rehabilitation. You shouldn’t forget that everything starts from one, if you did, one day, we will have no rangeland.

I am waiting for a little boy but the boy won’t come to home and we went to drive their sheep and goat to the grazing land. I asked are you cold and he said “no”.

It was the same with my childhood. Urban four years old child couldn’t do any thing without others help as well as they can not play in the outside of the apartment. It is getting bigger difference from urban and rural. As I was child, difference from urban and rural was not big. Example: kids used to play whole day outside of the apartment.

Wore mongolian deel is showing him too much pretty. The future real mongolian man is growing up here. Mongolian deel can be solved many thing in one time and also cheap and nice clothes. It is very suit for a child because it is free movement, and warm coat. That boy’s work is not to finish when we moved. I am sure he is to be a good skilled man because he starts to learn to do things from his early ages. We can find this picture from our famous poem and professor’s history. Most of them started to learn to do things by themselves from their early ages. I think we open to our child to solve their problems by themselves.

This boy is helping his parent’s work without any comments by others. It is a normal his working day. Nevertheless, his parent does not suppose about his assistance, nor they do not think it must be do by him. This is not the same in line with child labor exploitation. On the other hand, it is good experience to make child to do by themselves. When we were a child, we can do many things by ourselves. Therefore, we have lesson learnt and experience that can help us to transfer a new market system. We could change our old behavior through our working skill and experience.

Recently, our young parents do not like to do any thing by their children. We have a lot of possibility to teach our generation in the urban. Example; we will teach them to no litter in the street; if you see rubbish you pick up and put it a near garbage box. And you keep in clean your entrance… so on. If playground’s toys have broken, children can fix it through their skills.

I would like to say one good example; such as my friend has three boys they used to wash an entrance wall of their building. Now they three became a good business through their experiences.  I think eight families are in the entrance. Only three boys wash the entrance wall. I asked their mother why you are making them wash wall.  She said that they are painting any things in the wall because they can be known how to difficult to clean it. I think she is a cleaver. She can

Our blood has some genetic material such as skills on independent and labor capacity. If the parents can develop their children’s capacity and skills and their children is to be a good and experienced people.

“Mongolian ecosystem and desertification” international symposium was held in 21 October, 2009, in the Chingis hotel, by Ecosystem center of Agricultural University and Tokyo’s Univeristy under other donors.

There are representatives of scientific academia, project and programs of the donors and Minister of Nature, Environment and Tourism of Mongolia is congratulated to participants of the symposium.

In the speech of the Minister has desertification is covered 70% of total territory of Mongolia. After several presentations, I have doubtful.

Firstly, mother type of the area would be defined then test how to change it from the first type. Consequently, is this area degraded or not based on the results? Professors from China and America is participated this symposium they reported some experience on stop of sand movement, mitigate desertification which all tested in the Inner Mongolai.

I didn’t have a result of test on growing caragana and other shrubs which can stop a sand movement. I think that it is impossible to stop and fight with desertification as 100%.

International conference on Climate Change and Adaptive Capacity Development is as like of the international symposium organized by Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism, WASEDA University, and Mongolian National Unversity, 22 October, 2009, in the Kempinski Hotel.

By 10AM, I want to involve it but not space of the hall. And the Minister’s speech is presented due to guidelines of the conference. Most of participants of yesterday symposium are as moderator and speaker here. Chinese professor reported his research it is only difference from yesterday’s symposium.

I’ve met with one of participants of the conference what they are talking about? She said that she didn’t identify the difference from the yesterdays, and the same thing is discussed by them. I think, why they were not integrated their activity of both conference and symposium. At the end, someone would like to show his/her power, skill and it is less result and more money expanded.

My friend, American woman is participated in the both of conference and symposium furthermore she will organize meeting on desertification in 25 October, 2009, joint Rangeland Management Association NGO that she said. If they can stop desertification through oraganizing symposium and conference that is good expereince to us. If it is not positive impact on desertification while lost money into deep hole. On the other hand, that money would be expanded for decreasing poverty and beneficiary other work for the community that think I. Why could not Ministries range to integrate those separated meetings with similarly content?

Such huge money can be expended to strength capacity of NGO who is working to protect nature, environment and biodiversity issues. I have only one question such as what result is produced by reporter who are present of their report from one meeting to other meeting to mitigate desertification of Mongolia?

Even though nobody can identify how many areas are degraded of total territory of Mongolia. Consequently, it has been shown not useful of the meetings by donors, hasn’t it?

Suddenly, healthy woman need to other’s help for her lifelong through mistake of drunk driver that she can contacted with other wheelchair women who together are working to protect nature.

They set up wheelchair woman group that they were learning how to grow vegetable, trained by Byatshandai, head of Mongolian Farmer Women Association and agronomist Bayarsaikhan. They have been taken care by others for during the many years (5-15 years), which were very difficult to their families; nowadays they are happy to give pleasure to their families, because vegetable has been grown in the family’s garden and support organic vegetable for their family by them. And they trained two- three people who are neighbors to grow vegetables. Therefore, they already have their own student.

Right now they are planning to extend their garden based on their experience to use green house for growing cucumber and tomato. They initiative for increasing their family income is supported by VSO of England.

They are still contacting with their teachers regarding faced problems to grow vegetables. The permanent meeting is organized by them. Their family can help to bring them to the meetings. I am very happy to share their pleasure and activities with others.

I would like to introduce one of wheelchair women who name is Tsestegmaa and she stopped with her car along the road then contradicted by drunk driver. Since then she has unconsciousness down of her breast. She can against her disease and she has got up again. She is making clothes by leather using leg-sewing machine in where put a long wooden pole for pushing purpose through her hand. She can help to their livelihood. But leather clothes only sell in the winter and autumn time. Therefore, she really dreams to do something the summer, that has been impossible for her. But she has met with the same people of herself and attended training to grow vegetable, then she can change her life by her dream.

They have a lot of dreams they want to sell their seedling and seed of trees to minig companies for rehabilitation. Also they can strengthen their capacity to grow vegetables.

VSO can help them to increase their income in the winter time. If this organization can connect with other they really want to help to someone and didn’t give up their connection.  Let’s help to other who has some problems. If someone and organization want to help them you should use as following e-mail; arvingerel@yahoo.com

For example; mining companies can make contract them to buy seedling and seed of trees for the rehabilitation of mining. If you help to both of poor one and protect nature you should accumulate merit for you and your family. That is open for everyone.

We were waiting for them for hour then we have met with them but they asked do you have permission of the soum governor. I explained more detailed our working proposes and what we will do and what result will be come up here. At the end, they could not work with us that reason is not permit of soum governor.

As for Mongolian, I am so happy with this decision because our government starts to work for our citizens problems. Why I am happy with changed of governor strategy because soum governor used to show his busy for someone who want to meet him when he have been met with foreigner that  he used to say “ I am busy and I have meet the foreigners”. Even though our proposed work is failed but I am pride to change our strategy and give up ask a donation from foreigners.

Next day we went to Selenge aimag, we directly to go to the Governor’s office of the Sukhbaatar soums, and met with soum governor. We introduced our working propose to soum governor who has pleasant, middle –aged woman, and showing too much her intelligent picture in her face. She is very cleaver and skilled governor carefully listened to us then she said our strategy is changed but we wouldn’t like to say our problems and findings to others. If you want to implement any activity in our place, your organization must inform your propose as official letter. In the last twenty years, we worked with foreigners who want to ask to help us. But the poverty is not reduced, no rehabilitation, and overgrazing is still extending through the implementation agriculture development projects of the Donors.

We worked with them to expand our limited fuel but it was not improved our poverty and solve sustainability of implemented project when project will end the same activity give up. Consequently, we should analyze about benchmark such as what outcome will have and actually this project can help to community of the target area so on. And we should account for a future sustainability of the project that said she. Her speech made me pride of changed our government strategy. I thought that we changed, and actually changed…   In this case, I will try to carry out our activity here through relationship of my friends.  Therefore, I promise her to submit an official letter when I back to Ulaanbaatar, then we conducted our social and economical surveys.

Though, here is autumn but herder’s home is cold.  Sorry, I would like to share this good initiative with other without permission from the governor. I would like to disseminate this strategy and experience to others.

Every family I visited has a cell phone that is plugging in the wind generator box which is always at the north side of Ger ( Mongolian traditional home).

I registered mobile status in the countryside due to social and economical questionnaire such as how many cell phones do you have and when purchased it so on. I visited 34 families who all have one or two cell phone in the Selenge and Darkhanuul aimags. It is clearer mobile is application not only showing too much richness. The herders are satisfied their cell phone, which is a good connection tools if we lost our animal, we connect through it to each others to ask our lost animal while thief is not a job.

The household is using cell phone in the Ger which has broken door. That herder is talking about cell phone sometime he thinks how to range our activity when we had not cell phone. Therefore, he connects with his kids who live in the different place and receive market price of raw materials and commodity. Most of the herder of those two aimags is retired two people (wife and husband) and have a few livestock and live in the remote place in this case, cell phone is most important thing for them.

Actually, in the herder family have a lack of human power. But the herder has a few livestock for providing their livelihood because they could not hire labor to care their animals. Household and housewife of the visited families are wearing Europian clothes it is looks like not Mongolian. Nevertheless, European dress is not suit for the herder in the countryside.

I have met with herder who wore a bigger leather coat and looking after their livestock by on foot. And I asked where you are from. Because I thought he is one of Russian and Chinese who used to live in this area for long term while they still keep in their tradition. No, he is one of influx from Uvs aimag, ten years ago, and he is real Mongolia. He is saying that “a lot of problems in line with rangeland degradation that is extending in this area. And there is raise export issues of livestock. This aimag is in the border of Mongolia and Russia.  Herd of Yak from Arkhangai aimag is grazing that gave a big pressure for their rangeland”. The wife with European coat cooks meal and take care their livestock that is not common to me because I was born and grow up in the countryside.

It is very good to use mobile by the herder but in the other hand, it is one bad thing to be change our tradition by second hand clothes of Korean and German.

We were saying that “ride on the same horse which has a long back and sleep together covered by one deel( Mongolian tradition dress)” that will be placed by second hand dresses. Therefore, we will teach how to make Mongolian deel and how to wear it by our young generation except teach high technology. It must be organize training on make and wear our tradition dress for young ones.

I totally agree with "Billionaires that are rooted in government" said by current Mongolian president Elbegdorj.Ts. He also said that "Because I am same age as these billionaires and all of us are the productions of Socialism. Our parents didn't teach us how to save money or take from others and we grew up not knowing how it feels if you have much property or don't have anything that belongs to you. "

We are taught by our parents not to tell lies, not to cheat on people and also not to steal someone's belongings. They had taught us how to work really hard. So we always keep that in our mind instead of dreaming about another way of life. However, with the impact of the democracy, door was opened to us to have our own property. High ranked officials took best positions and possess lot of properties, and they found ways to increase their properties and money. But others who had no possessions had only one choice which was to work really hard.

Since time that there have been so many millionairesand billionaires, none of them have desires, thoughts and feelings to protect the nature. They only need workers in their industries and companies. These workers are prepared in Mongolian Universities. But no body teach them how to care and protect the environment. Parents go through tough time to make money to send their children to university but they end up with serving as watchman, doorman and waiter after studying for four years. They get paid 84 USD per month.

When I was a child I read stories about people get rich by using people's labor in Capitalist society. And I also remember the part of the story 「These rich people treated people like a dog」 on the newspaper at that time. Unfortunately, today Mongolians have been experiencing same thing.

Today in Mongolia Bosses ride 70.000 euro car and throw their cigarettes and empty vodka bottle through the car window. On contrary their employees and workers live on very little amount of money. These workers have to serve for three months without any salary to get job. It's hard to work without salary and if they find better one , they just leave the job. Then company owners hire another worker. But these workers also leave their job as previous situation. Everybody reamin quite neither the workers nor the government. As a result wallets of these bosses are getting thicker and thicker. But those who have no jobs live on money they lend from their parents or relatives without knowing what will happen in the future.

We are too busy to think what we want for life, trying to make money to survive the family. Because we need to earn money. It turns out that we are living for money and we become greedy. We need to bring those practices to our country that evaluate people's labor and define their needs.

The main reason why many Mongolian young people go abroad is that they know there are better places where their labors are evaluated greatly.

At the end bosses should define their needs accurately and provide their workers with enough salary. Hope that time will come which treat Human Capital fairly.