ID :
141158
Tue, 09/07/2010 - 18:36
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/141158
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PROJECT LAUNCHED TO STRENGTHEN PROTECTED AREA
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, /MONTSAME/ The Minster of Environment and Tourism of Mongolia L.Gansukh, and the United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative Mrs. Sezin Sinanoglu signed Monday the project document for a new 5-year project to Strengthen Mongolia's Protected Area Network (SPAN).
For many species Mongolia is a last resort for their survival, including endangered species such as the Bactrian Camel, Gobi Bear (mazaalai) and Snow Leopard. The number of remaining Gobi Bears is estimated to be fewer than 50 and the number of Snow Leopards in the world less than 6.000, in Mongolia below a 1.000. The habitats of these species lie predominantly within Mongolia's protected areas.
Up to the 1990s only a few protected areas existed in Mongolia, but during the last 2 decades the number increased to the current total of 65, covering over 14% of the country. The Government has put the expansion of the protected areas as a top priority and made it a Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target to have 30% of the nation's surface covered by protected areas. With a total surface of around 22 million hectare, the protected area system now covers an enormous area, approaching the size of a country like the United Kingdom.
Mongolia's protected areas provide a lot of important ecosystem services to the Mongolian people. Most of the fresh water supply of Ulaanbaatar is generated by the Terelj National Park and Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area. The majority of Mongolia's forests are located within the protected area system too. The protected areas host a lot of Mongolia's main tourist destinations, like Lake Khovsgol, the Sand Dunes in Gobi and Cultural Heritage in the Orkhon Valley. It is clear that the protected areas are very important for both Mongolia's economic development and to provide sustainable living conditions for its people.
The rapid expansion of the protected area system in a 20 years time period means that the management is still lagging behind and needs to be strengthened much further. Management of protected areas has seen some important successes at the local level, but these successes have not been institutionalized into the national or system level. The new SPAN project will support the Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism to strengthen Mongolia's protected area management policies and administration.
An important barrier for improving the management of the protected areas is the lack of sufficient financing. Fortunately, there is great potential for improving financing, as entrance fees are very low compared to most other countries, and developments in ecotourism still in its early stages in Mongolia. In addition, stronger justifications will be required to increase the central government's budget allocation for its protected areas, which at the moment is far from covering the needs to preserve the important services the protected areas provide, such as fresh drinking water, fresh air and economic opportunities.
The new project will run from September 2010 to September 2015, with funds from the Global Environment Facility (US$1.5 Million) and UNDP (US$300,000). Activities will include improvement of policies and budgeting of the protected area system, and demonstration of new financing mechanisms at individual protected areas. For the target sites, business plans will be developed and the project will support their implementation.
The project will map the actual budgeting needs for the entire protected area system and support MNET to increase its PA budget. Policy issues will also be addressed, such as reviewing the current entrance fee system and the staffing and training structure of the PA administration. A protected area forum will be organized regularly to discuss the future developments and threats to the protected area system. The project will function as an umbrella program that brings together all organizations working on protected area management in Mongolia. Main partner organizations include GTZ, Denver Zoo and WWF.
** ** **
The UNDP is the UN's global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners.
In Mongolia, UNDP supports programs in Human Development and Poverty Reduction, Democratic Governance and Human Rights, and Sustainable Environmental Management and Crisis Prevention and Recovery.
B.Khuder
For many species Mongolia is a last resort for their survival, including endangered species such as the Bactrian Camel, Gobi Bear (mazaalai) and Snow Leopard. The number of remaining Gobi Bears is estimated to be fewer than 50 and the number of Snow Leopards in the world less than 6.000, in Mongolia below a 1.000. The habitats of these species lie predominantly within Mongolia's protected areas.
Up to the 1990s only a few protected areas existed in Mongolia, but during the last 2 decades the number increased to the current total of 65, covering over 14% of the country. The Government has put the expansion of the protected areas as a top priority and made it a Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target to have 30% of the nation's surface covered by protected areas. With a total surface of around 22 million hectare, the protected area system now covers an enormous area, approaching the size of a country like the United Kingdom.
Mongolia's protected areas provide a lot of important ecosystem services to the Mongolian people. Most of the fresh water supply of Ulaanbaatar is generated by the Terelj National Park and Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area. The majority of Mongolia's forests are located within the protected area system too. The protected areas host a lot of Mongolia's main tourist destinations, like Lake Khovsgol, the Sand Dunes in Gobi and Cultural Heritage in the Orkhon Valley. It is clear that the protected areas are very important for both Mongolia's economic development and to provide sustainable living conditions for its people.
The rapid expansion of the protected area system in a 20 years time period means that the management is still lagging behind and needs to be strengthened much further. Management of protected areas has seen some important successes at the local level, but these successes have not been institutionalized into the national or system level. The new SPAN project will support the Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism to strengthen Mongolia's protected area management policies and administration.
An important barrier for improving the management of the protected areas is the lack of sufficient financing. Fortunately, there is great potential for improving financing, as entrance fees are very low compared to most other countries, and developments in ecotourism still in its early stages in Mongolia. In addition, stronger justifications will be required to increase the central government's budget allocation for its protected areas, which at the moment is far from covering the needs to preserve the important services the protected areas provide, such as fresh drinking water, fresh air and economic opportunities.
The new project will run from September 2010 to September 2015, with funds from the Global Environment Facility (US$1.5 Million) and UNDP (US$300,000). Activities will include improvement of policies and budgeting of the protected area system, and demonstration of new financing mechanisms at individual protected areas. For the target sites, business plans will be developed and the project will support their implementation.
The project will map the actual budgeting needs for the entire protected area system and support MNET to increase its PA budget. Policy issues will also be addressed, such as reviewing the current entrance fee system and the staffing and training structure of the PA administration. A protected area forum will be organized regularly to discuss the future developments and threats to the protected area system. The project will function as an umbrella program that brings together all organizations working on protected area management in Mongolia. Main partner organizations include GTZ, Denver Zoo and WWF.
** ** **
The UNDP is the UN's global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners.
In Mongolia, UNDP supports programs in Human Development and Poverty Reduction, Democratic Governance and Human Rights, and Sustainable Environmental Management and Crisis Prevention and Recovery.
B.Khuder
