Wilderness Conservtion Adventure - Tourism & Park Cooperation in Mongolia
As a former PA ranger, manager and then lecturer for Tourism & Protected Areas at the National University in Mongolia, I understand well the challenges Protected Areas face. In 2015, my tour company Stone Horse Expeditions developed along with the Khan Khentii SPA Administration a Wilderness Conservation Holiday Adventure horse trip, whereby international guests could work with rangers and contribute to conservation efforts while on a great wilderness holiday.
Galería de fotos y vídeos
Impacts
PA's worldwide, and particularly in Mongolia are seriously underfunded and cannot afford the manpower needed to patrol, much less manage with qualified personnel the vast areas designated. By working with the PA administration and designing conservation works in cooperation with tour companies, we are able to bring paying guests who want to contribute to park protection and management with both physical effort and funding. The impact from our Wilderness Conservation Holiday Adventure, has been a cooperative education effort for PA staff, rangers and international visitors alike. On the ground management efforts undertaken together by rangers and tourists have mitigated damage caused to fragile areas within high use points of the Khan Khentii SPA and caused the PA Administration to rethink visitor management of these fragile areas. The success of this has influenced other tour companies using the protected area to manage their guests similarly and the impact they leave when traveling in the Protected Area. With a short video production of this effort in the Mongolian language, the message is being brought to the wider Mongolian public.
