34
Flightpath.
MONGOLIA LOOKS TO ECO-TOURISM FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
O
nly a few hours’ drive from Mongolia’s capital Ulaanbaatar, where the smokestacks of power plants darken the skyline and cars snarled in traffic honk day and night, there lies a tranquil paradise where such human hustle never intrudes. This oasis of nature, part of the landscape across which Mongolian herders astride horses have driven their herds for thousands of years, is playing a central role in a drive to shift the world’s fast-growing economy to a greener path. Mongolia grew hard and fast, reaching double digit growth for long periods, on the back of mining its natural resources. This drove a boom in traffic in the capital and the construction of the coal-fired power plants that make Ulaanbaatar one of the world’s most polluted cities. Before the mining boom, tourism made up 30% of the country’s economy and now accounts for 6% to 10%. As environment and green development minister Sanjaasuren Oyun puts it, “We are now paying for the pollution that took place during our transition.” Now, however, Mongolia is taking a hard look at its policies. The government is set to pass a new green development strategy that includes an increased focus on renewable energy, sustainable mining and ecotourism. “Like many developing nations, Mongolia is at the crossroads of a choice between a dirty, short-term development path and a far more sustainable long-term one,” says United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) executive director Achim Steiner. “Mongolia is choosing the sustainable path; that choice is to embrace a green economy pathway which may inspire other developing countries to take this route.”
To highlight its commitment to the world, Mongolia played global host to World Environment Day in early June and officials say this is only the beginning. “Environmental issues have been high on the priority agenda for Mongolia,” says Oyun. “I want to see us leapfrogging from a brown economy to a country that is an example of a green economy.” On World Environment Day, Mongolia was announced as one of the first countries in UNEP’s Partnership for Action on the Green Economy — a major new initiative to assist the global transition to a green economy. The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) predicts healthy growth of the tourism sector, in the order of 6%, for the next decade. Hustai National Park, which currently attracts over 9,000 foreign visitors per year, serves as a model for the ecotourism that will play a crucial part in this new green strategy. More money is being invested to ramp up the number of tourists nationwide. Visitors to Hustai stay in yurts, the traditional round homes used by nomads as they moved their herd across the plains, and eat organic food that is sourced locally. “In our camp we use solar power, and this is spreading over Mongolia; we are getting more eco step-by-step,” says Tserendeleg Dashpurev, deputy director of Hustai National Park Trust. “We should develop tourism: it is a green economy and can develop green dollars.” One of the key attractions in Hustai is the Przewalski horse, which was reintroduced to the park on Worl [??\??Y[?^H[? NNL????H?\ ]?X??Y ]? ????Y?\??X??Z[??^ [??[?] ??]]?H[? ?8?'[? H NM? ? H\? ?[ ? [][?? \?H??\? ?[???^ [?? 8?'H ?^\? ?\?Z??\??[ H ?[Y?H[? ?[??H?[???\?[?]?[?? H??\?8?'[? NNL? ?H ?[???Y ???\??X??[???? \?H\?H?\? ? ]?[??[? H ?[ ??\? [?\? ? ?XX?
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
?H? H[???X[?X???^H[??\?
IH????H??[? ?H^ X? ? ? ?[??YH[?HZ[[?[?\??][?[ ?\?\? ? \? YX\?[??\??]?[???HZ\? ?]H?[X?\?[ ??\??]?[???H ?Z[? ?XH H ?[???X?\?X[? ?Z[ ?^K???Y\ \ ?][??X\?[??[X[? H?]?Z\??\??Z[???Z[ ?]\??\?[??H???H H?\[?\?H??\??Y[??] ?YH[X[??X]\??\??X?[] K YH ??[?[? ? M? ?[X???[[?]H \ ? ?YHZ[[? \??[??\??H YX\??[?[?[?\??Y]? ?] H0???