Mining in Mongolia: Profit Versus Preservation

[The Impact of Mining Activities on Mongolia's Protected Areas: A Status Report with Policy Recommendations, Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management], 2005; Vol. 1 (3):283-289

Newswise — Chinggis Khan created a long-standing tradition of environmental protection in Mongolia dating back to 13th century legal code. The profitable mining industry, however, threatens that tradition by already claiming 32.3% of Mongolia's national territory. Finding a balanced approach between these competing interests is the subject of an article published in the latest Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management.

Since 1990, when Mongolia democratized, protected areas have grown from 5.6 to 13.1% of its national territory. By 2030, the government hopes to further increase protected lands to 30%. The country's remoteness, low population density and nomadic herding culture have played a large part in preserving high levels of biodiversity in an area native to three major ecological zones.

Mongolia's campaign of preservation, however, conflicts with the rapid expansion of the mining industry; already, mining is occurring in protected areas. From 1993 to 2003, annual growth of the mining sector ranged from 8 to 12%, while cold output of mineral ores has increased 15-fold. In 2003, Mongolia's mineral sector accounted for 8.6% of the gross national product and 66% of exports.

Adding to the problem, Mongolia has a foreign debt at 75% of its GNP. At present, mining is the government's most important source of tax revenue. The stability of the nation's economy will depend on the mining industry for decades. Author John D. Farrington, a Fulbright Fellow, outlines nine basic approaches that have been successful in the past to resolve conflicts between protected areas and mining. Of the nine, Farrington recommends four that would suit Mongolia's situation: granting land trades and special dispensations in exchange for mineral licenses in protected areas; granting protected status to all lapsed mineral licenses in protected areas; voluntary forfeiting of mineral licenses in protected areas in exchange for positive corporate publicity; and prohibiting all new mineral activities in existing and proposed protected areas.

To read the entire study, click here: http://www.allenpress.com/pdf/ieam-01-03-07_283-289.pdf

Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management is a quarterly journal of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC). For more information, visit http://www.setac.org.