Encompassing a National Park and its buffer zone, the Onon-Balj legacy landscapes program aims to establish a ‘model’ landscape where protected area conservation and socio-economic development work hand in hand.
Funds disbursed
Funding year
Program area
Situated between the East Siberian Taiga and Daurian Forest Steppe, Onon-Balj National Park (OBNP) is home to diverse species and vital ecosystems, including wetlands and peatlands.
It shelters numerous endangered mammals and birds, such as the iconic Mongolian Gazelle and Asian Great Bustard, and serves as a crucial stopover for migratory birds along the East-Asian-Australasian Flyway. The park’s rivers support vulnerable species like the Siberian Taimen, which contributes to the regional biodiversity and hydrological stability. Moreover, the forests and peatlands in OBNP play a critical role in carbon sequestration and water regulation, essential for climate resilience.
Culturally, OBNP is intertwined with Mongolia’s nomadic heritage, providing essential grazing lands and sacred sites. Additionally, the Onon-Balj river is the headwater of the Amur River, which supports the livelihoods of 75 million people and contains some of the most important ecoregions on Earth.
IUCN Category II - National Park
Buffer zone formally established by the MET
| Country |
|---|
| Mongolia |
| IUCN Category |
| IUCN Category II (National Park) |
| Ecosystem type |
| Steppe, taiga, temperate grassland, peatland |
| Key species |
| Red deer, musk deer, brown bear, moose, Amur sturgeon, Siberian taimen, Swan Goose, Baikal Teal, White-tailed Eagle, Imperial Eagle, Saker Falcon, Asian Great Bustard, White-naped Crane, European Moose, Daurian Hedgehog, Eurasian otter, Mongolian marmot, Gray wolf, Wolverine, Eurasian lynx, Pallas’ Cat, Mongolian Gazelle, Greater Spotted Eagle, Siberian Crane |
| Conservation and climate relevance |
| Biosphere Reserve |
| Implementing partner |
| The Nature Conservancy (TNC) |
| National authority |
| Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) |
| Grant type |
| Sustaining |
| Match funder |
| My Good Fund, The Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham Environmental Trust |
Program in brief
Activities
- Strengthen protected area management: Enhance management capacities, improve operational procedures, and increase local community involvement.
- Create a 'model' for protected area management and sustainable development: Balance conservation with socio-economic development benefits by halting anthropogenic degradation in the core protected areas, promoting sustainable practices (animal husbandry, tourism, etc.) within the carrying capacity of the landscape, and fostering local stakeholder knowledge and support protected areas and natural resource management.
- Support local communities' stewardship: Facilitate sustainable resource use and management in the buffer zones and community-managed areas by and for the benefit of local communities.
- Build climate resilience: Integrate monitoring and research findings into management and county development plans, communicate the impacts of climate change to local communities, and promote adaptation strategies.
Conservation challenges
- Overgrazing by livestock
- Damaging wildfires
- Unsuitable and unsustainable crop cultivation
- Illegal hunting and fishing
- Pest infestations
- Mining activities
- Climate change (rising temperatures, declining precipitations, extreme weather events)
Field Insights
Gallery
Videos
Onon-Balj videos
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Partners
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