“Desertification is a global problem and Mongolia cannot escape it, but mining makes it worse.”
E360: Are there as many hermits as before, or is everyone living a easier life towards the city?
Batmank: There are many more people in the city, but grazing doesn’t kill at all. When I was a child, Mongolian livestock counted 22 million, but recently 70 million. There are more herdsmen, perhaps 200,000. It’s nice to be able to say that people’s quality of life in step is much better. The Harders are younger than them. Many young families choose this lifestyle from cities where they can enjoy the fresh air and take care of the animals.
E360: If there are more livestock, is there a shortage of land? Is there overgrazing?
Batmank: I wouldn’t say that. There is a great deal of concern about desertification, especially in the Gobi region. However, this was primarily due to mining, causing degradation and fragmentation of pasture land. Desertification is a global problem, and Mongolia cannot escape it. But mining makes it worse.
E360: I know you love the land, but when you were young, you had great ambitions from grazing. What was your education and how did you become an engineer?
Batmank: I was first educated at a local school in Dolnogobi. However, in the year before I graduated from high school, I competed in the Mongolia National Mathematics Olympics. It was a big event, I was the overall winner of my state and one of 20 winners from across the country. Our award was an opportunity to study abroad. I was able to choose the country, university, or course that interested me. I decided to study in Russia at the Institute of Technology in Irkutsk, which crosses the border from Mongolia in Siberia. I trained there to become an electrician.
E360: But that was just the beginning of your international trip. As a Russian trained engineer, I think you are in high demand.
“I worked for a mining company for 15 years and had firsthand experience of the damage they were doing.”
Batmank: I took my own opportunity. From 1981 to 1984, I was one of five experts who went to Laos, Southeast Asia to help build the hospital. Then, in 1988, Armenia in the Soviet Union suffered a major earthquake. The buildings were destroyed in many cities, and the Mongols expanded their help. I worked as an electrician in the town of Spitac. This was the worst hit for four years to rebuild schools and kindergartens. I came home in 1991 when the Soviet Union fell apart and started working in the construction and mining industry here.
E360: Dolnogobi, your hometown state at the edge of the Gobi Desert, has more mines than anywhere else in Mongolia. A tenth of those are licensed for exploration or active mining. So you must have done a lot of work. But when did you start to worry about the impact on the environment and wildlife?
Batmank: I first got a concern in 2005. That was when the government began issuing huge numbers of mining exploration licenses. The industry had just taken off and started eating the pastures I grew up in. I have become much more active since 2010 when huge new mining concessions were handed out in areas where my family flocked to livestock. I worked for a mining company in Donogobi for 15 years and had firsthand experience of the damage they were doing.
A yutorugoi copper and gold mine in the Gobi desert, Mongolia.
Seongjoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images
E360: What did you see?
Batmank: There was a lot of damage. They mainly dig into the earth and left mountains when they were finished. They didn’t mind restoring the land afterwards. They ingested a large amount of groundwater, created dust, causing major damage to the pasture. It was chaos, real confusion.
It turns out that many laws have been broken. The company was unable to carry out its business in accordance with national laws or its own licenses intended to protect the environment. So I decided to keep an eye on as much as I could to see what they were doing and whether they were working properly according to the law. I often traveled on foot to investigate everything. I discovered that many companies should have forged their records and revoked their licenses. But the mineral resources and oil authorities enforcing the law did nothing.
At first, this was extremely difficult to document. Because I had no experience. I was an engineer and not an ecologist. However, working with the herd families of my hometown, Khovsgol, I gained knowledge of the land and what was going on. I continued to send official letters to relevant regulatory bodies, informing them of the degradation of the land and pasture.
I think one of the things that distinguished me from other environmentalists was my knowledge of laws related to the mining sector. I made myself an expert. For example, we found that there is a law that states that lands with cultural or historical artefacts must not be touched. We have many people, but we can map with the help of local herdsmen. And I brought expert help from scientific organizations, cultural heritage centers and ecologists. In this way, violations could be identified by mining companies or government regulators, documented them and brought them to the authorities.
“I’m passionate, almost greedy, about the size of the area we wanted to be protected.”
E360: But you went from documenting this to action.
Batmank: yes. I began to think about ways to stop the number of license holders from increasing. They grew every month, almost every day. I decided that many potential mining areas should be placed under national or local protection, so they were set aside for traditional herding and wildlife. Through peaceful and legal measures, we have begun to get good results.
E360: That’s great. Mongolia is full of gold, copper, coal and uranium. Some people call it “Minegolia.” And since China is right next door, these minerals are precious and money speaks. How did you persuade the government to ban mining? People say you’re pretty stubborn.
Batmank: I don’t know if I’m stubborn or not, but this has been a consistent and enthusiastic work. I didn’t give up. However, it was a joint effort with fellow residents and herdsmen’s families. Ultimately, we put businesses and regulators in an impossible position. They had to agree.
The more we succeeded, the more we pursued it. I was passionate and almost greedy about the size of the area we wanted to put under protection. By 2020, we had protected 24 areas of Donogobi for herding and wildlife.
Mongolian camels drink in an oasis in the Gobi Desert.
Betweenskyandmountainphotography / alamy stock photos
E360: The government then granted permission for mining exploration of 66,000 acres around Mount Kutag. I think this is culturally sacred. Has that spurred you even more?
Batmank: oh yeah. In 2020, I submitted a proposal to the government to protect the entire area around Mount Kutag. The mountains are special. It is the highest point of Donogovi and is home to wild sheep, wolves, gazelles, wild donkeys and Mongolian antelope. And it is a sacred place for us. In April 2022, we managed to ban future mining. This gave us a total of 1.24 million acres protected in the state as a result of our efforts. That’s more than half of the state.
E360: Is that when you were proposed for the Goldman Award?
Batmank: I have never aimed for a national or international prize. However, during my work I came across a nature reserve. They were advising the Mongolian government on biodiversity conservation. It turns out that we are proposing protection of almost the same area, and I have helped them a lot with their work. Then earlier this year I heard they nominated me for the Goldman Award.
“Nearly, the country has been heavily dependent on mining. It’s 90% of our exports. That’s not good.”
The nomination is due to my work in the area around Khutag Mountain. But I think it’s because of my work in the last few years. This was of course done with many local hermits and community members. I hope that it will become a broader example for the Mongol people and for other countries.
E360: So, what future do you see in Mongolia? You have many rare species. Can they survive?
Batmank: Yes, it is very feasible, especially in the Gobi Desert region. It is a vast area of ​​sand dunes and underground springs, with very few people. So I hope it happens.
E360: And will future generations still be livestock herdsmen?
Batmank: I hope so because I am a patriotic citizen of Mongolia and love my country. These days, the country has relied heavily on mining. It is 90% of exports. That’s not good. Mining should be just one sector of the economy. We should invest more in other things, such as raising meat, wool, crust, cheese, and other things that can be sold to international markets. I hope we go that way. Mining ruins our pristine natural resources. Instead of degrading the land, we need to protect the land and its wildlife and diversify our economy.
