7. December 2025
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Administration of the Great Gobi Strictly Protected Area, the President of Mongolia awarded the administration of the Great Gobi A, the Great Gobi B as well as to Mr Ganbaatar, former director of the Great Gobi B for his longlasting and outstanding contribution to Takhi conservation, the “Polar Star” Medal by Presidential Decree.
The Great Gobi Strictly Protected Area represents one of Mongolia’s, and even the world’s, top ten large ecosystems that have been fully preserved in their natural state and free from human impact. It holds significant national and international value, as it has maintained its original and untouched appearance of the Gobi desert and plains ecosystems, with their unique wildlife and plant species.
Since the establishment of the Great Gobi Strictly Protected Area, numerous successful projects have been implemented, including “Developing the Great Gobi Strictly Protected Area”, “Reintroducing the Wild Ass and the Przewalski’s horse”, “Conserving the Gobi’s Key Ecosystem and Its Rare Species”, “Gobi Bear Conservation”, “Breeding the Wild Bactrian Camel” and ENSURE project. As a result of these efforts, there are now around 350 wild horses (Przewalski’s horse), 52 Gobi bears (Mazaalai), about 500 wild Bactrian camels (Khavtgai), around 11,000 khulan (wild ass), and about 8,000 black-tailed gazelles successfully living and reproducing. These facts have been verified and confirmed by scientists and researchers from Mongolia, Germany, the United States, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, the Vatican, China, and the Czech Republic.
This demonstrates not only the protection of biological diversity but also significant contributions to supporting the livelihoods of local communities, ensuring their participation in nature conservation, enhancing ecological education for children and youth, and conducting training and awareness activities.
