Programme Cooperation Agreement 2012 – 2013

8 Polar and cryosphere

8.1 NOMADIC HERDERS AND LAND USE CHANGE

for achieving positive environmental impact in the years to come in some of the world’s most important biodiver- sity hotspots, whilst at the same time improving people’s livelihoods. Over 2012 and 2013, the project has raised the capacity of reindeer herders to engage in local decision-making and co-management, heightened awareness within the Mon- golian government of the value of engaging local com- munities in protecting the environment, and promoted cooperation internationally between environmental or- ganizations and Indigenous people’s organizations - for the benefit of both.

Nomadic Herders’ is a long-term initiative, led by GRID- Arendal, which seeks to enhance biodiversity conserva- tion and reduce land degradation in reindeer herding areas of Mongolia and the Russian Far East. Since its be- ginning in 2010, this community-focused project - which forms part of the UNEP PoW 56 - has laid a firm foundation

56. Sub-programme 1, Ecosystem-based Adaptation Output 1-6, Project 1a-P3

The Nomadic Herders team undertakes consultations in February 2013 with reindeer herding families in the West Taiga, northern Mongolia.

In April 2012, the Nomadic Herders was awarded a pro- ject preparation grant (PPG) by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in order to develop a Full-Sized Project (FSP) focusing on biodiversity conservation and reduc- tion of land degradation in Mongolia and the Russian Far East. GRID-Arendal and its partners subsequently undertook an extensive series of consultations at all nec- essary levels in Mongolia and the Russian Federation to develop project activities. At the community level, the team used the same participatory approaches employed since the beginning of the project to ensure local par- ticipation where reindeer herders are true collaborators in project planning and implementation. As a beneficial side effect the project has also built the capacity of the

local NGO, the Mongolian Taiga Nature Society, which is now the designated national coordinator for the main project phase. Examples of the consultations within Mongolia over this period include: • Four representatives from the Dukha reindeer herd- ing community and a biodiversity expert participated in the project’s International Stakeholder Meeting in St. Petersburg in November 2012; 57

57. http://reindeerherding.org/blog/nomadic-herders-international- stakeholder-workshop-sets-priorities-for-work-in-russia/

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