Batmunkh Luvsandash has fought to protect more than a million acres of steppe lands in his native Mongolia. In an interview with Yale Environment 360, he explains how, by drawing on the knowledge of local herders, he was able to take on the powerful mining industry and win.
A former livestock herder on the vast steppe grasslands of Mongolia, Batmunkh Luvsandash has a remarkable record as a conservationist: He has won the protection of more than a million acres of his homeland. He gave up a career as an electrical engineer to fight the takeover of pastures by the mining companies he once worked for. Armed with law books, the local knowledge of herding communities, and his own stubbornness, he has won battle after battle, culminating in saving the sacred Khutag Mountain, one of the last strongholds of the country’s endangered wild ass and Argali sheep.
Batmunkh just won a Goldman Environmental Prize for his efforts — at the age of 81. He spoke to Yale Environment 360 contributing writer Fred Pearce this month, before flying from Ulaanbaatar to San Francisco to accept his prize.
Title of publication: Yale Environment 360
Organization: Yale School of the Environment
Year: 2025
Country/ies: Mongolia
Geographical coverage: Asia and the Pacific
Type: Article
Full text available at: https://e360.yale.edu/features/batmunkh-luvsandash-interview
Content language: English

Published Date:2025-05-13