In the 1970's, it was apparent to the Government of the MPR and to the Foundation that the pastoralist economy of the country, based mainly on raising millions of domestic sheep and goats, together with widespread poaching of game species was endangering the very survival of some exceptional wildlife species which were abundant in the past.
For instance, the argali (Ovis ammon), which are the largest wild sheep in the world - adult males weigh up to 300 kilos - were now rarely seen: they are found in the Altaï mountain range of Mongolia. At the initiative of the Foundation, the MPR's Government accepted to collaborate in the domain of ecological monitoring and wildlife management in the country.
A protocol was signed in 1978 between IGF and the MPR government to:
create Khukhtsyrh Reserve preserving approximately 100,000 hectares for the wildlife of the High Altaï, i.e. argali, siberian ibex, wolves, snow leopard, etc.,
draw up and implement a management plan for argali and ibex,
equip wardens to patrol the Reserve,
organize scientific expeditions to carry out wildlife inventories, monitor their trends and evaluate range recovery following the exclusion of domestic stock from the Reserve,
establish contacts, for the MPR Government, with North-American specialists in management of wild sheep and particularly of water supply for desert sheep habitat improvement,
introduce Mongolian hunting authorities to European and American safari agents so as to develop tourist hunting revenues through sustainable use of wildlife.
After a few years of total protection, this collaboration resulted in the possibility to reopen argali hunting on a limited quota basis, harvesting 5 to 30 trophy argali, depending on natural mortality of the previous year.A scientific mission of the Foundation in June 1994 estimated that Khukhtsyrh Reserve was by then populated by 800 argali and 1,500 ibex, with numbers increasing.
The Foundation was equally active in informing the US Government of these conservation measures, which have made it possible to import argali hunting trophies into the US. Since US sportsmen make up about half of all sheep hunters, this possibility provided vital financial returns to local and national conservation authorities in Mongolia.
In 1982, another agreement was reached with the MPR Government to help establish the Ar-Toul Reserve, of approximately one million hectares, in the virgin taïga northeast of Ulan-Bator. The wildlife of the taïga includes Asiatic wapiti, brown bear, wolf, wolverine, lynx, Siberian roedeer, capercaillie, etc.
The Foundation was instrumental in convincing the MPR Government to invest very large sums from the national budget for the conservation and management of wildlife.
The Foundation will continue to collaborate and provide follow-up and advice to the MPR Government. Two missions were carried out in 1997. It is to be hoped that the new regional autonomy of the MPR's Provinces will allow further development of the Foundation's approach, which consists in demonstrating that conservation of biodiversity is compatible with the development of rural and national economies.