By sharing these assessments with more than 5,000 people across the country for year one, we know that 90 percent of respondents’ support designations of new national and local protected areas. Another 15% of local protected areas are registered with the central data system, but have yet to officially become part of the protected area system. In total, national protected areas now cover 18 percent of the country, including nearly half of the Eastern Steppe-the world’s largest intact temperate grassland. One community alone that I visited has secured a 90,000-hectare local protected area around the sacred Sutai Khairkhan Mountain. There has already been real progress on that commitment in the last five years, roughly 150,000 square kilometers were designated as new protected zones-an area approximately the size of the country of Nepal. The government has committed to protecting an impressive 30 percent of the country. This means that the conservation and biodiversity provision, building resilience into nature, is critical. Last year’s winter freeze killed an estimated 700,000 livestock. Traditional practices that emphasized collective stewardship of the grasslands are under pressure and over-grazing and the resulting land degradation is becoming commonplace.Ĭlimate change adds to the mix, exacerbating drought and extreme cold weather events, known locally as a ‘dzud’, which can be deadly to wildlife and livestock. The downside is that livestock numbers have nearly tripled to 60 million since the market economy arrived with the fall of communism around 30 years ago. It’s a success story on one hand, with demand for high quality cashmere rising rapidly. Grazing, a traditional livelihood for centuries, is also still a key part of the economy with more than a third of the population herding. Mining now accounts for a third of GDP, and the government is poised to issue exploration licenses across another 20 percent of the country. Its most valuable resource-huge mineral reserves -have led some to dub the country ‘Minegolia’. Mongolia’s fabled landscapes face unprecedented pressures from economic growth. However, like most things in life, it’s not black and white. The results can be seen today at the tri-border area of China, Mongolia and Russia, where the intact grasslands in Mongolia contrast starkly to the degraded lands in the adjoining countries. Mongolia set up the world’s first National Park in 1778 at Bogdkhan Uul. There was already a good base to build on-and conservation certainly wasn’t a new concept. Travelers and lucky visitors like myself can still experience nature in its all its expansive glory it was this sense of unspoilt majesty that brought The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to Mongolia in 2008. I imagine it is the closest representation we still have of what life on the Northern Plains would have been like hundreds of years ago. That brings with it a sense of daily commune with nature, along with vulnerability and exposure to the elements. It’s something most of us in cities rarely get to experience, yet Mongolia remains one of the few places where nomadic life is a living tradition. Multiple Platforms | Play Eternal Lands on Windows, Linux and OSX (Mac).It’s hard not to feel small looking at land so imbued with a sense of time long gone when humans touched lightly on the Earth, moving with the changes brought about by weather and where food could be found or grown. Engage in Combat and Social Events | Pursue quests, engage in PvE and PvP combat, build items, create guilds, and participate in live social events. Explore the World | There are 2 continents, 38 maps, and a host of dungeons, caves, buildings, and secrets to explore in Eternal Lands.No Class Restrictions | In Eternal Lands' class-less system, players can build their characters however they want by spending attribute points and using the game's set of 12 skills.Six Playable Races | Players can choose from six different races, including Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Draegoni, and Orchans.As such, Eternal Lands has been in a beta state for years, but is fully playable and accessible. One thing that sets Eternal Lands apart from the pack is that it's an open-source game, and the community can add, edit, and mod the game. There are no player classes, and all skills are accessible to those who wish to learn them. Players can create their character from one of three races (three more are available with a paid upgrade) and set off earning skill points through questing, crafting, and hunting. Eternal Lands is a free-to-play MMORPG with a Medieval fantasy setting.
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