Elevating Tsaatan voices: Sowing the seeds of Indigenous Evaluation in Mongolia

The Tsaatans, Indigenous reindeer-herders in Mongolia, has increasingly struggled due to government land conservation policies. Approximately 97% of Tsagaannuur soum has been designated as a protected area, severely restricting their traditional practices, including hunting and seasonal migrations disrupting their food security, cultural traditions, and overall well-being. Despite the significant impact of these policies, the Tsaatan community has had little to no involvement in the development or evaluation of these policies. This research aims to address this gap by integrating Indigenous evaluation approaches, utilizing the ‘Toolkit on Indigenous Evaluations for the Asia-Pacific Region’ to offer the Tsaatan community a basic, participatory evaluation framework. Although local authorities acknowledge the challenges, their traditional knowledge has not been systematically incorporated into conservation efforts. Community members are deeply concerned about the loss of traditional knowledge, economic instability, and restrictions on mobility—issues that have  worsened since the implementation of the Law.

Gereltsetseg Adiya – Board Member, Mongolian Evaluation Association; Itgemjit Gankhuyag – Board Member, Mongolian Evaluation Association; Azjargal Amarsanaa – Member, Mongolian Evaluation Association; Oyuntulkhuur Jukov – Member, Mongolian Evaluation Associaiton