Brad Rutherford, Executive Director of the Snow Leopard
Trust, has said that like most other countries, Mongolia, too, has well run
mining operations and bad ones, as well as appropriate and bad government
policies on mining. Mentioning the Trust’s “alarm at the blanketing of our
research site with exploration permits”, Rutherford says, “Our issue is really
with the Ministry and not the mining companies at this point.”

The Trust has met with officials from the Rio Tinto mine and
has started a good dialogue on possible ways to protect snow leopard habitat
and has had “less productive meetings with other miners”. So far local
communities have not favored the mines and have requested the government to
establish a community managed protected area. Several mines established in the
area have employed workers from outside Mongolia which possibly accounts
for the lack of support. According to Rutherford, “it appears the Chinese-owned
mines have, to date, not won the support of Mongolian’s living around them”.

Asserting that the Snow Leopard Trust takes a “practical
view” towards conservation, Rutherford has said they would “try and partner
with communities or companies that will help us protect the environment,
especially snow leopards and their habitat”.