Designating the Mazaalai as a Mongolian National Pride Animal: A Wise Signal to the World in the Fight Against Desertification

A person who grew up in the Gobi knows the Gobi wind. They know its dryness and the force of its gusts all too well.

Instead of bringing Mongolians and travelers from around the world to the beautiful landscapes of the Khangai during the gentle summer days, invite them to the Gobi when the fierce spring dust storms are raging. Let them hear the sound of aridity, if only for a brief moment, and let that sense of vulnerability stay with them. That feeling may lead them to ask, “What can we do?” in the face of the desertification that is steadily engulfing Mongolia’s vast Gobi.

From the perspective of a media editorial team, we see our foremost role as helping introduce Mongolia’s Gobi to the world, advocating for the protection of this vast and enigmatic basin, and celebrating the remarkable creatures that inhabit it.

Therefore, Eguur News produced the documentary “The Guardian of the Great Gobi” from 2024 to 2026, directed by E. Gan-Ochir, focusing on the Gobi bear, known as the mazaalai. The documentary was selected as the opening screening of “Mongolian Cinema Days” in Busan, South Korea, and went on to win the Golden Cup at Bulgaria’s “Golden FEMI” Film Festival, Bangkok Society of Film CRITICS’ AWARD’s Best Director Award, Official Selection at the Los Angeles Documentary Film Festival and United Kingdom`s MegaFlix Movie Awards. Through the documentary, we sought to portray the mazaalai’s habitat, the distinctive characteristics of the Gobi ecosystem, the region’s water challenges, and the need to have Mongolia’s Gobi recognized as a World Heritage Site. We also sought to highlight the researchers and conservationists who have devoted their lives to protecting the Gobi and the mazaalai.

During the production of the documentary, it became increasingly clear that the designation of the mazaalai as Mongolia’s National Pride Animal by presidential decree in 2023 was more than a symbolic honor bestowed upon a rare species. It is important to emphasize that the designation has been accompanied by tangible and strengthened conservation efforts. By elevating the Gobi bear to the status of a Mongolian National Pride Animal and placing its protection within the framework of state policy, Mongolia is giving its most vulnerable ecosystem a distinct name and identity on the global stage in the fight against desertification.

Protecting the mazaalai is about far more than safeguarding a single population of desert bears that, despite standing on the brink of extinction, continues to offer signs of hope. Through the protection of the mazaalai, we are protecting the Gobi ecosystem and its biodiversity, the critically endangered plants and animals of Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area, and, ultimately, Mongolia itself from land degradation. The mazaalai population, which numbered just 31 individuals in 2017 but has since grown to more than 50, is now a powerful symbol of Mongolia’s efforts to fulfill and expand its responsibility to the global community in the fight against desertification.

That is why, as the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (COP17) unfolds, it is fitting to express our gratitude to President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, who elevated the mazaalai to the status of Mongolia’s National Pride Animal as part of state policy.  It is also worth acknowledging his continued commitment, during his presidency, to expanding the country’s protected areas and giving particular attention to securing World Heritage status for sites of outstanding importance.

Another iconic inhabitant of the Great Gobi and its desert wildlife is the wild camel, known as the khavtgai. It shares its habitat with the mazaalai and can run relentlessly for up to 60 kilometers at the slightest sound of alarm. We are pleased to announce that Eguur News is currently working on its second documentary project, which explores the genetic risks facing the population of more than 600 wild camels.

May the cause of protecting Mongolia’s Gobi continue to flourish for generations to come.

Eguur News Media Agency

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