Compassion and Conservation Workshop at Gandan Monastery in Mongolia this month

Gandan Monastery, the centre of Buddhism in Mongolia, is holding a major workshop on Compassion and Conservation this month, to discuss and encourage the progress of the Mongolian Buddhist Eight Year Plan to protect the Living Planet.

The workshop, running from May 19 to 20, will be attended by the religious leaders of the Center of Mongolian Buddhists, senior monks from Gandantegchinleng Monastery and local monasteries; and with observers and presenters from ARC, the Asia Foundation, the Karmapa's environmental team in India, the Mongolian Ministry of Tourism, Nature and Environment, the Mongolian State Inspection agency, the Mongolian Government Implementing Agency of Oil and Mining, The Snow Leopard Trust, The Tributary Fund, the UNDP, WWF-Mongolia, WWF-USA and others.

The overall goal is to facilitate participation of local monasteries in conservation efforts, through developing an Eight Year Conservation Plan for Buddhist monasteries in Mongolia, and raising local awareness of traditional Buddhist conservation customs by supporting and empowering the work of local monasteries.

Key Topics include: an update on initiatives started at the previous workshop in 2008; the participation of the Mongolian Government in "a conservation partnership" including information about state policy towards mining, deforestation, building etc; development of Eight Year Plans by Mongolian Buddhists for the protection of the environment; training, including water monitoring, deforestation, grantwriting, holding community forums, species protection, solar development opportunities;

It is hoped that the meeting will also include the call for a new round of small grant conservation projects at monasteries and the development of environmental policy of Mongolian Buddhists and endorsement of 2010 Eight Year Plan developed by the Eight Year Planning Committee.

The workship has been funded by the World Bank, through the NEMO fund, hosted by the Gandantegchinleng Monastery, organized by The Tributary Fund, and facilitated by Gandan Monastery, ARC and The Tributary Fund

Presentations will be prepared in Mongolian and English, with simultaneous translation available.