Gobi Oasis Tree planting in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia since 1975

 
Byamba Tseyen

Byambaa started the Gobi Oasis tree planting project in 1975 upon her graduation from the University of Agriculture in Ulaanbaatar. She qualified as a Forest Engineer and worked for the Forest & Timber Ministry to combat desertification in the Gobi. 

During her 34 years of hard work, she was honoured with national awards & medals such as: “The State Honoured Worker of Forest & Environment”, “The National Ranger of Mongolia”, and “The Golden Star”.  She went on several trips to China & Russia to visit other tree planting projects. During her personal tour to the UK in 2005 & 2009, she loved how green England was and excited to see how often it rained.

After reaching the top of her profession, she didn’t just sit back & relax. Instead she loves her trees more and nurtures them everyday. She also does classroom training for students & experts, and hosts local & foreign volunteers on field trips. She is known as “Forest Byamba” in Mandalgobi, and the only lady in Mongolia who dedicated all her life to the tree planting in the dry & windy Gobi Desert which has an average rainfall of less than 100mm per year.

 
Radnaabazar Ichinkhorloo

Radnaa met Byamba when she came back to Mandalgobi to work after her graduation from the University of Agriculture. Radnaa was working as a wood joiner making home furniture at the Timber Processing Factory in Mandalgobi. They married and have four children together. 

When the supply of forest wood dropped dramatically in Mongolia, the Timber Processing Factory was closed down completely for good. It was also the time for beginning of the free market economy and everything fell into private ownership. This is when Radnaa joined forces with Byamba on the Gobi Oasis project.

Radnaa is in charge of the logistics and helps Byamba with advice & motivation. Having the joinery background, he keeps everything in working order including the upkeep of the water hoses to save every drop of water. Some of his many tasks are to keep sheep & goats out of the nursery fences and watch out for local people taking away little trees to feed their animals. Without him, it is hard to imagine the everyday life at the nursery, because he makes it look all too easy.

 
Goyotsetseg Radnaabazar

My name is Goyo and I am the youngest daughter of Byamba & Radnaa. This project is so special to me, because I grew up watching, learning, playing & working for the nursery in Mandalgobi. Looking at my parents working very hard to pamper every single tree in difficult conditions and dedicating their life to this globally important environmental project always made me proud of them.

I know that this project is invaluable and the trees protect the soil from erosion, provide diverse habitants for animals. It is for the benefit of everyone and the entire world that we share, so it must be appreciated better and looked after properly. In order speak out about the importance of the tree planting and help the project continue, I set up this website.

The Team

At its peak years, Gobi Oasis used to employ more than 30 specialist staff. Although it operates on a much smaller scale today because of the lack of  financial support, it still recruits extra staff from the local community and hosts students, experts, and foreign volunteers for field experiences in the summer.

So much of the work is done manually with basic equipment; there is always much to do. From April to October, from preparing new seedlings, make plant beds & water everyday; keep weeds out, and to collect your very own home grown seeds. All of it may look simple & short, but in real life it is very time consuming, but rewarding work to do.

 If you would like to know more about us, please click on below links.

- Watch us on You Tube with Lyn Hughes, Editor-in-Cheif of Wanderlust Travel Magazine.