Investing in Natural Capital for Sustainable Mining in Mongolia

This project will incorporate natural capital assessments and valuations into the planning and operation of mining projects in Mongolia. Based on these analyses, the project will identify scalable industry standards for climate and land stewardship in the mining sector. Collaborators: The Government of Mongolia; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center. This project is funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

The Challenge

The mining industry is a nexus of global climate, nature, and economic challenges. The global energy transition depends on a range of minerals and metals, and on securing vital ecosystem values in the mining process. Failure to do so could disrupt supply chains and undermine confidence and momentum in the transition.

Mongolia has one of the world’s richest endowments of minerals and metals and is among the last mining frontiers. Exploiting this potential is crucial to realizing the country’s economic potential. However, to meet sustainability goals, Mongolia also needs to address potential social and ecological risks from the expansion of industrial mining.

Our Solution

This project will provide strategies for transitioning Mongolia’s mining sector towards sustainability by pioneering innovative analyses, formulating industry-leading standards, and improving governance and technical capacity. By demonstrating how a sustainable transition can be achieved, this project will allow Mongolia to pioneer a new model of development and influence other large mining economies such as Indonesia, Chile, and Brazil.

We will incorporate natural capital assessments and valuations into the planning and operation of mining projects in Mongolia. Based on these analyses, the project will identify scalable industry standards for climate and land stewardship in the mining sector.

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