From November 9th to 11th, MEA members of the project "Elevating Tsaatan (Reindeer people) Voices: Sowing the Seed of Indigenous Evaluation in Mongolia" conducted field data collection in Tsagaannuur soum and the West Taiga Tribe of Khuvsgul aimag.

On September 1, 2024, MEA was selected for the "Indigenous Evaluation Knowledge Transfer Activities for the Asia Pacific

Region" seed grant for 2024-2025 by the Asia Pacific Evaluation Association and EvalIndigenous, and the purpose of this project is to empower the Tsaatan community to actively participate in the formulation and evaluation of conservation policies in their region.

This data collection allowed our team to deepen their understanding of the Tsaatan people while experiencing the stunning winter landscape of the Mongolian Taiga region. 

During the visit, we held a workshop on Participatory Evaluation for Tsaatan community representatives and facilitated a focus group discussion with 16 participants. Additionally, the team conducted individual interviews with elder members in Tsagaannuur soum and families in the East Taiga Tribe. Government representatives also participated, sharing valuable insights on the project’s focus. 

Special thanks to our MEA member, Azjargal Amarsanaa, for enabling this field data collection and making significant contributions as a boundary spanner opening the doors to the local reindeer people. Stay tuned for the next stages of this project!