CCCC Mongolian Gobi! A Milestone Achieved!

Submitting the Nomination Dossier for the Mongolian Gobi to UNESCO was no easy feat. Numerous challenges, competing interests, vast territories, and an ambitious timeline made this endeavor particularly demanding. That’s why it was a moment of great excitement for the Michael Succow Foundation, its Mongolian partners, and all involved when UNESCO confirmed that the nomination had successfully passed the completeness check. This means that the nomination has been officially accepted and will now undergo a rigorous technical evaluation by experts from IUCN and the World Heritage Committee.

The nominated area comprises six protected zones covering a total of 8.3 million hectares—including buffer zones, even 12 million hectares—an expanse equal to the size of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, and Thuringia combined. Some of these areas were once the largest protected sites in the world and remain among the most extensive today. They safeguard extraordinary habitats and species, including:

• 80 % of the world’s Kulan (Asiatic Wild Ass) population
• The Takhi (Przewalski's horse), once extinct in the wild and successfully reintroduced from European zoos
• The critically endangered Wild Bactrian Camel and Gobi Bear, which represent the last remaining wild populations on Earth

Together with Mongolian and international scientists, we traveled over 8,000 km through the Mongolian desert, along the Chinese border, to assess environmental conditions, evaluate management strategies, and identify both potential and actual threats to the region’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV). Throughout this process, we conducted numerous meetings, interviews, consultations, and workshops to ensure a robust and well-founded nomination.

Since Mongolia submitted two nominations this year, and only one can be processed per year, it is likely that the World Heritage Committee will decide on the “Mongolian Gobi” inscription in the summer of 2027, following IUCN’s assessment and recommendations.

To further strengthen global conservation efforts, we have launched the World Heritage Sponsorship Program, which aims to secure long-term support for our work. Our goal is not only to achieve the inscription of an additional 10 million hectares of World Heritage sites by 2030 but also to ensure the sustained protection and management of these critical ecosystems. Through this initiative, we remain committed to the Michael Succow Foundation’s mission: Preserve, Sustain, Value.

>> Project: Mongolia: Desert Landscapes of Southern Gobi