The Ministry of International Cooperation in the Netherlands endowed the costs of Phase I and II of the Hustain Nuruu Steppe Reserve Project (1993-2004) for the term of ten years.

During the first Phase the Project mainly focused on the organizational lay-out of Hustai National Park, staff training in nature management, management-minded research activities , training of education skills and the construction of a vital infrastructure (roads, workspace, radio communications network etc.)

This included the various projects that were initiated to improve the quality of the basic healthcare for the nomads who live around Hustai and to provide the local communities with better subsistence.

Following the very positive appraisal by the Evaluation Committee for this first project phase, the Ministry was pleased to support Phase II (1998-2004) as well (€ 4.1 million ).

During the second project phase the training of the staff in ecosystem management was intensified, a national training and research centre was established at Hustai National Park, ecotourism got off ground and much work was done to improve on the control of the natural resources in the buffer zone.

The financial aspects of all these projects were controlled by the FRPH, who bore the final responsibility for the implementation of the projects.

Although lacking the means for financial support, the central government of Mongolia and Tuv Aimak (province) did their contribution by making the Hustai area available for the reintroduction of Przewalski horses. The actual task of protecting and managing Hustai National Park was deputed to MACNE on the basis of a long-term contract.

The local nomads have waived the right to pasture their livestock within the boundaries of the protected national park. The Mongolians are proud of their ‘takhi’ and of Hustai National Park, which holds the status of best protected national park of Mongolia.

The picture shows a statue erected in 1991 in Altanbulag (one of the villages that gave up landrights for the park) to celebrate the arrival of Przewalski horses in Hustai.