Hopes for a breakthrough in plans to protect world's oldest nature reserve | Environment | guardian.co.uk: "Protecting the world's oldest nature reserve from the planet's most polluted capital was never going to be easy, but the Mongolian authorities and the World Bank aim to do just that in the coming days when they meet to discuss a plan to limit the sprawl of Ulan Bator.
A major push to conserve the nearby forests, mountains and globally important biodiversity of the Bogd Khan protected area has been on hold for more than a year, but there are hopes for a breakthrough if the authorities can be more transparent about the controversial property deals that have encroached on the reserve.
The outcome will be an indicator of Mongolia's determination to protect its environment as the country enters a period of rapid economic growth and urbanisation that has recently led to the opening of several mega mines in the Gobi desert and a thickening haze above Ulan Bator - recently named the world's second most polluted city."
'via Blog this'
