Circling the Khuvgsgul Lake by dogsled and Munkh Saridag (3492 m) Mountain Ascent The Khuvsgul Dogsled Expedition 2009 pays tribute to the Mongolian nomads and the wild beauty of this country.
Dogs have always been an integral part of Mongolian nomadic life, but only after French Joel Rauzy came with his dogs to Mongolia dog sledding began to catch on as a Mongolian winter activity.
The Khuvgsgul Dogsled Expedition 2009 will circle the Khuvsgul Lake, baptized "the blue pearl of Mongolia", during a 15 days long dogsled expedition.
On the trail we will meet and stay with the local nomadic people and pay tribute to and learn from their knowledge and wisdom to survive in these typical, sometimes harsh circumstances.
We will also attempt the winter ascent of the Munkh Saridag (3492)
Paying tribute to the Mongolian Nomads and their relation to nature The treasure of Mongolia is not only in its beautiful landscapes… The treasure of Mongolia is the country itself, its roots, history and traditions. Mongolia is one of the last nomadic countries in the entire World. Nevertheless the population is becoming sedentary, the nomadic way of life, result of thousands of years of experience, is disappearing… And by the same way the economy is changing drastically, the society is searching itself for a new way of life.
The Khuvsgul Dogsled Expedition 2009 wants to pay tribute to the knowledge and the lifestyle of the Mongolian Nomads.
We want to show the world the beauty of this country and its people. Eco-tourism, with a key role for the nomadic families gives them a chance to stay in the countryside, to live from their cattle, proudly, like their ancestors, and with an important and very respected place in this new society.
Introducing dog sledding into the Mongolian pristine landscape proved to be a brand new, ecological and effective way of traveling during the long Mongolian winter. The nomads were able to collaborate in the eco adventures in summer. But now, thanks to the dog sledding winter is a "eco-economical" bonus instead of a natural obstacle
Raising awareness for the Climate Change – also in Mongolia! Mongolia, temperatures rising twice as fast as global average !! Clyde Goulden, a researcher from Philadelphia's Academy of Natural Sciences who is studying the ecology of Lake Hovsgol, notes that higher temperatures have already begun thawing the permafrost and disturbing the soil structure around the region's fragile trees.
Mongolia has been hit especially hard by global warming, with temperatures rising, on average, twice as fast as the global average - winter temperatures have jumped 3.6°C over the last 60 years.
The grasslands are on the verge of ecological collapse. The environmental problems are closing in on two fronts at once." Dubbed the "blue pearl" for its pristine state, Lake Hovsgol, besieged on two fronts by harmful land-use patterns and the effects of global warming, risks tipping into an "alternative stable state":
"This transformation could be a one-way ticket. A long-standing question in ecology is whether communities of species can be tipped into "alternative stable states." The steppe grasslands, for example, have proved for millennia to be a robust solution to life in cold, dry Mongolia. But once widespread conversion to semidesert occurs, it might be virtually impossible to reverse.
In the taiga, even a temporary loss of permafrost, combined with extreme drought and fires, might be a point of no return.
The receding permafrost has left large areas of ground uncovered, accelerating soil warming and chipping away at the taiga forest. Spurred on by the region's wildfires, which have been steadily increasing over the last few years, and droughts, the region's remaining swaths of forest and grasslands risk being lost in a single summer - leaving behind a spare, "semideserted" ecosystem.
Bert Poffé and Kiki Nárdiz have done many adventurous trips and winter expeditions both in Canada and in Europe. In the past they spent some time with the Canadian Atikamekw First Nations and were lucky to meet some inspiring people of different First Nations such as Gérald Ottawa (Atikamekw), Regent Sioui (Huron) and Bob 7 Crows Mic Mac)
