Table Of ContentThe Impact of Mining Lifecycles
in Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan
This volume investigates how mining affects societies and communities in
Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan.
As ex-S oviet states, Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan share history, culture and
transitions to democracy. Most importantly, both are mineral- rich coun-
tries on China’s frontier and epi- centres of resource extraction. This volume
examines the challenges communities in these countries encounter on the long
journey through resource exploration, extraction and mine closure. The book
is organised into three related sections that travel from mine licensing and insti-
gation to early anticipation of benefit through the realisation of social and
environmental impacts to finite issues such as jobs, monitoring, dispute reso-
lution and reclamation. Most originally, each chapter will include a final section
entitled “Notes from the field” that presents the voice of in-c ountry researchers
and stakeholders. These sections will provide local contextual knowledge on
the chapter’s theme by practitioners from Mongolia and Central Asia. The
volume thereby offers a distinctively grounded perspective on the tensions and
benefits of mining in this dynamic region. Using Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan as
case studies, the volume reflects on the evolving challenges communities and
societies encounter with resource extraction worldwide.
The book will be of great interest to students and scholars of mining and
natural resource extraction, corporate social responsibility and sustainable
development.
Troy Sternberg is a senior researcher in the School of Geography at the
University of Oxford, UK. He is the editor of multiple books, including Arid Land
Systems (2019) and Societies and Climate Hazard Crises in Asia (Routledge, 2017).
Kemel Toktomushev is a research fellow at the University of Central Asia,
Kyrgyzstan. He is the author of Kyrgyzstan: Regime Security and Foreign Policy
(Routledge, 2016).
Byambabaatar Ichinkhorloo is a director of the International Institute for
the Study of Nomadic Civilizations under the auspices of UNESCO. He is
also a lecturer at the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, National
University of Mongolia.
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The Impact of Mining Lifecycles in Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan
Political, Social, Environmental and Cultural Contexts
Edited by Troy Sternberg, Kemel Toktomushev and Byambabaatar Ichinkhorloo
For more information about this series, please visit: www.routledge.com/ series/
REISD
The Impact of Mining
Lifecycles in Mongolia
and Kyrgyzstan
Political, Social, Environmental
and Cultural Contexts
Edited by
Troy Sternberg, Kemel Toktomushev
and Byambabaatar Ichinkhorloo
First published 2022
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2022 selection and editorial matter, Troy Sternberg, Kemel Toktomushev and
Byambabaatar Ichinkhorloo; individual chapters, the contributors
The right of Troy Sternberg, Kemel Toktomushev and Byambabaatar Ichinkhorloo
to be identified as the authors of the editorial material, and of the authors for their
individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78
of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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British Library Cataloguing- in- Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: Sternberg, Troy, 1959– editor. | Toktomushev, Kemel, editor. |
Ichinkhorloo, Byambabaatar, editor.
Title: The impact of mining lifecycles in Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan :
political, social, environmental and cultural contexts / edited by Troy Sternberg,
Kemel Toktomushev and Byambabaatar Ichinkhorloo.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2022. |
Series: Routledge studies of the extractive industries |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021018894 (print) | LCCN 2021018895 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Mineral industries–Mongolia. | Mineral industries–Kyrgyzstan. |
Communities–Mongolia. | Communities–Kyrgyzstan.
Classification: LCC HD9506.M662 I67 2022 (print) |
LCC HD9506.M662(ebook) | DDC 338.2/309517–dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021018894
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021018895
ISBN: 978- 0- 367- 56339- 4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978- 0- 367- 56341- 7 (pbk)
ISBN: 978- 1- 003- 09734- 1 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/ 9781003097341
Typeset in Bembo
by Newgen Publishing UK
Contents
List of figures and tables viii
Author biographies x
Foreword xvi
1 Mining lifecycles in Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan 1
TROY STERNBERG, KEMEL TOKTOMUSHEV AND
BYAMBABAATAR ICHINKHORLOO
PART I
Exploring mining – when mining comes to
town – initiating mining infrastructure 13
2 A pesky story of Chinese mining in Kyrgyzstan 15
KEMEL TOKTOMUSHEV
Notes from the field: Mongolia: Chinese investment and
the Belt and Road Initiatives 27
KHATANBOLD OIDOV AND BUDSUREN DAVAANYAM
3 Contestations over mining policies and mineral ownership
in Mongolia from the socialist period to the present 33
BYAMBABAATAR ICHINKHORLOO
Notes from the field: Conflicts between mining companies
and the local population 47
AISHA KARPAEVA
4 Gold mining conflicts in Kyrgyzstan: when context and
culture matters 57
AIMEERIM TURSALIEVA
vi Contents
Notes from the field: Relationships between local
communities and mining companies 70
KUBAN ASHYRKULOV
5 Filling a hole? Compensation for mining- induced losses in
the South Gobi 76
ARIELL AHEARN AND BAYARSAIKHAN NAMSRAI
Notes from the field: The Tri-partite Council for dispute
resolution in Khan Bogd, Mongolia 90
BATTSENGEL LKHAMDOOROV
PART II
Extracting information – community engagement
with mining 95
6 Social impact assessment in Mongolia: development
and trends 97
BAIGALMAA PUREVSUREN, TEGSHBAYAR DARAMBAZAR
AND PUREVDULAM LKHAGVASUREN
Notes from the field: Mongolia: Chinese Investment and
the Belt & Road Initiatives 114
AICHOLPON ALIEVA (JORUPBEKOVA)
7 Mining melodrama in Mongolia: a Gurvantes case study 120
TSERENNADMID MIJIDDORJ AND TSENDSUREN PUREVSUREN
Notes from the field: Complaints about mining to MPs and
its solution: the case of Gurvantes 138
AMARZAYA NAMSRAI AND MUNKHUU NOROVSAMBUU
8 Does transparent information empower communities?
Natural resource data accessibility and use practices in
Mongolia 143
DELGERMAA BOLDBAATAR
Notes from the field: An untapped opportunity? The state
of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI)
in the Kyrgyz Republic after the 2016 validation 161
ALTYNAI SYDYKOVA
Contents vii
9 Resource extraction, environmental concerns and social
license to operate in Kyrgyzstan 168
RAHAT SABYRBEKOV AND INDRA OVERLAND
Notes from the field: Kumtor’s struggle to secure a social
license to operate 183
AKTILEK TUNGATAROV
Notes from the field: Herder perspective on Social License 185
BATBUYAN BATJAV
10 Mining shadows on Mongolia’s environment and heritage 195
ERDENEBUYAN ENKHJARGAL
Notes from the field 211
SAIPIRA FURSTENBERG
PART III
Rehabilitating land and society 219
11 Reclamation: lack of awareness and post- mining
mismanagement in Kyrgyzstan 221
ALMAZ TCHOROEV
Notes from the field: Mining closure in Mongolia 239
ENKHTSETSEG SOSORBARAM
12 After life- of- mine: rethinking mine closure 243
STEPHEN LEZAK AND GANTULGA MUNKHERDENE
Notes from the field: Why Ala Buka worked – a study
from Kyrgyzstan 252
NAZGUL AKSARIEVA
13 Looking back and looking forward: conclusions on
reducing site level conflict associated with mining 259
JILL SHANKLEMAN
Index 273
Figures and tables
Figures
0.1 Map of Kyrgyzstan xviii
0.2 Map of Mongolia xviii
3.1 Impact of mineral policy changes on licence issuance
and revenue collection 46
4.1 This map shows mining resistance areas in Talas region
(Zoi Environment Network, 2012) 60
6.1 Number of DEIA reports in Mongolia 104
7.1 Gurvantes soum mining licenses 122
7.2 Gurvantes and Khan Bogd districts, Mongolia 123
9.1 Dimensions of social license to operate 173
9.2 Stakeholder power and interest in environmental
protection in the resource extraction sector in Kyrgyzstan 177
9.3 Civil protests against the legislation permitting the moving
of glaciers at Kumtor mining site 179
10.1 Eco-regions of Mongolia 198
10.2 Satellite image showing present-day Ulaanbaatar 200
10.3 Mining exploration licenses issued in Omnogobi Province,
Mongolia 203
10.4–5 Satellite images of the Oyu Tolgoi mining site in 2011
and 2020 204
10.6– 8 Satellite image showing the Tavan Tolgoi coal mine in
Omnogobi province 208
11.1 Solton- Sary pasture and location of the mine. The mine is
near the pasture that residents use every summer 225
11.2 Naryn Field Research participants 226
11.3 Chatkal valley 228
11.4 Chatkal Field Research participants 229
11.5 Abandoned mining site in Chatkal 230
11.6 Ishtamberdi deposit 232
11.7 Ala- Buka Field Research 233
11.8 Abandoned mining site in Ala- Buka 235
List of figures and tables ix
Tables
6.1 The social impact areas and associated sub- impacts 101
6.2 Comparison of national and international social impact
mitigation tools 108
7.1 Notable mining companies in Gurvantes 121
7.2 Key mining- related issues in Gurvantes and Khan Bogd
Soums. Information drawn from research analysis 127
8.1 Matrix of license data portals 153
8.2 Environmental data set roadmap 156
8.3 Environmental data accessibility by each license holder in
Dalanjargalan soum 158
8.4 Local development fund transfers (in million MNT) 160
9.1 Assessment of Kyrgyz resource extraction sector using
SLO dimensions 174
9.2 Pollution compensation rates in Kyrgyzstan 178
11.1 Overview of research themes 226
13.1 Table of contents for an Environmental and Social Impact
Assessment 264
13.2 Scope of Kumtor gold mine closure planning 266
