The Selenga River is the main body of water in Mongolia, as well as the major source of livelihood for the population by providing water for regional “agricultural irrigation” (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica; “Selenga (Selenge) River Delta”). However, the Selenga River is also a “substantial source of water for Lake Baikal,” a body of water in Russia that sustains an ecosystem with multiple endemic species, represents twenty percent of the world’s freshwater, and serves as a hub for industry in the region (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica; Galazy). As a result, when Mongolian power companies backed by the World Bank introduced plans to construct a hydroelectric dam on the Selenga River, conflicts of interests arose among actors
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Originally the Mongolian government was invested in the Selenga River because this body of water and its delta sustained the agricultural sector of the country and supported the livelihoods of the Mongolian population in the region. However, because Mongolia remains a developing country and “30% of . . . [its] energy is imported from Russia and China,” the Mongolian government and its power companies have also become invested in gaining rights to control the flow of the Selenga River (Rapoza). By having access to the river, the Mongolian government and its power companies would have the right to build and maintain a hydroelectric dam in the area, thereby helping to increase domestic production of energy and thus decreasing the country’s dependence on imports of energy (Rapoza). Consequently, the investment of the Mongolian government and the country’s power companies in the Selenga River is coordinated with the World Bank, which is loaning money to the power companies in order to aid in funding of the project (Rapoza). The direct involvement of the World Bank is also evident through the pledge of $25 million, of which the Mongolian Ministry of Finance has already received about $13 million, set aside to fund studies on the impact of this project in the area and attempt …show more content…
Environmental non-government organizations, such as the Buryat Regional Baikal Union, and international conservation groups, like the World Wide Fund and Greenpeace, would also be considered indirect stakeholders, just like UNESCO, another indirect stakeholder in the Selenga River since it deemed Lake Baikal to be a World Heritage site in 1996, making the lake and its surrounding territories subject to “United Nations oversight” (Davydova; Galazy;
Originally the Mongolian government was invested in the Selenga River because this body of water and its delta sustained the agricultural sector of the country and supported the livelihoods of the Mongolian population in the region. However, because Mongolia remains a developing country and “30% of . . . [its] energy is imported from Russia and China,” the Mongolian government and its power companies have also become invested in gaining rights to control the flow of the Selenga River (Rapoza). By having access to the river, the Mongolian government and its power companies would have the right to build and maintain a hydroelectric dam in the area, thereby helping to increase domestic production of energy and thus decreasing the country’s dependence on imports of energy (Rapoza). Consequently, the investment of the Mongolian government and the country’s power companies in the Selenga River is coordinated with the World Bank, which is loaning money to the power companies in order to aid in funding of the project (Rapoza). The direct involvement of the World Bank is also evident through the pledge of $25 million, of which the Mongolian Ministry of Finance has already received about $13 million, set aside to fund studies on the impact of this project in the area and attempt …show more content…
Environmental non-government organizations, such as the Buryat Regional Baikal Union, and international conservation groups, like the World Wide Fund and Greenpeace, would also be considered indirect stakeholders, just like UNESCO, another indirect stakeholder in the Selenga River since it deemed Lake Baikal to be a World Heritage site in 1996, making the lake and its surrounding territories subject to “United Nations oversight” (Davydova; Galazy;