COMPONENT 3: Environmental awareness and knowledge about desertification and other challenges raised among Mongolia’s youth as well as in the general public and behavioural changes initiated. 

The Ministry of Education, Culture and Sciencies (MECS) is the main partner for Component 3 of the Project. The Component is closely collaborating with related education and culture institutions and MECS, which controls and elaborates policies and regulations in education sector.
From 2008 general education structure is extended from 11 to 12 years. In relation to this MECS is attempting to integrate concept of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into new curriculum development and established an ESD Team responsible for ESD curriculum development. Consequently, Component 3 of CODEP is supporting an ESD team in integrating the concept into new training curriculum. 
Meanwhile, the Component 3 is interacting with MECS is increasing public awareness about desertification and other environmetal issues through national mass media, esp. through journalists of Green Plant Journalists' Club near the Press Institute of Mongolia.
In addition, one of other specific aspects of Component 3 is environmentally friendly structure of general education schools, in other words Eco-schools, with the aim to assist committed schools to improve environmental conditions in and around the schools and in the communities. Moereover Component 3 works with Mongolian Academy of Sciences on the elaboration of Mongolain Environmental Encyclopedia.

COMPONENT 1: Favourable policy and action oriented program are in place to effectively combat desertification and National Committee for Combating Desertification (NCCD) is the leading competency centre on desertification issues in Mongolia, effectively supervising the implementation of National Action Plan for Combating Desertification (NAP CD)

The Ministry of Nature, Environment and Toursim is the main partner for Component 1. In 1994 Mongolia ratified the Rio Conventions and has since participated actively in follow-up meetings. The Government of Mongolia developed a NAP CD and set up NCCD. CODEP supported MNET in updating NAP CD which is aligned with Mongolian Development Strategy and UNCCD 10-year strategy and which is now under discussion by Government structure institutions.
CODEP assisted MNET in the development and approval by the Minister of long-term capacity building plan for NCCD to implement, supervise and report the implementation of NAP CD in Mongolia. 
CODEP assumes a leading role in exchanging information and fostering coordination and synergy among other programs and projects addressing desertification and land degradation.

COMPONENT 2: Local communities empowered in sustainable management of natural resources and diversification of livelihoods to cope with desertification. Field reality based knowledge generated and appropriate approaches, technologies and tools for combating desertification developed, piloted and prepared for dissemination

Khovd aimag Governor's Administaration Office as well as local natural resource users are the mani partners of Component 2. CODEP in collaboration with the Mongolian Society for Rangeland Management supported local herders to join into Pasture User Groups (PUGs) to have secure and regulated access to pastureland. By now, herders from 2 soums in Khovd aimag have joined into PUGs, elaborated and implementing pasture management plans.
CODEP supported farmers to be organized in suitable form, reverse and prevent farmland degradation through water saving and soil and biomass improvement technologies and approaches. In cooparetion with Khovd Land Agency database on cropland was updated. In total 27 Water User Groups (WUGs) are established and jined forces to establish a shelterbelt to protect croplands from erosion and imporove soil fertility. The Environment Protection and Tourism Agency (EPTA) of the Khovd aimag contributed 15 million MNT to this work. Farmers as well are supported in testing PTD (Participatry technology development) technologies to save irrigation water and increase yield. 

CODEP in cooparetion with WWF Mongolia Programme promotes sustainable water resources management scheme for Buyant river in Khovd aimag. As a result of this cooperation a Buyant River Basin Council (BRBC) is established and an integrated water management plan for proper use of water resources is developed. WUGs have joibned into Water User Association. In addition, water use rules for irrigated crop production is elaborated, approved and put into implementation. CODEP interacts with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and Light Industry to construct an irrigation system on BRB.

CODEP works with Khovd University in testing energy efficient stoves to reduce cut of natural bushes and trees for fuel purposes. In addition the Project promotes use of electrcical stove in school dormitories and kindergartens, which burn per year 27 trucks of kharagana (local drought resistant plant). It is estimated that a truck of kharagana and other shrubs is collected from 1 ha.



COMPONENT 4: Appropriate knowledge, technologies, approaches and tools to cope with desertification in Mongolia are identified, tested, collected, compiled in a database and disseminated in order to support project implementation and scaling up at grassroots level and informed decision making at policy level

CODEP supports Desertification Study Centre (DSC) of Geo-ecological Institue in identifying, testing, collecting and compiling into nationwide database appropriate knowledge, technologies, approaches and tools to cope with desertification in Mongolia. For this CODEP adoptes WOCAT methodology. Nowadays, number of soil and water consrevation technologies and approaches are entered into database. visit www.moncat.mn