BuildingSandCastlesontheSteppe?Mining,HerdingandWaterGovernanceintheGobi
ByJenniferLander
TheGobidesertoccupiesaround1.3millionsquarekilometresof thePalearcticeco-region,a‘transitionalzone’ofdesert-steppeterrain,wheregrasslandsmergewiththeAlashanPlateau.Afragileanddynamicenvironment,theGobi’smoodisnotoriouslytemperamental.Temperaturescan plunge overnight, boasting over thirty degrees Celsius in summer and negative fortydegreesinthewinter.
Forme,nothingencapsulatestheGobimorethanitsghost: thatwindwhosecurseandcroonechoes on and on, over the steppes, those dunes, the sturdy tussocks, over the heads of thegoats, the sheep and the camels. Take the Trans-Siberian rail from Beijing at least as far asUlaanbaatar and meander through a singular route of the region, from the sand dunes ofSainshand through to the steppe-likeprairiesof themiddle andupperGobi.Driveoutof thetowns and stand silent awhile and let thehorizondisorient yourperspective – your citiTiedvision–brieTly.
OuterMongolia exists in the imagination ofmost visitors as a frontier land, awilderness. Inparticular,theGobievokesanimpressionofbleakdesolation.Butforcenturies,semi-nomadicherdershavenavigatedtheGobi’sfeistytemperamentandfoundahomethere.Itisnotaneasylife, especially if you’re accustomed to urban comforts. Harshwinters bring animals to theirkneesforagingforthesmallestshootsofvegetationdeepunderneaththesnow.Thesummersdon’talwaysbringenoughrain.Herderscarefullywatchforwaterlevelsinwellsandstreams,andmaintain adequate shelters for thewintermonths.Camels, goats, and sheep– thehardyones–cansurvivehere,guidedtosummerandwinterpastures.Thesewatchfulsemi-nomadicmovements, like Tigure-eights on a windswept dance Tloor, appease the Gobi to continueofferingherseeminglyendlesshorizonasahomeanddwellingplace.Therehasbeenhardshipandhappinesshere,likeanyplace,butalsolife.Thegreenshootspoketheirheadsupthroughthat desert steppemost summers, new goat kids and baby camels are born here, and littlechildrentotterorplay-wrestleinfrontoffelt-wrappedgers.
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JenniferLander:WhyIWrite
Howwouldyoucategorisethewriting?
Iwouldcharacterisethewritingascreative-investigative.ItisbasedonresearchthatIconductedwhilstinMongoliaandisinthatsenseinvestigative-seekingtounderstandaparticularsituation(controloverwater resources in context of mining development) more comprehensively and gatheringdifferentperspectivestoinformtheoverallshapeofthenarrative.Thatrequiresattentiontothefacts,toweighingtheevidence,gainedfromavarietyofsources.ButIwrotethepieceinthehopeofhelpthereaderto"see"-bothintellectuallyandemotionally-thenecessityofconsideringquestionsofjusticeindecision-makingaroundwater.
Whydidyouwritethepiece?
IwrotethepiecetocounterthedominantnarrativeabouttheGobias"blank"landwhosemainvalueliesinitsresourcevaluetoinvestorsandthestate.Thissoundssortofabstract,butIwantedto"place"theGobi,toemphasisethatithasalifeofitsown-environmentallyspeaking-anddifferentgroupsofpeople have different relationshipswith it too. Also, I wanted to highlight the lack of data availableregarding the environmental viability of widespread mining in Mongolia. Herders are regularlyportrayedaslackingknowledgeandbeingoverlyanxiousaboutwater,buttherealityisthatdecision-makersalso lackcritical informationandyetarestill committed topromotingminingas thenationaldevelopmentstrategy.TheironyisthattheoneindisputablefactaboutwaterlevelsinMongoliaisthatthey are low; furthermore, the land is prone to desertiTication and mining is a water-intensiveindustry. It isclearly intheextractive interest,bothstateandcorporate, to labelherders'concernsas"misinformed"... While the state would like to portray itself as making "professional" and "rational"decisions about themining sector, I wanted to suggest that extractivism ismore political thanmostproponentswouldliketoadmit.
Whatdoyouthinkmakesitaneffectivepieceofwriting?
Personally,theaspectthatIthinkismosteffectiveaboutthispiece(apartfromSven'sfantasticphotoswhicharemorearticulatethanwords)isthepersoniTicationoftheGobi,andthedirectinvitationtothereader to imagine for themselves. It describesmy own imaginary too; in order to invite others in, Ineededtoestablishasenseofmyownpresenceinthenarrative.Itwasavulnerableexerciseinaway,asawriter.Ithinkthisiswhatdistinguishesthepieceoverallfromaclassicinvestigativepieceofwriting;itismorepersonalandpoeticintone.
