Taimen Conservation Fund

With the support of the Mongolian government, the World Bank, the Global Environmental Facility, and Sweetwater Travel, Sweetwater Travel has formed the Taimen Conservation Fund. The Fund is dedicated to the preservation of the Taimen through the support of habitat improvement projects, community development projects, and scientific projects. The long-term objective of the Fund is preserve the Taimen for future generations as well provide economic and logistical support of the nomadic cultures surrounding our camps.

Watch National Geographic taimen video
Our first project is the rebuilding of the Dayan Derkh Buddhist monastery. Mongolian Buddhists, through their religious teachings, monasteries, and temples, have actively nurtured an environmental awareness among Mongolia's nomads for hundreds of years. In a nomadic culture like Mongolia, Buddhist temples and monasteries were often the meeting point for communities always on the move and served as the cultural and spiritual backbone for Mongolia's nomads.

However, in the 1930's, at the direction of the Soviet and Mongolian Communist leaderships, Mongolia's Buddhists were executed, imprisoned, and exiled. Buddhist temples and monasteries were destroyed, and Mongolia's rich Buddhist tradition was forced under ground. The Dayan Derkh Monastery, located in Hovsgol Province, Mongolia was one of the monasteries destroyed by the Communists. Of its 400 monks, several hundred were summarily executed, the fortunate survivors fled to a nearby cave and lived in the cave until Mongolia's purge subsided.

With the advent of democracy in Mongolia, Mongolia's Buddhist community has resurrected itself and is re-claiming its traditions and its historical role as Mongolia's environmental conscience. The Taimen Conservation Fund, with the blessings and support of the head Mongolian Lama, supporting funds from the World Bank, and financial and technical assistance from Sweetater Travel Company is re-building the Dayan-Derkh monastery.

The monastery, once completed, will serve as the guardian for the Eg/Ur watershed in north-central Mongolia. The monastery will eventually house Buddhist Monks and will re-invigorate the local Buddhist community. While the monastery will serve the important function of supporting and restoring Buddhist traditions and spirituality, it will also restore and invigorate the region's nomads' environmental conscience.

The Taimen will be one of the primary beneficiaries of this environmental re-emergence. As the flagship species of the Eg/Ur watershed, the Taimen is the world's largest salmonid, and, at one time, had the largest range of any salmonid. Today, Mongolia, The monastery will closely resemble the original, historical structure and will rely upon the expertise of Mongolian Buddhist for design and construction.

By supporting the re-building of Dayan Derkh monastery, you can help the Mongolian people re-claim their heritage and help protect one of the world's last great fishes. This project will require considerable financial support. The monastery will closely resemble the original, historical structure and will rely upon the expertise of Mongolian Buddhist for design and construction. For more information on the Dayan Derkh Monastery, please call the Taimen Conservation Fund at 406-222-0624 or send and e-mail to dan@sweetwatertravel.com