Last updated: April 2023
The National Garden Park is the largest park in Ulaanbaatar and the only park of its kind in the capital city of Mongolia, offering multiple environmental services, recreational and commercial functions. Currently, the park extends to 183 hectares, covering 23% of the total green construction in the city, and stretches from the northeastern part of the Marshall Bridge to the Uliastai Bridge in the Bayanzurkh district. In the long term, the park is planned to be extended to have a total area of 973 and to have 1.200.000 trees planted within the “One Million to One Billion” afforestation program. The park offers a range of recreational facilities and services for citizens, including bicycle and pedestrian areas, specialized sports areas and children's playgrounds. It also houses trade and service organizations. As a result, the park has become a popular recreational area for the citizens of the capital and is the most visited urban park in Ulaanbaatar. During the summer, it attracts an estimated 12-15 thousand visitors a day, and during the winter, it sees 6-9 thousand visitors a day. The National Garden park was officially established in 2009 with the aim of protecting the Tuul River Basin's drinking water source, reducing air pollution, and increasing green space to create a healthy eco-environment and providing recreational opportunities for the public. In 2016, the National Garden Park was designated as a local property budgetary enterprise with defined primary functions, management structure, control, and rights under the administration of the Assembly of Citizens' Representatives. The park currently employs 113 staff members (as of 2021). (Ref. 1. and 4)
NGP-Cover image
Ref. 5
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Blue infrastructure
- Lakes/ponds
- Rivers/streams/canals/estuaries
- Grey infrastructure featuring greens
- Riverbank/Lakeside greens
- Green playgrounds and school grounds
- Parks and urban forests
- Large urban parks or forests
- Botanical gardens
Key challenges
- Environmental quality
- Air quality improvement
- Noise reduction
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Green space creation and/or management
- Regeneration, land-use and urban development
- Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Improvements to water quality
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Enabling opportunities for physical activity
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social cohesion
- Social interaction
- Environmental education
- Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
- Employment/job creation
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Management and improved protection of rivers and other blue areas, Ecological restoration of ecosystems, Knowledge creation and awareness raising
Project objectives
The park development encompasses the following objectives:
- Improve water supply and enhance the safety and hygiene of water sources in the Tuul river basin;
- Reduce air pollution and noise exposure by increasing green infrastructure;
- Restore ecological balance by planting trees and shrubs to create habitats;
- Develop a world-class recreation area that complies with international standards;
- Create an eco-green zone and establish a healthy eco-environment for citizens to spend their free time in outdoor areas;
- Increase the number of job opportunities;
- Create a friendly environment for children and older people, and those with disabilities
- Provide environmental education by creating an eco-center for citizens.
(References: 1, 2, 4)
Implementation activities
The National Garden Park is planned to cover a total of 973 hectares of land, with the current implementation phase focusing on the development of a 183-hectare area. About 85% of this current phase is dedicated to green space and green infrastructure.
The main activities to support the park's creation include: i) Enhancing the Tuul river watershed by planting trees and plants, creating hedges and afforestation, and maintaining them, ii) Creating outdoor areas that offer a relaxing, healthy, and enjoyable eco-environment for citizens, such as an eco-center, pond, fountain, soccer and basketball courts, amphitheater, children's playground, open area, bikeway, walkway, skyway, athletic field, extreme sports zone, and greenhouse.
Several measures have already been carried out as part of these activities in the National Garden Park, including:
i) Restoration of a 58-hectare area along the Tuul river, with a complete lawn and afforestation of trees;
ii) Planting of about 63,000 flowers in four annual flower beds by using internal resources;
iii) Maintenance activities including irrigation, disease and pests management, trimming and cutting, mowing wild weeds and pasture grass, and fertilizing;
iv) Creation of a micro botanical garden;
v) Establishment of a 4-hectare tree nursery and two greenhouses;
vi) Organization of ecological education training sessions and inclusive activities for children, older people, and those with disabilities;
vii) Organization of initiatives to make the environment accessible for those with impairments.
(Ref. 1, 2, 3, 5)
As a result of the afforestation activities, 32 species and 170 000 and bushes have been planted in the park so far, with a survival rate of 98.5 percent (Ref. 1, 5)
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity restoration:
- Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
- Restore native species
- Restore ecological connectivity
Main beneficiaries
- National-level government
- Local government/Municipality
- Private sector/Corporate/Company
- Citizens or community groups
- Marginalized groups: Elderly people, People with functional diversities
- Young people and children
Governance
Management set-up
- Government-led
Type of initiating organisation
- National government
- Local government/municipality
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The National Garden Park is a local property budgetary enterprise that is administered by the Bayanzurkh District Assembly of Citizens in Ulaanbaatar. With support from the national government, a total of 9,732,945 m2 of land was acquired for a period of 30 years. The pre-operational management of the park was established on May 8, 2009, under the control of the Urban Development Department, following the decision of the Capital City Citizens' Representatives' Meeting and Decree No. 230 of 2009 issued by the Capital Governor and the Mayor of Ulaanbaatar.
Both state and private organizations have been involved in the plantation of forest groves in the park. In total, over 100 organizations have created forest groves and over 30 organizations have created their own-named forest area within the National Garden Park. Starting from 2023, the park will also support citizens to plant trees.
In 2010, the Art and Architects Network, a Japanese company, conducted a feasibility study for the creation of the park. Additionally, research organizations such as the Institute of Geography and the Mongolian Academy of Science, as well as the "Association of Pedology" non-governmental organization, carried out complex environmental assessments of the area and recommended planting 22 species of trees.
The project also collaborates with Seoul City Hall of South Korea, the Government of the People’s Republic of China, Japan, the European Union, and the Australian Embassy and successfully co-implemented a few projects.
(Ref 1 and 4).
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Yes
(Current national plan: Vision-2050 long-term development policy . )
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(Ulaanbaatar 2040 General Development Plan Conception (GDPC)
)
Financing
Total cost
€500,000 - €2,000,000
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
- Public national budget
- Multilateral funds/international funding
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
- Donations
- Membership or entrance fees
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of labour
- Provision of other services
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
- Private sector (businesses, financial institution)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Environmental quality
- Improved air quality
- Reduced noise exposure
- Water management and blue areas
- Improved water quality
- Enhanced protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems
- Green space and habitat
- Promotion of naturalistic styles of landscape design for urban development
- Increased green space area
- Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Increased number of species present
Economic impacts
- Increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)
- Attraction of business and investment
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
- Increased opportunities for social interaction
- Health and wellbeing
- Improved physical health
- Improved mental health
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Increased appreciation for natural spaces
- Education
- Increased support for education and scientific research
- Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
- Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts, Achieved impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
References
1. National Garden Park" official website, available at Source link (Accessed 04-03-2023)
2. National Garden Park" FB page, available at Source link (Accessed 04-03-2023)
3. National Garden Park Work plan in 2023. PDF file (Accessed 04-03-2023)
4. Brief Introduction of the National Garden Park. PDF file (Accessed 04-03-2023)
5. Protecting the drinking resources for capital citizens. PDF file (Accessed 04-03-2023)
2. National Garden Park" FB page, available at Source link (Accessed 04-03-2023)
3. National Garden Park Work plan in 2023. PDF file (Accessed 04-03-2023)
4. Brief Introduction of the National Garden Park. PDF file (Accessed 04-03-2023)
5. Protecting the drinking resources for capital citizens. PDF file (Accessed 04-03-2023)
NGP main street
Ref. 2
NGP-Irrigation system
Ref. 2
NGP pond
Ref. 2
NGP-recreation
Ref. 2
NGP- Sports area
Ref. 2
NGP- Mini botanical garden
Ref. 2
NGP - Fountain
Ref. 2
Area land in NGP
Ref. 5
NGP area
Google earth
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the "NBS 2022" UNA Asian extension project funded by the Asia-Europe Foundation.