The Turquoise Hill (Oyu Tolgoi in Mongolian) area of the southern Gobi was known for its copper in the time of Genghis Khan. OT is the largest copper mine in Mongolia, with a life expectancy of more than 50 years. It is financially the largest project in Mongolian history. It is financed by the British- Australian multinational Rio Tinto Group through an investment agreement between Canadian owned Ivanhoe mines and the government of Mongolia. OT uses a combination of open pit and underground mining techniques and requires upward of a billion gallons of water per month, which is an enormous environmental concern in the fragile Gobi desert ecosystem with its ancient underground water supplies that sustain wildlife and livestock herder communities. The economic opportunities associated with the mining activities has resulted in an influx of people with their livestock into the Khanbogd soum [district] in Omnogovi Province where the mine is located, bringing with it increased rates of illegal natural resource use (e.g. firewood and medicinal plants), wildlife poaching, and overgrazing through increased livestock density. Mongolia’s Gobi desert is home to the world’s largest populations of Asiatic wild ass (or khulan) and goitered gazelle (or black-tailed gazelle);10 these ungulates are heavily impacted by the mining-related activities and changes to the ecosystem. OT is committed to Net Positive Impact (NPI) on the high value biodiversity in this region and is providing long-term funding to offset the environmental impacts of the mine. Since 2013, WCS has provided technical support to OT to develop a Core Biodiversity Monitoring and Evaluation Program to track OT’s progress on this commitment. Law enforcement teams have been trained in patrolling methods to reduce poaching around mine sites, major roads and within protected areas. Efforts are underway to determine how best to minimize negative impacts from roads and railways, and how to improve rangeland quality.