The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) sponsored the GEF Project "Strengthening of the Protected Areas Network of Mongolia (SPAN)" between 2010 and 2015 in support to the Ministry of Environment, green development and Tourism (MEGDT). The objective of the project is to catalyse the management effectiveness and financial sustainability of Mongolia's protected areas system. The project aims to develop the management and financial capacity of the Protected Area Administration Department (PAAD) under the MNET and strengthen the partnerships between PA authorities and local communities, local government, NGOs and the private sector to achieve the long-term sustainability of PA financing to allow Mongolia to cover the financing gap.

In order to achieve the overall project objective, an economic valuation of the contribution of the MNPAs to the economy was necessary, including separate reports on three pilot protected areas: Gorkhi Terelj, Ikh Nart and Orkhon Valley. This report corresponds to the Gorkhi Terelj National Park.

Mongolia, as in many countries in Central and Eastern Europe that have recently transitioned from centrally planned economies to free market economies, is starting to generate benefits from conventional sector development activities; but this is causing considerable depletion of the countries' natural capital and ecosystems services. PA's ecosystem services inputs into production processes in Mongolia are abundant and essentially free, and the negative effect of such development on ES is becoming increasingle visiible across productive sectors.