The People
Behind the River

Dr. Bayaraa Gantulga

Executive Director

18 years in Mongolian coldwater river conservation. Founding director of the Natural Fish Breeding. IUCN Freshwater Fish Specialist Group member and advisor to the Mongolian Ministry of Environment.

Enkhjargal Dorj

Deputy Director & Conservation Lead

Coordinates all conservation programs and international partnerships. Her environmental law background secured protected corridor agreements along 180 km of the rivers of Mongolia.

Dr. Munkhjargal Bat-Erdene

Senior Aquatic Biologist

Leads population monitoring and spawning habitat research for Taimen and Lenok. Published 14 peer-reviewed papers on salmonid ecology in Central Asian river systems.

Otgonbayar Sukhbaatar

Research Technician & GIS Analyst

Manages all field data collection, spatial mapping of fish habitat corridors, and the project's long-term population database spanning 12 years of continuous monitoring.

Dr. Amarsaikhan Dorligjav

Water Quality Specialist

Conducts continuous river chemistry analysis, temperature profiling, and turbidity assessments to track habitat health across all three active monitoring zones.

Tuvshinjargal Gantsooj

Field Operations Manager

Leads all river expeditions on our rivers and its tributaries. Expert in electrofishing, PIT-tagging, and remote camp operations in Mongolia's extreme seasons.

Narantsetseg Bat-Ochir

Hatchery Manager

Oversees our rivers propagation facility, managing the captive breeding program for Taimen and Lenok. Maintains protocols for health monitoring, disease prevention, and release conditioning.

Batbayar Boldbaatar

Senior Field Technician

Specialist in passive integrated transponder systems and acoustic telemetry. Tracks individual fish movements across 200+ km of monitored river corridor year-round.

Tserenpuntsag Namsrai

Community Engagement Director

Builds and sustains relationships with herder communities along the rivers of Mongolia. Developed the project's co-stewardship framework, now adopted by three aimag governments.

Gantulga Boldbaatar

Youth Education Coordinator

Runs river literacy programs in 24 schools across Arkhangai Province, equipping the next generation with the knowledge and agency to become river advocates.

Dolgorsuren Myagmar

Communications & Documentation

Leads field documentation, photography, and storytelling. Her work has appeared in National Geographic Mongolia, BBC Earth, and the IUCN annual report.