PR Newswire
A new Mongolian sustainability movement is carrying forward the late Dr. Jane Goodall's message of empathy and environmental action. The "Mongolia is Horse Heaven Movement," founded by herder advocate Batkhuu Naranbadrakh, is honouring Goodall's final appeal to protect one of humanity's oldest partners – the horse.
In a video released for the first World Horse Day on July 11, 2025, Goodall said: "World Horse Day is not just a celebration – it's a call to protect one of humanity's oldest partnerships."
That statement has become the touchstone for Mongolia's expanding effort to restore grasslands, safeguard animal welfare, and revive nomadic livelihoods through compassion-based climate action.
Paris Meeting Sparked Collaboration
A pivotal November 2023 meeting in Paris between Goodall and Naranbadrakh forged what both called a "Legacy of Hope." Together, they began developing the Grassland Carbon and Compassion Framework, integrating rangeland carbon accounting into Mongolia's NDC 3.0 under the Paris Agreement.
The framework – backed by the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Environment Programme – will debut at COP17 in Mongolia in August 2026, highlighting herder-led solutions to land degradation.
"Hope is not a wish – it's a choice," Goodall often said. Naranbadrakh adds, "One soul can replant a steppe; together, we heal the Earth."
Empathy-Driven Sustainability
Founded in 2021, the Mongolia is Horse Heaven Movement unites more than 3,000 herders combating desertification across 129 million hectares of pastureland – 76 percent of which is now degraded.
The initiative rewards sustainable herding with carbon-credit income, promotes eco-tourism, and markets organic dairy products under the national Green Herder Standard.
In 2022, the United Nations honoured the movement with its Sustainable Development Leadership Award. The same year, the UN General Assembly adopted World Horse Day (July 11), endorsed by President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, recognizing Mongolia as a global centre for equine-assisted therapy and conservation.
Education and Human Connection
The movement's Empathy Education Program, launched in March 2025, has linked 3,000 children with herder families to care for young animals – a model now being reviewed by UNICEF and the World Health Organization for its mental-health benefits.
Naranbadrakh's rescue of the gray horse Naidvar ("Hope"), later blessed by Pope Francis, has become a global symbol of mercy – an image Goodall described as "the spirit of compassion in motion."
Continuing the Mission
As Mongolia prepares to host COP17, the Horse Heaven Movement stands as a living extension of Goodall's message that empathy can heal both people and planet.
"Let us, metaphorically, ride together and build a more peaceful world through empathy, education, and our shared love of horses."
– Dr. Jane Goodall, World Horse Day 2025
About the Mongolia is Horse Heaven Movement
Founded by Batkhuu Naranbadrakh, the movement empowers Mongolian herders to restore rangelands, diversify incomes, and promote empathy education. Recognized by the United Nations for sustainable-development leadership, it bridges ancient nomadic wisdom with modern environmental science.
Video: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2813314/Mongolia_is_Horse_Heaven_Movement.mp4
Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2811670/Jane_and_Nara_meeting.jpg
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