Cooperating countries: Mongolia and Austria

Coordinating institution: Gunbileg Disan, Mongolian Academy of Sciences

Partner institutions: Thomas Rosenau, Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Project duration: 1 September 2021 - 31 August 2024

The recent trend of revival and development of “traditional” medicines can be observed throughout the world, emerging as significant pharmaceutical and wellness industries, as well as objects of academic research. After almost 70 years of exclusively biomedical healthcare in Mongolia, traditional Mongolian medicine has steadily gained popularity and scholarly attention. However, such attention has so far remained limited to human medicine, while almost completely ignoring the domain of veterinary medicine.

Traditional veterinary medicine in Mongolia can be traced back through thousands of years of nomadic farming economy. Due to the widespread destruction by the Stalinist purges in the 1930s and the ensuing suppression of traditional knowledge and culture in Mongolia, there exist only few records on traditional veterinary medicine. Some of them encompass the use of “authentic herbs”, originating from a specific region or environment, which repeatedly mention those from the Gobi as of “superior” quality to generate high efficacy.

Hyper-diverse communities of long-lived trees, shrubs and various other unique plants, including more than 30 different endangered/endemic plants including Artemisia species, are distributed across the Mongolian Gobi. The ecological success of the Artemisia is due to their arsenal of special metabolites, operative against herbivores/pathogens, to mitigate effects of climate conditions, and other abiotic stresses.

Acknowledging intrinsic value and importance of such biologically active metabolites in the Gobi flora as well as their therapeutical values that underpin their use in traditional veterinary medicine (recorded in ancient manuscripts), this project specifically targets the analysis of volatile organic compounds and phenolics profiles of selected medicinal Artemisia species. High-end instrumentation and analytical methods, such as UPLC-MS, GCMS, FTIR, HPTLC and NMR, will be used to provide identification of the constituents and then to deliver in-depth metabolomics data that is of significant scholarly, and sustainable development relevance. Discovery of metabolic profile behind application of plants in animal health meets the UN SDGs, contributing to “protect, restore & promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems”, through “international cooperation on & access to science, technology & innovation & enhance knowledge sharing” between two countries & number of stakeholders. The knowledge generated from this project will be significant on both national and international level, as the biological and chemical signatures of various plants used in traditional Mongolian veterinary medicine can be transferred to other fields, including general veterinary medicine, crop science, biodiversity protection and climate mitigation etc.

This project will initiate an interdisciplinary effort to study, document and assess traditional veterinary medicines in Mongolia for the first time through an integrative approach consisting of biological, phytochemical, socio-cultural, & philological expertise. It will offer a diverse, interdisciplinary and timely research to educate and inspire students in both countries, Mongolia and Austria. Additionally, this project promotes international mobility - the results generated will feed directly into collaboration between Austrian and Mongolian scientists.

Adopted in 2015, UN 2030 Agenda for sustainable Development, entitled “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” has 17 goals recognized at national, regional and international levels. The present “Project: VetNa” will contribute to the analysis and solution of local challenges to achieve several of SDGs, especially in a field to which virtually no scientific attention has yet been paid: to traditional Mongolian veterinary medicine and plants used for it. The research outcomes generated from this project will be significant on a (inter)national level, as the biological and chemical signatures of various Artemisia species and the relation to their traditional use in veterinary medicince can be transferred to various fields, including general veterinary medicine, biodiversity protection and climate mitigation, while promoting scientific capacity building and cooperation development in both involved partner countries, Mongolia ad Austria. Herewith, we describe the relevance and contribution in addressing several of the 17 goals by the end of proposed project:

According to the NSO-WB poverty report, Mongolia is struggling to translate the benefits of its economic growth into household welfare, especially for the herders who are highly vulnerable to livestock related issues; lack of official veterinary healthcare, price fluctuation and natural disasters/pastural degradation caused by the climate change/desertification risking them to slip into poverty in an event of unanticipated schocks.

The knowledge gathered during this project will allow the herders to re-utilize and re-develop traditional veterinary practices, which relies on plants; affordable, readily available, easy to administer, and effective. Herders gain the knowledge to choose renewable source-based animal healthcare products and services (Goal #12 Sustainbale consumption and production). On the other hand, hunger among vulnerable people in
Mongolia stems mostly from the natural disaster and diseases, which result in livestock-dependent food insecurity. Using knowledge from this research, herders and individuals will be able to better sustain their life style, (Goal #1 No poverty), improve food security and nutrition value (Goal #2 Zero Hunger).

The scientific results will be open-access and with engagement in social media platform, media outlets and multiple stakeholders will allow broadly disseminating information, which will positively contribute the sustainability of livestock-related activities resulting improved lifestyle (Goal #3 Good health and wellbeing) in the rural areas.

The cooperation development project will foster advanced training of post-graduate students and junior researchers at the Master/PhD level in both countries in gender-responsive manner (Goal #5 Gender equality). Especially, those from the target country will have a chance to improve their professional skills and gain experiences. Academic events i.e. seminars, symposiums and supervision of the junior associates will broaden
the knowledge and deepen the experience (Goal #4 Quality education). Improving the research skills and research capacity in the institution in target country, promoting science/education/innovation, knowledge sharing will stimulate economic and social development (Goal #8 Decent work and economic development), innovation (Goal #9 Infrastructure, industry and innovation) on a long-term basis.

The chemical signatures unique for the Mongolian Gobi plants are full of valuable scientific information, which can be translated to the sustainable use of plant resources, animal healthcare, combat desertification, and also biodiversity protection (Goal #15 Life on land, Goal #13 Climate action). Development of analytical methods and evaluation of the data will result in a sound data/robust database on chemical profile on both global and targeted approach on high-value metabollites with relation to the traditional application in veterinary medicine, the first of its kind. This will ensure long-term cooperation development between Austrian and Mongolian research organizations across their research field also after termination of the present project, contributing to the protection of ecosystems of tomorrow.

Publishing open access, increasing public access to the scientific information as well as providing transparency and scientific ethic/accountability on research, promoting social cohesion between various stakeholders (Goal #16 Peace, justice and strong institutions), building close scientific partnership, promoting good scientific practices/knowledge and technology sharing between Austrian and Mongolian as well as international scientific scene will assist in development of sustainable development and expansion of the research partnership (Goal #17 Partnership for achieving the goals).