D.Dorjgotov: Basic geographic research is the assurance of the nation's independence and the very being

Society
e.erdenejargal@montsame.gov.mn
2022-11-24 22:15:30

The Supreme Decoration of the Mongolian State, the Order of Chinggis Khaan, acceptance speech by D. Dorjgotov.

 

“Dear His Excellency the President of Mongolia,


State and social dignitaries,


Esteemed Laureates of the Supreme Decoration of the Mongolian State, the Order of Chinggis Khaan, and fellow scientists and scholars,


I would like to convey my profound appreciation and joy that the government greatly valued my selfless effort in the fields of geography and soil science for many years and that I was awarded the Supreme Decoration of the Mongolian State, the Order of Chinggis Khaan by the President’s decree.


The fact that the government is presenting me with this prestigious award on behalf of hundreds of my fellow scientists and researchers shows a high evaluation, great trust, and deep respect for our industry at a time when science and technology are the guarantees of long-term sustainable development of any country and the catalyst for rapid development. I am sincerely appreciative and receive the award with profound gratitude.


History of the vast empire founded by Great Chinggis Khaan, who was raised in the valley of the three rivers and the holy hearth of us Mongolians’ ancestors, the Burkhan Khaldun, is inextricably tied to the mountains, rivers, and soil of nature.


As it is narrated in the Secret History of the Mongols, Chinggis Khaan searched for the best and most befitting conditions, the clearest of waters, the best of grass, the highest of mountains, and the most spacious of steppes, to establish the most powerful empire of nomads in the history when the world was shattering and the wars were destructing the world. Put in modern terms, the lands Chinggis Khaan ruled over are now our modern-day Gobi, Khangai, and the fertile terrains of the Mongol steppes. Therefore, the specific features of those lands' toponymy, the qualities, and features of the soil, their nutritional qualities, and their topographic and geological properties, also, occupy their own place in the writing of the great history. And it is one of the factors, precisely, the geographic factors have been at the focus of multi-faceted researches and history.


The scientists of our age have been ceaselessly working for 98 years to advance all areas of geography in our nation as they are acutely aware that basic geographic research is the assurance of the nation's independence and existence and I am grateful that I have moderately contributed over the past 60 years. I am proud of all of my colleagues.


In collaboration with my fellow scholars, I have developed the three editions of “The National Atlas of Mongolia”, a scientific-graphic directory that contains comprehensive information on the territory, administrative structure, natural-geographical conditions, natural resources, population, history, culture, agriculture, social and economic aspects of our country, authored dozens of books and works on soil origin, classification, mapping, quality assessment, chemical-physical properties, fertility, and usage, along with conducting over 50 basic research and field analysis that nearly covered the entire territory of Mongolia. I also published major research works such as “Ecological Atlas of the Baikal Lake basin”, and “Selenge-Baikal Lake Regional Ecological and Geographic Atlas”.


As a result of this research, we are now able to categorize every type of soil in Mongolia in line with the current scientific standards, refine and validate our own resource estimation approach, and fostered the scientific knowledge to assess and safeguard their state on an ecosystem-scale.


I want to express my sincere gratitude to the leadership of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, the academic staff at the Institute of Geography and Geoecology, my fellow researchers, lecturers, and students of the National University of Mongolia, the Mongolian State University of Education and the Mongolian University of Life Sciences and my family for their confidence in me, cooperation, and support to complete all these works.


Honorable Mongol state and my dear people, I, an aged scholar, wholeheartedly urge you to respect, cherish, and preserve the pristine Mongol land you were born to by the will of destiny, from generation to generation to come.


May the fruits of knowledge ever grow and our motherland Mongolia ever prosper!”