Lake Khovsgol the blue pearl of Mongolia.

Mongolia's Lake Khovsgol is one of the major ecological gems of Central Asia. Until recently only Soviet scientists worked in the region. Over the past decade, the authors have documented and researched the lake and its ecosystems in order to inform a wider public. These data will prove invaluable as increased herding, tourism and fuel oil transport lead to changes in runoff, water quality and erosion patterns.

A very long time ago an old woman lived with her two daughters on the side of a deep valley in the mountains of northern Mongolia. She tended goats, and every da