Strengthening Academic Ties: MULS Delegation Visits GRÓ LRT in Iceland
Last week, GRÓ LRT had the pleasure of welcoming three guests from the Mongolian University of Life Sciences (MULS): Dr Khishigjargal Mookhor, Lecturer in the Department of Ecology; Dr Bayarmaa Khenchyahav, Associate Professor in the Department of Ecology; and Dr Batbileg Bayaraa, Lecturer in the Department of Land Management and a GRÓ LRT six-month training programme graduate from 2019. Their visit was part of the ongoing Erasmus+ Mobility Project between GRÓ LRT and MULS, which runs from 2023 to 2026, and followed GRÓ LRT’s reciprocal visit to MULS earlier this year in January.
As part of the Erasmus+ mobility visit, a series of collaborative activities were held at the Keldnaholt campus in Reykjavík, aimed at strengthening the partnership between MULS, GRÓ LRT, and the Agricultural University of Iceland (AUI), while also building capacity in ecological restoration and sustainable land management. Highlights of the visit included two meetings with the AUI Faculty of Environmental and Forest Sciences to discuss curriculum development in restoration ecology and exchange best practices. A lecture was also delivered to the 2025 GRÓ LRT fellows on ecology studies at MULS, including reflections on faculty experiences with the GRÓ LRT programme. Dr. Batbileg gave a special presentation to the fellows, sharing her personal journey from participating in the GRÓ LRT programme and living in Iceland to forming lasting friendships with peers from around the world. A meeting with the AUI International Office was also held to explore future avenues for international collaboration, including further Erasmus+ cooperation between MULS and AUI. Additionally, the MULS representatives joined GRÓ LRT staff and fellows on a field trip to Gunnarsholt, the headquarters of Land and Forest Iceland in rural South Iceland. There, they gained valuable insights into Iceland’s national policies, governance structures, and initiatives related to land restoration.
GRÓ LRT has collaborated with MULS since the programme’s establishment in 2007, when the first MULS candidate participated in the six-month training. Since then, 12 MULS faculty members (from both Ulaanbaatar and Darkhan campuses) have graduated from the programme, and GRÓ LRT and MULS have jointly developed and delivered three short courses in Mongolia.
