In 2004, the establishment of the Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold mine in Mongolia's Gobi Desert forced nomadic herders to resettle without prior consultation, leading to a rare instance of successful community activism when herders filed complaints against the mining operation. After years of advocacy, herders reached a landmark agreement with the mining company in 2017, establishing a three-party council and securing 60 separate commitments including US$1.2 million in compensation, training programs, scholarships, and promises to improve water access. However, by 2025, the most critical commitments remained unfulfilled, with only 12 of the recommended 75 water wells constructed, continued water contamination from mining waste leakage, and the diversion of the crucial Undai River and sacred Bor Ovoo spring, which resulted in a precipitous decline in herding households – from 250 compensated families to fewer than 125 still maintaining their ancestral livelihood, with those remaining forced to migrate hundreds of kilometres in search of adequate pastureland.