by Gereltsetseg Adiya, Oyuntulkhuur Jukov, Itgemjit Gankhuyag and Azjargal Amarsanaa
With the enforcement of Mongolia’s Law on Special Protected Area (*), 97% of Tsagaannuur soum in Khuvsgul province where the Tsaatan live has been declared a strictly protected zone. This has placed major restrictions on their traditional way of life: hunting, seasonal migration, reindeer herding, and pasture use have all become increasingly limited. These restrictions directly affect their food security, cultural traditions, and quality of life.
Recognizing that the Tsaatan voices have been systematically excluded from designing, implementing and evaluating policies, this participatory and culturally responsive evaluation demonstrates how meaningful participation can transform the evaluation of conservation policies – by centering Tsaatan people’s traditional knowledge and ensuring their perspectives directly shape evaluations and are considered in policy making, that affect their ancestral lands.
The chapter we present in the book 
Dear friends of EvalParticipativa,
The EvalParticipativa Podcast is a platform for exchange and collaboration within the Community of Practice and Learning on Participatory Evaluation in Latin America. Each episode seeks to explore and share the knowledge and experiences of key figures in participatory evaluation across the region, where the professional intersects with the personal, and evaluative practice is closely linked to the lived experiences and stories of the interviewees.
Over the past two decades, the movement aimed at achieving evidence-based policies has gained importance and prominence. It holds that policymakers should base their decisions on the best available evidence regarding “what works,” rather than on ideologies or in response to particular interests.
When I wrote 
DEVICES FOR COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH, ITINERANT COLLECTIVE MAPPING, CRITICAL CARTOGRAPHIES AND PEDAGOGICAL RESOURCES FOR COMMUNITY USE
The EvalParticipativa podcast continues to serve as a platform for the exchange and dissemination of knowledge and experiences among specialists and key figures in participatory evaluation, both from Latin America and other international contexts. Its purpose is to offer an integrative perspective, in which evaluative practice is interwoven with professional trajectories, personal experiences, and the territorial specificities of the interviewees.
Recognising the political nature of evaluation opens a transformative door: the possibility of turning it into a tool for democratisation. When we recognise that evaluation has a political role, we acknowledge its capacity to challenge narratives and make realities visible. It is about expanding our understanding of what constitutes valid evidence and who has the right to produce it.
Storytelling is a practice found in all cultures since the dawn of humanity. Through this medium, societies not only communicate, educate and entertain, but also preserve values, knowledge, and collective memory. While it may seem simple, storytelling is a complex art that has evolved over time, adapting to changing contexts and contemporary challenges.