 The Rio Tinto-led Oyotogoy mine is located in Mongolia's South Gobi desert, where access to surface water is scarce. Scholars have attributed declining water levels to climate change, predicted to become more severe as global temperatures rise. To deal with these circumstances, Oyotogoy operates with water extracted from a deep and saline aquifer. The mine is granted a licence to extract 870 litres per second or about 20% of the aquifer's capacity. In line with national legislation, the mine must pay water use fees of 50 cents per cubic metre. High costs have created incentives to reduce usage by 174 litres per second and to invest in water conservation technologies. The mine uses around 420 litres of water per tonne of processed ore, around half the industry average. In 2019, the mine recycled water at an average rate of more than 87%. To protect the quantity and quality of local water resources, Oyotogoy undergoes ongoing monitoring and assessments. The participatory environmental monitoring programme with community members adjacent to the mine has enabled information sharing on climate variability, increased transparency and foster trust between parties. While this has earned the Oyotogoy mine the reputation as an emerging best practice in the industry, critics have raised concerns that liberalisations and deregulations of Mongolia's mining regime has benefited the interest of international mining companies at the expense of local communities, the livelihoods and the environment. For example, while compliance with market-oriented frameworks have been actively pursued, the promotion of international standards relating to the environment, stakeholder engagement and human rights is lagging behind. Thus, although as illustrated by Oyotogoy, the mining industry is taking steps to promote sustainability within the sector, there is still a need to align corporate strategies with local interests and needs.