Monitoring Program for Altai argali in transboundary zone of Russia and Mongolia approved by both countries

8-th meeting of Russian-Mongolian joint commission on environmental protection took place on November, 8-10 2018 in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation. Russian delegation was headed by deputy Director of Rosprirodnadzor A. Amirkhanov, Mongolian delegation by State Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism Ts. Tsengel.

As the main outcome of the meeting Russia and Mongolia officially approved the Monitoring Program for Altai argali in transboundary zone of Russia and Mongolia. 

Altai mountain sheep population in the transboundary zone of Russia and Mongolia amounts up to 4675 sheep, 1295 of them inhabit Russia and 3380 Mongolia.

The protocol of the commission includes the plans on establishing the net on transboundary environmental monitoring and development of the international biological station in Dauria, transboundary Russian-Mongolian-Chinese Nature Reserve. Both countries also agreed on the further steps towards establishing the transboundary protected areas: Tunka-Khuvsgul and Siilkhem – Sailugem and proposed the development of management plan for Siilkhem – Sailugem. 

Russia and Mongolia supported the cooperation of Sokhondinsky (Russia) and Onon-Baldzhinsky (Mongolia) Nature Reserves in the field of migratory species monitoring such as Mongolian gazelle (Procapra gutturosa), Great Bustard (Otis tarda) and White-naped Crane (Antigone vipio). The countries approved the joind action plan for Ubsunurskaya Kotvoliva Biosphere Nature Reserve. The international festival the land of the Snow Leopard is planned to be hold annually as the transboundary event in the snow leopard habitat. Both sides agreed on the key threat for the transboundary conservation: infrastructure development and habitat fragmentation, infrastructure objects such as border zones and wires along the border, the need for cooperation in the field of law enforcement and illegal wildlife trade, awareness raising of local people. The next meeting of the Commission is scheduled to 2019 in Mongolia.

Russia and Mongolia share as long as 3500 kilometers of border line. The migratory species such as saiga, Altai mountain sheep inhabiting the transboundary area demands effective cooperation of both countries. Russian-Mongolian joint commission on environmental protection was established to join the efforts of two countries on conservation.