On 5-6 October, the seventh meeting of the joint Russian-Mongolian commission on environmental protection took place in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

The meeting participants discussed cooperation aimed at wildlife protection, in particular, the migration of snow leopards across the Russian-Mongolian border. The sides adopted a decision on developing a joint programme for monitoring cross-border groups of snow leopards and recording all data on the spotted wild cats in the Snow Leopard information database.   

They also noted the need to organise prompt communication between staff members of the authorised bodies that tackle poachers and to reduce negative effects from infrastructure facilities (such as roads and pipelines) in the wild cats’ habitat.

The participants also addressed the development prospects for the cross-border protected area network. The sides agreed to sign in the short term an agreement on creating the wildlife reserves Istoki Amura, Tunka Khuvsgul (currently Tunkinsky National Park in Russia and Lake Khuvsgul National Park in Mongolia) and Silhem-Sailyugem (currently Sailyugem National Park in Russia and Silhem in Mongolia), and supported establishing an ecological station at the Russian-Mongolian-Chinese Daurian Nature Reserve.

The next meeting of the joint commission is scheduled for 2018 in Russia.