China to help Mongolia in Gobi bear protection

China will help Mongolia with its technology to protect and preserve the Gobi bear, reports the Xinhua News Agency.

It's part of a new agreement between the two countries specifically for the protection of the Gobi bear and its living environment.

Under the deal, the Chinese Academy of Forestry will provide technological and management assistance to Mongolia to protect its rare Gobi bears from extinction.

China will also provide financial help for a three-year Gobi bear conservation project.

This will include assistance in scientific research of the Gobi bear's population and environment, as well as money for research equipment.

150 infrared automatic cameras will be set up in western Mongolia's Great Gobi conservation area for the monitoring of the Gobi bear.

Gobi bears, first documented in the 1920s near the Altai mountain range in western Mongolia, are listed as critically endangered in the Mongolian Redbook of Endangered Species.

Surveys of the vast region suggest there are only around 20 Gobi bears left in the Great Gobi conservation area.

(CHINA PLUS)