Interview: Mongolia-China eco-cooperation fruitful, says minister

ULAN BATOR, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia-China cooperation in combating desertification, conserving biodiversity, and mitigating climate change is fruitful and flourishing, Mongolia's Minister of Environment and Climate Change Saldan Odontuya has said.

Joint environmental initiatives are a key area of bilateral eco-cooperation, said the minister in an interview with Xinhua, adding that they are in line with the shared goals outlined in the 2022 joint statement on advancing the comprehensive strategic partnership in the new era between Mongolia and China.

To further strengthen cooperation in desertification prevention, the two countries have jointly established the China-Mongolia Desertification Prevention and Control Cooperation Center. A research team from Peking University is preparing a comprehensive technical and economic feasibility study, and a joint working group is conducting research on the project, the minister added.

As part of this collaboration, China has supported Mongolia's "Plant a Billion Trees" plan, which aims to plant at least 1 billion trees by 2030 to combat desertification.

China International Development Cooperation Agency has reached an agreement with Mongolia's Ministry of Economy and Development and other relevant agencies to advance desertification prevention. Additionally, Mongolian officials and environmental experts have traveled to China to learn from the country's desertification control experience.

Odontuya highlighted the success of a joint project between Mongolia and China from 2018 to 2024, which aimed at protecting the critically endangered Gobi bear (Mazaalai) through technical assistance to improve research conditions and facilitate collaboration between Mongolian and Chinese scientists.

The Gobi Desert is home to rare and endangered species, such as the Gobi bear, Przewalski's horses (Takhi), argali wild sheep, snow leopards, and migratory birds. This area is the only habitat of the critically endangered wild Bactrian camel (Khavtgai).

Looking ahead, Mongolia seeks to expand cross-border conservation efforts, with an emphasis on wildlife migration routes protection, zoonotic diseases prevention, and capacity-building, Odontuya said.

Mongolia-China cross-border preservation, collaborative research, and cross-border corridors significantly contribute to protecting the species in their native habitats and conserving biodiversity, the minister noted.

In southern Mongolia's Gobi Desert, the government is developing infrastructure in an environmentally sustainable manner to protect wildlife like the white gazelle and Mongolian wild asses (Equus hemionus), the minister said.

"We have already begun approving and implementing standards for wildlife-friendly crossings and fences," Odontuya said. "Drawing on this experience, Mongolia is ready to collaborate with China to make the border fences between the two countries more wildlife-friendly."