Two of Central Asia's rarest species, Przewalski's Horse and the Gobi Bear, should be protected with stricter conservation measures, experts said ahead of an international conference in Manila.
The numbers of these two species is dwindling, prompting the government of Mongolia to ask for them to be given the highest protection status at the conference, organizers of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) said in a press statement on Sunday.
The meeting is taking place from Monday in the Philippine capital, organized by the country's environment ministry as well as other partners including the United Nations Environment Program.
The rapid demise of the reddish-brown Przewalski's Horse, which used to roam the vast plains of western Mongolia and northern China, has been largely due to severe winters.
There are only about 45 remaining Gobi Bears, a small bear regarded as a national treasure by Mongolians. They are found only in the extreme hot or cold environment of the Gobi Desert and there are none in captivity, the organizers said.
‘Conserving these species requires coordinated planning across borders with a commitment to eliminate barriers to migration, protect habitat from degradation and fight poaching and illegal trade,’ the statement said.