Experts from Russia and the US will jointly monitor the polar bear and snow goose populations in Chukotka and Alaska, the website of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment reports. A relevant agreement was signed during a meeting of the working group on Area 5, "Protection of Nature and the Organization of Reserves" that took place on March 22-24 in San Diego, US.

The co-chairman of the Russian section of the working group, deputy head of the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources, Amirkhan Amirkhanov, and James Kurth, co-chairman of the American section of the working group and deputy director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, signed off on the program.

The parties discussed the results from the period of 2013 to 2015 and drafted a working plan for 2016 to 2018. In the previous period, Russia and the US shared their respective experiences in managing specially protected areas, including joint research, their work with visitors, educational and volunteer programs. The two countries also held events as part of the Russian-American intergovernmental treaty on coordinated management of the shared Alaska-Chukotka polar bear population, and on research and preservation of sea mammals, salmon species and their habitats.

Participants in the meeting also discussed the results of their joint study on the condition and dynamics of the Bering and Chukotka seas' ecosystems, and other issues.

"Our cooperation has proved its effectiveness over these years. A lot of work has been done, in particular, a draft program on cooperation in preserving wildlife for the period 2016 to 2018 was developed," Amirkhanov said.

The next meeting of the Area 5 working group will take place in Russia in 2018.