The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) will establish an eco-route for tourists through the natural habitat of the snow leopard and wild mountain sheep in Mongolia to protect the rare species.

The project was designed to increase local residents” income from tourism and encourage them to protect the animals instead of hunting them illegally, Xinhua news agency quoted local media as saying.

According to the report, the eco-route is expected to open in 2013 and will pass through Mongolia”s western region and neighbouring areas of Russia.

The route will be managed by Mongolia and Russia.

Human impacts on the rare animals will be controlled by limiting tourist numbers on each trip which lasts for two weeks.

A trip will cost no more than two million Mongolian tugriks (US$1,400).