Experts from China, Russia, Mongolia and Kazakhstan agreed Thursday on the necessary of a bid for including the extension of the Golden Mountains of Altai on the World Heritage list.

The experts will gradually work out the criteria on the candidate regions in the extension of Golden Mountains of Altai for application for the World Heritage list.

The experts were expected to sign a memorandum of understanding on cooperation guidelines in this regard, according to an international workshop here that ended Thursday.

According to the decision of the World Heritage Committee 22nd Session, the Golden Mountain of Altai in Russia had been inscribed under natural criterion in 1998, and another World Cultural Heritage site – the petroglyphic Complexes of the Mongolia Altai – is located near it.

To better protect the natural landscapes and cultures, China, Russia, Mongolia and Kazakhstan will coordinate their efforts for the application of the extension of Golden Mountains of Altai.

The Altai region is an important and original center of biodiversity of plant and animal species. It winds its way through China, Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia for over 2,000 kilometers.

The region boasts more than 2,000 plant species. The mountain range is also an important habitat for rare and endangered animal species such as the snow leopard.