Nearly 20 international cooperation programs for wild animal protection were carried out in 2005 in northwest China's Gansu Province which boasts a wide variety of wild species, a source with the local wild animal protection department said.

In the past few years, the province has acquired more than 10 cooperation programs for the protection of giant pandas, one of the world's most endangered animals only found in China, with Gansu as one of their major habitats.

Five giant panda protection programs got under way in 2005, such as the geographical information system for giant pandas and the construction of observation stations. The five programs cost 5.1 million yuan (US$630,000), according to the source.

In addition, Gansu will carry out cooperation programs for protecting wild camels, golden monkeys and snow leopards, which are all rare animals in China, with such organizations as the the UK-based Wild Camel Protection Foundation and the International Snow Leopard Trust.

With an area of 454,000 square km, Gansu is home to 112 kinds of state-protected animals, including giant panda, golden monkey, and snow leopard. More than 30 nature reserves have been established in Gansu for the protection of its wildlife resources.

(Xinhua News Agency February 12, 2006)