In 1978, The Foundation signed with the Mongolian People's Republic a formal agreement to cooperate in the study, monitoring, conservation, management and development of the country's wildlife. The Foundation had identified as a conservation priority the High Altaï range, with its population of argali (Ovis ammon ammon), siberian ibex (Capra ibex sibirica), snow leopard ( Panthera uncia), wolves (Canis lupus), and marmots (Marmotta marmotta). The Mongolian People's Republic government agreed to designate the Khukhtsyrh Reserve, of approximately 100,000 hectares in the highest massif of the High Altaï, to conserve the exceptional wild flora and fauna of this region.