Ulan Bator, July 25 : Twenty-five marmots have been recently reintroduced in the northern Mongolian province of Darkhan-Uul, the provincial Department of Environment and Tourism said Thursday.

The move is part of the country's efforts to preserve ecological balance and protect natural resources, the department said in a statement, reported Xinhua news agency.

Prior to the work, volunteers of Khongor soum (an administrative subdivision) in the province have reintroduced a total of 35 individuals of Siberian or Mongolian marmot during the last two years having brought them from Khustai Nuruu National Park.

Marmots living in Mongolia are represented by two species -- the grey marmot and the Siberian marmot. The habitat characteristics of these species cover an area of about 235,000 square kilometers, which is 15.6 percent of the entire territory of Mongolia.

/IANS