Scientists from China and Russia have jointly started a program to monitor migratory waterfowl in border regions to better prevent and control disease outbreaks.

The program is carried out in accordance with an action plan on protecting rare animals, signed by China and Russia in 2012, said Wang Xiaolong, a professor with Northeast Forestry University who is attending a seminar on ecological risk management and control in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

The program will study the health conditions and ecological safety of wild animals in circumpolar regions and participate in the protection of Arctic biodiversity, Wang said.

It will also carry out study on the influence of pesticide residue and oil leaks in extremely cold sea waters on bird health, he added.

China and Russia share a 4,300-km-long border. It is estimated that about 2.5 million birds from more than 230 species inhabit the eastern border area of Heilongjiang.

Each autumn, migratory birds fly to China's southern regions as well as to southeast Asian countries for winter.

The surveillance program will help scientists better understand the common diseases among migratory birds and thus better prevent disease outbreaks, Wang said.