Golden Mountains of Altai

The Altai mountains are located at the junction of Central Asia and Siberia. This territory, included into the World Heritage List in 1998, contains lots of peculiar features that give this unique area its striking and fascinating beauty.

There are few places in the world that embrace such a variety of contrasting landscapes within such a limited land area. Thanks to the varying elevation of the terrain, this area contains 5 altitude belts.

The flora and fauna of the region are unique and diverse. The Altai cedar forests that consist of the Siberian cedar pine, still grow in the area. These forests give cover and food to the diverse wildlife.

Here are also Siberia's largest alpine and sub-alpine meadows. The vegetation of the Southern Altai, where semi-desert, steppe and tundra have established close inter-relationships, produces its own peerless coloration. Diverse landscapes facilitated creation and preservation of endemic species who very often have vary small habitats. This area is a home for 60 mammalian species, 11 species of amphibians and reptiles and 20 fish species. Among

rare species worth mentioning, is the snow leopard - one of the most beautiful cats in the world, with only a few surving in the Altai Mountains.

The exciting geological past of the region is reflected in the differing in their age rock formations comprising the Altai, and peculiar terrain shapes like, for example, the magnificent terraces of the Katun River valley, overwhelming in their grandeur, and grandiose Mount Belukha - the highest mountain in Siberia (4,506 m above the sea level), crowned with glaciers and snowfields and overlooking all the adjacent mountain ranges from almost a thousand meters above. River valleys and first of all those of the Katun and Chulymshan Rivers, look like deep and narrow canyons.

The valley of the Chulymshan is particularly colorful, decorated with of its multiple side tributaries, is particularly picturesque. The Teletskoye Lake is the true pearl of the Altai, which is very often called «the Smaller Baikal» for its clearest waters, majestic mountain crown around it and rich wildlife.

The unique nature diversity of the region has influenced the culture and religion of the local population - the Altaians. The achievements of the Altai folk-medicine are valued very high. As N.K. Rerikh once wrote "Lots of peoples came to the Altai and left their traces there: the Scythians, the Huns, the Turki". Outstanding scientists of our times call the Altai an open-air museum.

The territory inscribed into the World Heritage List in December of 1998, consists of three large areas: the Altaisky Nature Reserve with the Teletskoe Lake, the Katunsky Nature Reserve with the "Mount Belukha" Natural Park and the Ukok Plateau. Each area, to some extent, suffers from human activities with the Altai Nature Reserve suffering more than the others.

Much damage to the environment and indigenous population residing in the regions adjacent to Tuva comes from second stages of spaceships launched from the Baikanur space-aunch complex and falling down in this area. The effects of space fuel, heptyl, absorbed by soils along with precipitation, on people to date are not entirely known.

Poaching is also quite a frequent phenomenon here. The "Mount Belukha" Natural Park suffers from uncontrolled tourism. The Ukok Plateau is facing a real threat posed by a project for the construction of a Russia-China road and oil pipeline.