Description of the attraction
Altai State Natural Reserve is a unique specially protected territory of Russia, which is a UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage Site. The history of the reserve began on April 16, 1932.
In terms of biological diversity, the Altai Reserve occupies one of the leading places among the protected areas of the country. The reserve is located in the north-east of the Altai Republic, in the Turachak and Ulagan districts. The central estate of the nature reserve is located in the village of Yaylyu, and the central office is in the capital of the Republic, the city of Gorno-Altaysk. Today the Altai Reserve consists of four departments: a science department, an environmental education department, a conservation department, and an economic department.
The total area of the reserve is more than 881,235 hectares, including the water area of Lake Teletskoye with an area of 11,757 hectares. The territory of the Altai Nature Reserve is gradually increasing towards the southeast. The main ecosystems of the reserve are lakes, Siberian taiga, taiga low and medium mountains, alpine and subalpine high and medium mountains, glacial-nival highlands, tundra-steppe highlands, tundra highlands and middle mountains.
The purest springs, streams with cold water are scattered everywhere in the mountains. The largest alpine lake is Dzhulukol, located at the headwaters of the Chulyshman. Its length is about 10 km. Among the most common tree species are pine, cedar, spruce, fir, birch. The high-mountain cedar forests are considered the real pride of the reserve. In general, the flora of the reserve consists of more than 1,500 species of higher vascular plants, 111 species of fungi and 272 species of lichens.
One of the main species of animals living in the Altai taiga is sable. Ungulates live here: reindeer, red deer, Siberian goat and Siberian roe deer, mountain sheep, musk deer and so on. The Siberian ibex is very common in mountain ranges. Altai mountain sheep live in the south of the reserve and in the adjacent territory.
