Katun Nature Reserve () (also Katunsky) is a Russian

zapovednik A zapovednik is an established term on the Post-Soviet states, territory of the former Soviet Union for a protected area which is kept "forever wild". It is the highest degree of environmental protection for the assigned areas, which are strictly ...

(strict nature reserve) located in the highlands of the central

Altai Mountains The Altai Mountains (), also spelled Altay Mountains, are a mountain range in Central Asia, Central and East Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan converge, and where the rivers Irtysh and Ob River, Ob have their headwaters. The ...

of south

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

. The

Katun River The Katun ( ; ) is a river in the Altai Republic and the Altai Krai of Russia. It forms the Ob as it joins the Biya some southwest of Biysk.

runs down through a valley in the reserve, serving as the primary source of the

Ob River The Ob (; ) is a major river in Russia. It is in western Siberia, and with its tributary the Irtysh forms the world's seventh-longest river system, at . The Ob forms at the confluence of the Biya and Katun which have their origins in the Alta ...

. The headwaters of the Katun River originate on Mount Belukha, the highest mountain in Siberia at , which is located on the far eastern edge of the preserve. Katun is an internationally important center of biodiversity, forming part of the "Golden Mountains of Altai"

UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

. Katun Nature Reserve is situated in the

Ust-Koksinsky District Ust-Koksinsky District (; , ''Kök-Suu Oozı aymak'') is an administrativeLaw #101-RZ and municipalLaw #10-RZ district (raion), one of the ten in the Altai Republic, Russia. It is located in the west and southwest of the republic. The area of the ...

Altai Republic The Altai Republic, also known as the Gorno-Altai Republic, is a republic of Russia located in southern Siberia. The republic borders Kemerovo Oblast to the north, Khakassia to the northeast, Tuva to the east, Altai Krai to the west, as well ...

Topography

The topography of the reserve includes glaciers, alpine tundra, meadows, and forests. Much of the terrain has been formed through glaciation, and there are small lakes, streams, waterfalls, and steep slopes.

Ecoregion and climate

Katun is located in the '' Altai alpine meadow and tundra'' ecoregion (WWF ID #PA1001). This ecoregion displays a complete sequence of altitudinal vegetation zones in central Siberia including steppe, forest-steppe, mixed forest, sub-alpine vegetation and alpine vegetation. The region is also an important habitat for endangered the snow leopard and its prey. The Katun Reserve has an ''

Alpine climate Alpine climate is the typical climate for elevations above the tree line, where trees fail to grow due to cold. This climate is also referred to as a mountain climate or highland climate. Definition There are multiple definitions of alpine cli ...

'' (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

'' (ET)''). This indicates a local climate in which at least one month has an average temperature high enough to melt snow (0 °C (32 °F)), but no month with an average temperature in excess of 10 °C (50 °F).

Flora and fauna

The reserve features 700 species of plants, 51 mammals, 140 of birds, three types of reptiles and eight fish species. Endangered species include the fawn lily (Erythronium sibericum), peony (Paeonia hybrida), spleenwort (Asplenium exiguum), and, rarely, the snow leopard (Uncia uncia). Sunset at Kucherla lake

Ecotourism

As a strict nature reserve, the Katun Reserve is mostly closed to the general public, although scientists and those with "environmental education" purposes can make arrangements with park management for visits. There are "ecotourist" routes in the reserve, however, that are open to the public, but require permits to be obtained in advance. The main office is in the town of Ust'-Koksa. Reserve rangers lead ecotourist hikes to Upper Lake Multinskiye, with groups assembling at 11:00 daily in season (July–September). There are other ecoroutes, requiring guides, to the headwaters of the Katun River.

References

External links