Golden Mountains of Altai
| Golden Mountains of Altai* | |
|---|---|
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| |
| State Party |  Russian Federation
|
| Type | Natural |
| Criteria | x |
| Reference | 768 |
| Region** | Europe |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1998 (22nd Session) |
| * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. ** Region as classified by UNESCO. | |
The Altai Mountains are a mountain system of Central Asia that extends approximately 1,200 miles (2,000 km) in a southeast-northwest direction from the Gobi Desert to the West Siberian Plain, through Chinese, Mongolian, Russian, and Kazak territory, where these countries come together, and where the great rivers Irtysh, Ob and Yenisei have their sources.
A vast area in southern Siberia, in the Russian territory of the Altai Republic, has been protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998. The area covers 6,222 square miles (16,115 sq km), of which 3,869 sq mi (10,020 sq km) is strictly protected and 2,353 sq mi (6095 sq km) have a lower protected status. [1]
The Site area includes the Altai and Katun Natural Reserves, Lake Teletskoye, Mount Belukha and the Ukok Plateau. As stated in the UNESCO description of the site, "the region represents the most complete sequence of altitudinal vegetation zones in central Siberia, from steppe, forest-steppe, mixed forest, subalpine vegetation to alpine vegetation."
While making its decision, UNESCO also cited Russian Altai's importance for preservation of globally endangered mammals, such as the snow leopard and the Altai argali, the world's largest breed of wild sheep. [2]
Altai State Nature Reserve
The Altai State Nature Reserve was established in 1932 in order to protect the taiga and highland tundra. The 3,335 square mile (8639 sq km) reserve is located in the upper reaches and right bank of the Tchulyshman River and the Teletskoye Lake.
While its location near the center of Asia is generally a temperate-continental climate, there is a variety of climatic conditions over this vast area. The reserve contains 1,190 lakes having an area of over 2.5 acres each. The lakes' depth is considerable at 115-165 feet (35-50 m). The main reservoir of the Reserve, Teletskoye Lake, is the largest and considered the most beautiful lake of Altai.
Four vertical zones exist in the Reserve - steppe, forest, sub-Alpine and Alpine. In these zones are 1,270 plant species, 73 mammal species, about 300 bird species, 10 species of amphibians and reptiles. The most common animals are the maral, elk, brown bear, musk-deer, sable, glutton, lynx, squirrel, chipmunk, snow leopard. Among birds - wood-grouse, hazel-grouse, eagle-owl, willow grouse and ptarmigan, redstart and others. There are 13 fish species in Lake Teletskoye. Grayling is found in majority of the rivers. [3]
Katun State Nature Preserve
The Katun State Nature Preserve was established on July 25, 1991 for the purpose of protecting unique natural complexes in the area of Central Altai Republic.
The lakes in the Preserve are not large, but are quite scenic. They are situated in glacier and river valleys. There are also many mountain streams with picturesque waterfalls, as well as glaciers and precipitous rocks.
Plant and animal life is varied and unique. There are 700 plant species, 51 mammal species, 140 bird species, three species of reptiles and eight fish species. Among fur-bearing animals are the chipmunk, squirrel, and sable. Hoofed animals include elk, maral, musk-deer. Siberian mountain goat, brown bear, lynx and glutton, as well as ermine, Siberian weasel, mink, and weasel are also to be found. [3]
Lake Teletskoye
Lake Teletskoye, literally "Golden Lake," is the largest lake in the Altai Mountains and within the Altai Republic. It is one of 25 deepest lakes in the world, having a depth of up to 1066 feet (325 meters). [3]
Situated at a height of 1,424 feet (434 m) above sea level, the lake is 48 miles (78 km) long and three miles (five km) wide and lies between the mountain ridges Korbu and Al-tyntu, on the junction of Sailughem Mountains and Western Sayans. Its surface area is 90 square miles (233 sq km); however, due to its considerable depth (1,066 ft - 325 m), the lake contains no less than 15 square miles (40 sq km) of fresh water. Annual water level fluctuations are estimated at some 348 sm. The lake transparency is high, with the visibility of the lake water ranging from six to fourteen meters.
About 70 rivers and 150 temporary streams flow into the lake, the largest of them, Chulyshman River, supplying more than half of the lake's water. The lake is drained through a single outlet, the Biya River, which, after its confluence with the Katun River, forms one of Siberia's largest rivers, the Ob River.
The lake is surrounded by mountains of 1,968 - 4,265 feet (600-1,300 m) in the northern section and about 5,578 - 7,874 feet (1,700-2,400 m) in the southern part. It is surrounded by mountains and dark-coniferous - mostly cedar - taiga.
Mount Belukha
Belukha Mountain, located in the Katun Mountains, is the highest peak of the Altai Mountains in Russia. [4]
Belukha is a twin-peaked mountain massif that rises along the border of Russia and Kazakhstan, just north of the point where these two borders meet those of China and Mongolia. There are several small glaciers on the mountain. Of the two peaks, the eastern (14,784 feet - 4,506 m) is higher than the western (14,567 feet - 4,440 m). Some 27 square miles (70 square km) of Belukha's surface is glacier-covered. The mountain lies in a region of year-round snow.
Belukha was first climbed in 1914 by the Tronov brothers. Most ascents of the eastern peak follow the same southern route as that taken in the first ascent. Though the Altai is lower in elevation than other Asian mountain groups, it is very remote, and much time and planning are required for its approach.
Ukok Plateau
Ukok Plateau is a remote and pristine grasslands area located in the heart of southwestern Siberia, the Altai Mountains region of Russia near the borders with China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. The Pazyryk is the name of an ancient people who lived in the Altai Mountains on this plateau, and who are associated with some spectacular archeological findings, including mummies found frozen in the permafrost. Many ancient Bronze Age tomb mounds have been found in the area and have been associated with the Pazyryk culture which closely resembled that of the legendary Scythian people to the west. [5] The term kurgan is in general usage to describe such log-barrow burials. Excavations of this site have continued to yield fascinating archaeological findings. [6]
One of the most well-known of the discoveries in the Ukok Plateau region is the "Ice Princess" excavated by Russian archaeologist, Natalia Polosmak. [7] Three tattooed mummies (c. 300 B.C.E.) were extracted from the permafrost of the Ukok Plateau in the second half of the 20th century. [8] The Ice Maiden and other archaeological finds were located within a disputed strip of land between Russia and China. The Ice Princess is now being stored in Novosibirsk (Russia's third largest city). The indigenous population of Altai have demanded a return of these artifacts to the Ukok, decrying the "desecration of the Altain sacred place." [9]
Concerns
The Ukok Plateau is recognized as an important environmental treasure which provides a habitat for many of the world's endangered species including one of its least studied predatory animals: the snow leopard. Other endangered species protected there include the Argali mountain sheep, the steppe eagle, and the Black Stork. [10]
The snow leopard is considered an "indicator species" by scientists, meaning one by which the health of an entire environment can be determined. Because these animals are hunted for their bones and fur, as well as forced from their habitat by human population growth, they are considered endangered throughout their entire range in the high mountains of Central Eurasia. Approximately five percent of the leopard's range is protected. [10]
Notes
- ↑ United Nations Environment Programme. Protected Areas and World Heritage Retrieved July 22, 2008.
- ↑ Pacific Environment. Greater Altai – Altai Krai, Republic of Altai, Tyva (Tuva), and Novosibirsk Retrieved July 21, 2008.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Altai Republic. Altai Reserve Retrieved July 21, 2008.
- ↑ Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 2008. Mount Belukha Retrieved July 21, 2008.
- ↑ Paul G. Bahn. 2000. The Atlas of World Geology. New York. Checkmark Books. ISBN 0816040516
- ↑ UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Golden Mountains of Altai Retrieved July 21, 2008.
- ↑ PBS - NOVA. Ice Mummies: Siberian Ice Maiden Retrieved July 21, 2008.
- ↑ Novosibirsk State University. Collections Retrieved July 21, 2008.
- ↑ Pravda. February 21, 2005. Minor nationality of Russia demands the return of "Princess of Ukok" Retrieved July 21, 2008.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Forests.org. May 4, 2000. Protect Snow Leopard Habitat / Siberia Retrieved July 21, 2008.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Altai Republic. Altai Reserve Retrieved July 21, 2008.
- Earth Island Institute. Golden Mountains, Altai Republic, Russia Retrieved July 21, 2008.
- Pacific Environment. Greater Altai – Altai Krai, Republic of Altai, Tyva (Tuva), and Novosibirsk Retrieved July 21, 2008.
- Rudenko, S.I. Kul'tura naseleniia Gornogo Altaia v skifskoe vremia. 1970. ("The Population of the High Altai in Scythian Times")(Moscow and Leningrad, 1953) translated as Frozen Tombs of Siberia: The Pazyryk Burials of Iron Age Horsemen, M.W. Thompson, tr. (University of California Press, Berkeley) ISBN 0520013956
External links
All Links Retrieved July 21, 2008.
- Gas pipeline route in south Siberia to be approved in August (2006)
- A collection at Novosibirsk State University site, including Pazyryk
- Location map
- Golden Mountains of Altai Natural Heritage Protection Fund
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