What is Altai?

The Altai got its start in southern central Siberia: Russian Altai. Rich with remote and wild river valleys, wind-blown steppe grasslands, and snowy peaks, the land is habitat for snow leopards, argali sheep, eagles, and other at-risk species, a rare remnant of relatively intact wilderness.

Landscape features are scattered with ancient burial mounds, petroglyphs, and stellae, as well as other evidence of prehistoric human activity. These artifacts are not only a fundamental part of local Indigenous cultures, but can also be a source of inspiration and education for visitors and the greater community. Local Indigenous peoples cherish and renew their age-old culture and traditional lifeways, with many still practicing semi-nomadic livestock agriculture and subsistence hunting, gathering, and fishing, alongside cultural and spiritual traditions.

Threats include surging tourism (with weak public infrastructure), mining, waste management, and excessive logging. Poaching, overexploitation, and habitat disturbances are the most direct threats to wildlife, particularly for snow leopards, raptors, and Argali sheep. Indigenous communities struggle to protect their rights to land, culture, and traditional subsistence practices.

Across the entire region, the climate crisis is dramatically reducing total glacier coverage, unsettling annual seasonal cycles, and contributing significantly to water issues and desertification processes.