Wildlife of
Altaj

Primary Threats

• Most direct habitat loss occurs in **river valleys and intermontane basins** where settlements, hayfields, and pasture expansion simplify riparian forests and steppe mosaics. While high mountains remain relatively intact, low-elevation corridor habitats that connect protected areas are fragmented, reducing connectivity for wide-ranging species (e.g., snow leopard prey and dispersing carnivores).
• Warming and changing precipitation affect **glaciers and seasonal snowpack** in the Katun/Belukha region and alter runoff timing into the Katun-Biya system. Drier, hotter conditions increase steppe/aridification stress in basins (e.g., Chuya/Kurai), raising wildfire risk and potentially shifting forage availability for wild ungulates and livestock, with knock-on effects for predators.
• Localized pollution risk is tied to **mining/prospecting** (tailings, sedimentation, heavy metals) and inadequate wastewater treatment in small settlements/tourist nodes, which can degrade cold-water habitats (e.g., Lake Teletskoye tributaries; Katun headwaters) and affect fish and invertebrate food webs.
• Invasives are a smaller but growing issue near roads, tourist sites, and disturbed riverbanks where non-native plants can establish. In aquatic systems, **fish introductions/stocking** and bait-fish transfers can alter native assemblages and compete with or prey upon native salmonids/grayling in some waters.
• Close interface between wildlife and pastoral livestock creates risk of **pathogen spillover** (e.g., brucellosis and other infections affecting ungulates) and rabies risks around settlements. Disease concerns rise where wild ungulates concentrate near winter forage or salt licks that overlap with grazing areas.
• Poaching pressure persists for high-value species and trophies, especially in remote border districts and winter access periods. Targets include **musk deer** (for musk), **argali** (illegal take), and occasionally predators; illegal hunting can reduce prey bases that snow leopards depend on.
• Illicit trade incentives amplify poaching of **Siberian musk deer** (musk glands) and raptors (falcon trapping). Opportunistic trafficking of rare carnivore parts is a periodic risk in border-adjacent landscapes with transboundary movement.
• Recreational and illegal fishing pressure affects cold-water species in accessible rivers and lakes (including trophy-focused angling). Sensitive species such as **Siberian taimen** and some salmonids/grayling can be impacted by unregulated harvest, especially near road-accessible stretches and popular tourist areas.
• Rapid growth of nature-based tourism (trail use, off-road driving, river rafting, campsite proliferation) disturbs breeding sites and increases litter and fire risk. Disturbance is most acute along the **Chuysky Trakt corridor**, in valleys leading to mountain passes, and around major scenic destinations.
• Predation on livestock by **snow leopard and wolf** in high-pasture zones drives retaliatory killing and reduces tolerance for carnivores. Bears can conflict with apiaries and waste sites near villages and tourist facilities, increasing calls for lethal control.
• Small, isolated subpopulations-especially of **snow leopard** at the northern edge of its global range-face fragmentation risks if movement corridors between ridge systems are degraded. Genetic connectivity depends on intact transboundary landscapes linking to Mongolia/Kazakhstan/China.
• Localized overuse of pasture and fuelwood near settlements and seasonal herder camps can degrade steppe and forest edges, reducing plant cover and increasing erosion. Overgrazing can also compete with wild ungulates for winter forage in some basins.
• Road upgrades, new access tracks (including to mining prospects and tourist sites), and associated power/communication lines increase fragmentation and human access, which in turn elevates poaching and disturbance. Linear infrastructure also heightens wildlife-vehicle collision risk in valley bottoms.
• Riverbank engineering, gravel extraction, and small-scale hydrotechnical works modify channel structure and floodplains, affecting spawning grounds and riparian habitats. Altered flow regimes and bank stabilization can simplify key habitats used by fish and semi-aquatic mammals.
• Compared to Altai Krai, expansion is limited, but **hayfields and pasture intensification** in intermontane basins can replace native steppe and meadow mosaics and reduce habitat heterogeneity needed by steppe birds and small mammals.
• Urbanization is modest, but growth of service hubs and tourist infrastructure around major settlements increases land conversion, waste generation, and pressure on nearby forests and rivers.
• Industrial logging is less dominant than in many taiga regions, but legal/illegal cutting and forest road creation in accessible areas can degrade old-growth structure and increase fire risk. Riparian logging particularly reduces bank stability and shade, warming streams important to cold-water fish.
• Mining/prospecting (including gold and polymetallic interests) can cause direct habitat loss, road proliferation, sediment runoff, and tailings risks. Impacts are concentrated where deposits overlap valley systems that also serve as wildlife movement corridors.