Katunsky biosphere reserve is one of the natural attractions of the Altai Republic. It is located on the territory of Ust-Koksinsky district, Katunsky mountain range, which is the most mountainous part of the Altai. The total area of the biosphere reserve is about 151 thousand ha.

The idea of creating Altai mountain Park appeared in 1917 and was owned by V. P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky. Officially Katunsky Zapovednik was founded on 25 July 1991 the Territory it amounted to the southern and part of the Northern macroslope of pine ridge, and the Northern macroslope of the ridge Listvyaga.

Originally Katunsky reserve considered as an area of good management. But it was composed of high mountains with snow fields and glaciers that form the upper flow of the Katun, amazing Alpine meadows and Alpine lakes, so it was decided to organize a protected natural area. The area of the biosphere reserve is located on mountain ranges such as the southern Altai and Katun, Tarbagatai, Sarym-Ornaments and Listvyaga, and partially covers the array of the highest point of Siberia – Belukha mountain.

In the reserve there are almost all distinctive landscapes for the South and Central Altai – mountain tundra, mountain taiga, glacial-Nival highlands with snowfields and glaciers, subalpine tall and Alpine grass meadows, and steppe, forest-steppe, meadow-forest and mountain complexes. Just in the transboundary territory of the reserve there are more than 2 thousand species of vascular plants and about 68 species of mammals.

In Katunsky biosphere reserve is quite a large variety of mountain, forest, steppe and grassland plant communities.

In zoogeographic terms of the reserve is quite representative for Central Altay physiographic province. Of wild hoofed animals are found elk, red deer and musk deer, and fur-bearing animals - squirrel, sable and squirrel. In the highlands, you can meet Siberian ibex. For the Katun reserve typical predators such as Wolverine, brown bear and lynx, and their small predators - weasel, Siberian weasel, ermine, mink. The birds nest here ptarmigan, Asiatic snipe, grouse.

In 2000, Katunsky biosphere reserve was awarded the status of biosphere reserve by UNESCO.