Russian Federation

Sokhondinskiy Biosphere Reserve is situated 25 km north of the Mongolian border and occupies the isolated mountain massif of Sokhondo (2,508 meters above sea level) which is the highest part of the Khente-Chkoi plateau. Here, major rivers of the Baikal-Amur watershed have their source. Within the biosphere reserve, two biogeographic provinces meet: the East Siberian Taiga and Mongolian-Manchurian Steppe. There is a series of altitudinal vegetation belts with a steppe, taiga, alpine meadows and high mountain tundra.
About 6,000 people live in three settlements in the transition area (1997) who are mainly engaged in agriculture, forestry, cattle breeding, hunting and fishing. Poaching increased during the political transition period. A management plan of the biosphere reserve foresees measures such as the strict protection of the core area and buffer zone, fire protection, the establishment and support of experimental plots and the reparation of roads and shelters.