Ukok Plateau

Ukok Plateau
Ukok Plateau
Укок / hohegh
	View of the Ukok Plateau
Geography
	Ukok Plateau Location in the Altai Republic, Russia Ukok Plateau Ukok Plateau (Altai Republic)
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Altai Republic
Range coordinates	49°18′28″N 87°35′41″E / 49.3078°N 87.5947°E

Ukok Plateau (Russian: Укок) is a plateau covered by grasslands located in southwestern Siberia, in the Altai Mountains region of Russia near the borders with China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. The plateau is recognized as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site entitled Golden Mountains of Altai as an important environmental treasure. It 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.^[1] It is also one of the last remaining remnants of the mammoth steppe. There are several threats to the preservation of the Ukok Plateau, including overuse of the steppe by ranchers,^[2] a proposed road, and plans for a gas pipeline between China and Russia.

^ "Protect Snow Leopard Habitat / Siberia". forests.org. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-07-31.
^ "Altai: Saving the Pearl of Siberia". Archived from the original on 2007-03-22. Retrieved 2006-11-30.