The Altai state nature reserve which is situated not far from Teletskoe lake in Altai republic got the status of a biosphere nature reserve. As the deputy director of the nature reserve Svetlana Shigreva announced this decision was taken on the 21^st meeting of the International coordination council of the program "A man and a biosphere" which was held on 25-29 of May in Korea republic.

The council decided to include 22 new objects in the list of biosphere nature reserves.

On the 16^th of April 2009 the Altai nature reserve celebrated its 77^th anniversary. It was planned to make this nature reserve a biosphere one more than 20 years ago. But only in 2008-2009 the project started to b realized. The state nature reserve got the new level of development.

According to the director of the Altai state nature reserve Igor Kalmykov the new status will allow not only to preserve the natural zone, but also to protect local people by keeping traditional hunting, fishing, berry and mushroom gathering and tourism.