Landscapes of the Tigirek Reserve: past, present, future

Strict nature reserves are the grounds where the basis of landscape mapping was developed. The paper presents a number of markable features of landscape structure of Tigirek State Nature Reserve (Russian Altai) and the map at the level of species of landscapes. The map includes a detailed legend. Many landscape boundaries are caused by tectonics. Altitudinal zonation is the main regularity of landscape differentiation. The reserve contains a variety of rocks that create contrasting conditions for biota and soil formation. The warm and humid climate of the Northwestern Altai, combined with the flat relief of the valleys, is favorable for the accumulation of peat. Despite the high-diversity landscape of the Tigirek Reserve, the area occupied by it which is clearly insufficient for mountain conditions, so that it could fully perform the functions of preserving biota. Expansion of the reserve is necessary for greater coverage of the highlands and the upper part of the forest belt with the protection regime. The landscape-cartographic analysis based on the structuralgenetic principle can be of key importance for environmental monitoring and evaluating cultural, regulation and maintenance ecosystem services in nature reserves. The landscapes of the Tigirek Reserve are of great scientific interest in the context of their response to global climatic changes and anthropogenic impacts that took place in the past.