Status of Property: State Nature Reserve Area: about 3.65 million ha Situation: Inscribed on the Russian Tentative List

The Commander Islands form the westernmost part of the Aleutian islands' arc. This arc can be considered as a connecting link between Asia and North America - a bridge, along which plants and animals were settling apart. Some species - representatives of Asian and American flora and fauna are common here. Some of them cannot be found anywhere else in Russia.

The mountain tundra adds much to the unique beauty of the Commanders' natural complexes. Their evolution took place in the absence of permafrost and without any influence of phytophagous animals, i.e. factors that in fact play a great part in tundra aspect's formation on the continent.

Coastal zone and surrounding waters of the Commander Islands are known for the remarkable biodiversity of marine mammals and sea birds. Many of marine mammals and sea birds have been inscribed to the Russian and IUCN Red Data Books. The Commander shelf is one of the last shelf sections still remaining undisturbed in its natural state within the territory of a vast harvesting region of the Far East.