The Ilmen Mountains natural site (the territory is located within the borders of the Ilmensky State Reserve named after V.Lenin of the Ural Branch of RAS) is proposed as a potential mix (natural and cultural) World Heritage property meeting criteria vi, vii and viii. The nomination has been prepared by the Ilmensky State Reserve with consultancy assistance of the Natural Heritage Protection Fund and is approved by the Administration of the Chelyabinsk Region, the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Ilmen Mountains will be the second, after the Valamo archipelago, mixed (natural and cultural) site on Russia's Tentative List, which now includes 7 natural sites; two of them - Putorana Plateau and Lena Pillars - are currently under consideration in the World Heritage Center, others are the Magadansky Reserve, Daurian Steppes, Commander Islands, the Great Marsh of Vasuyganand the Krasnoyarsk Pillars.