The Ustyurt State Nature Reserve is located in the Karakiyan District of the Mangystau Region, Kazakhstan.

It was established in 1984, covering an area of 223,300 hectares, to protect the desert landscapes of the Ustyurt Plateau. The idea of creating a reserve in Ustyurt emerged in the 1960s-1970s in connection with the development of the desert areas in Western Kazakhstan during that period. The reserve was officially created on July 12, 1984. The purpose of establishing the reserve was to preserve the natural complex of the northern deserts of the Ustyurt Plateau in its natural state, including several rare species of fauna and flora. The reserve was managed by the Main Directorate of Reserves and Hunting Resources under the Council of Ministers of the Kazakh SSR.

The diversity of soils leads to the formation of unique flora. In clay soils, the predominant plants are biyurgun and keyreuk species; in stony soils, tasbiyurgun species; in rocky soils, hedgehog, wormwood, bindweed, and curly species; in sandy soils, white acacia and saxaul; and in saline soils, Reomur, potash, and sarsazan communities. The reserve is home to about 263 species of plants, including 5 Red Book species: soft-fruited Critmoleaf, toothless katran, chalky madder, hard-calyx spurge, and Khiva saltwort.

Amphibians are represented by 1 species — the green toad, reptiles by 22 species, mammals by 45 species, and birds by 111 species, including migratory species. Among them, the following species are listed in the Red Book: 11 bird species — flamingo, saker falcon, peregrine falcon, vulture, steppe eagle, golden eagle, eagle owl, jackdaw, snake eagle, black-bellied sandgrouse, and little bustard; 9 mammal species — Ustyurt mouflon, gazelle (jeiran), caracal, manul, striped hyena, sand cat, honey badger, white-bellied hedgehog, and cheetah (extinct in Kazakhstan in the 1960s); 1 reptile species — four-lined snake.