World Heritage Site "Lake Baikal"

Lake Baikal  refers to world natural heritage sites. In 1996, Baikal, together with the coastal zone, with a total area of \u200b\u200babout 8.8 million hectares. was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
   Baikal holds the world championship in several important ways at once. Lake Baikal is the oldest freshwater body of our planet - its age is determined at 25 million years.
   Baikal, which occupies a huge ancient graben (tectonic fault), which belongs to one of the largest rift systems in the world, is recognized as the deepest lake in the world - its maximum depth exceeds 1600 m. Baikal is also one of the largest lakes in the world in size: it has a length of 636 km, and its water surface extends over an area of \u200b\u200b3.15 million hectares (in Russia it is the largest lake in the world - in 6th place).
   A huge amount of fresh water is enclosed in Lake Baikal - approximately 20% of all world reserves. The transparency of the Baikal waters is also amazing - individual objects are visible at a depth of up to 40 m.

The lake is distinguished by the richest and most unusual freshwater life: of the several thousand species and varieties of plants and animals that inhabit this lake, 3/4 are recognized as endemic, which is an extremely high indicator by world standards. Among the endemics are such key elements of the lake ecosystem as the epishura, the Baikal omul and the seal (Baikal seal), as well as viviparous fish - Golomyanka, as well as a number of rare forms of aquatic invertebrates (sponges, amphibians, amphipods, etc.) .
   Baikal is a valuable fishing reservoir: out of 50 fish species, 17 are of great commercial importance; this list, which begins with the most famous Baikal omul, also includes sturgeon, whitefish, grayling, etc.

Baikal is famous for its beauty, which attracts tourists from all over the country and from abroad to its shores. It is one of the most popular areas of ecological tourism in Russia (observation of animals, study trails), as well as sports (mountain and water trips) and commercial tourism (collection of taiga gifts, hunting and fishing). There are many picturesque bays, there are excellent beaches, the coast is decorated with bizarre cliffs and rock outcrops.
   Water excursions are carried out on the lake, and along the southwestern shore you can take a ride along the old Circum-Baikal Railway  (1905), with a mass of tunnels and bridges, which is a real monument of engineering.
   On the shores of Lake Baikal (which was discovered by Russian pioneers in the middle of the 17th century), traces of settlements from the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron ages, and ancient burials were discovered. There are many interesting monuments of history and culture. Currently, around the entire Baikal great Baikal trail.

The area of \u200b\u200bLake Baikal stands out for its high biodiversity. Thus, the local flora is represented by more than 800 species of higher plants, including a number of endemic and rare forms. Among the approximately 50 species of mammals that live in the coastal zone in swamps, steppes and forest-steppes, in foothill and mountain forests, as well as in the midst of mountain char and tundra, the most typical are wild reindeer, red deer, elk, musk deer, wild boar , brown bear, wolf, fox, sable, ermine, columns, squirrel, chipmunk, marmot-tarbagan, otter and muskrat. Among the birds (about 250 species in total), the rarest are listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation: peregrine falcon, osprey, golden eagle, black crane and white-tailed eagle (the last two are also in the International Red Book).

State Natural Biosphere Reserve "Barguzinsky"  —The first state reserve of Russia — was created in 1916 in order to preserve the complete elimination of the Barguzin sable, restore its range and numbers on the north-eastern coast of Lake Baikal, and also to help restore the sable population in the country.
   The reserve is located on the territory of the Republic of Buryatia and has an area of \u200b\u200b374.3 thousand ha, of which 15.0 thousand ha falls on the water area of \u200b\u200bLake Baikal and 111.2 thousand ha occupies a biosphere test site.
   In 1986, the Barguzinsky Nature Reserve was included in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
The reserve occupies the north-eastern coast of Lake Baikal and the western slopes of the Barguzinsky ridge. The maximum ridge heights within the reserve are up to 2668.2 m, the minimum are from 455.9 m. In the valleys of the rivers Ezovka, Bolshaya, Talamush and Davshe, there are thermal springs with water temperatures in some of them above 70 ° C.
   The reserve is located in several high-altitude zones. The coast of Baikal is bordered by larch forests, followed by mountain taiga. The upper border of the forest is formed by birch forests, fir trees and spruce forests with powerful developed tall grass and shrubbery. About 32% of the territory of the reserve is occupied by a high mountainous loach belt.
   In the flora, 876 species of higher vascular plants, 1241 species of algae, 132 species of fungi, 212 species of lichens and 147 species of bryophytes were noted in the flora. Of their endemic species, astragalus triphagos, meadow Turchaninova, bluegrass Smirnov are noted, from relict species, they are lanceolate, three-flowered bedstraw, common coop. 5 species of flowering plants and 3 species of lichens are listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation, 31 species of flowering and 6 species of lichens are listed in the Red Book of the Republic of Buryatia.
   The fauna of the reserve is typically taiga, but with some features caused by the close proximity of Lake Baikal. Five species of mammals - Barguzin sable, reindeer, red deer, brown bear, black-capped marmot - are among the most valuable representatives of the fauna.
   The main route of communication in the reserve, given the inaccessibility of the territory, is water, along Lake Baikal, through which it is possible to travel on the ice road by road in winter.
Baikal State Nature Biosphere Reserve  organized in 1969 on the southern shore of Lake Baikal, in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Khamar-Daban ridge.
   The purpose of the reserve is to protect in a natural form the unique landscapes of the southern Baikal region.
   The reserve is located on the territory of the Republic of Buryatia and has an area of \u200b\u200b165.7 thousand ha. The state nature reserve Kabansky was transferred to the reserve.
   In 1986, the Baikal Reserve was given the status of UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. In accordance with the Ramsar Convention, the territory of the Kabansky nature reserve is assigned to wetlands of international importance as a habitat for waterfowl.
The relief of the territory formed about 1 million years ago. The seismicity of the axial part of the Khamar-Daban ridge is estimated at 7 points. The length of the northern slope of the ridge facing Lake Baikal reaches 35 km with a vertical drop of 1,860 m, the southern slope of 12-15 km with a vertical drop of 1,550 m. Alpine-type landscapes with sharp mountain peaks and steep slopes are typical of the ridge.
   The flora of the reserve is characteristic of the mountains of Southern Siberia and includes more than 800 species of higher vascular plants, 308 species of mosses, 651 species of lichens (9 species of lichens are listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation). More than 60% of the reserve is forested. Starting at heights of 1800 m above sea level, the alpine zone begins, represented by low-grass meadows, mountain tundra, shrubby wastelands.
   The fauna of the reserve is typical of the mountains of southern Siberia. The mammalian fauna is represented by 49 species (sable, red deer, elk, Siberian roe deer, musk deer, etc.), the ichthyofauna - 17 species (grayling, lenok, taimen).
   The Baikal Reserve has a number of routes for scientific and ecological tourism.

State Nature Reserve Kabansky  formed in 1974, has an area of \u200b\u200b18.0 thousand hectares and is located in the delta of the Selenga River.
   Mallard, gray duck, red-headed dive, crested blacken nest in large numbers on the territory of the reserve; colonies of gulls, river terns, gray herons settle. During the migration period, thousands of ducks, waders, gulls, gulls and other birds find favorable conditions for resting and feeding.
   Of the birds that live in the reserve, they are listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation: White-tailed Eagle, Siberian Crane, Black Stork, Sukkon, Golden Eagle, Gyrfalcon, Peregrine Falcon, Saker Falcon, etc.

State Nature Reserve "Baikal-Lensky"  located in the Irkutsk region and covers an area of \u200b\u200b659.9 thousand hectares. The reserve was established in 1986 in order to preserve mountain taiga landscapes and a number of natural phenomena.
   The reserve is located on the northwestern shore of Lake Baikal, in the region of the Baikal Range. The height fluctuations are quite significant - from 455 m (the level of Lake Baikal) to 2 thousand m and more.
   By the nature of the relief, the territory of the reserve belongs to the Sayano-Baikal mountain-folded region; there are also glacial landforms.
   The hydrographic network of the reserve is extremely rich and diverse. Here, the Lena River originates, the length of which within the reserve is approximately 250 km.
Vegetation is represented by seven types: forest, steppe, shrubby, tundra, meadow, marsh and water. The dominant type of vegetation is forest. Forest area is 86.4%, where larch, pine and cedar prevail. There are sections of relict Daurian steppes.
   The reserve contains 922 species of vascular plants, 133 species of mushrooms, 312 species of lichens, 179 species of mosses. Of the vascular plants, 54 species are endemic to the Baikal region and southern Siberia.
   Protected species include Rhodiola rosea, Altai onions, dwarf lily, Turchaninov pike, etc.
   The fauna of the reserve is diverse: taiga species - brown bear, squirrel, sable, elk, chipmunk, pine nut, wood grouse, hazel grouse; steppe species - long-tailed gopher, Daurian jackdaw, cinder, and others; southern taiga species - Siberian roe deer, red deer; wetland species - gray crane, black stork.

National Park "Pribaikalsky"  located within the Slyudyansky, Irkutsk and Olkhonsky districts of the Irkutsk region. Established in 1986, consists of several plots with a total area of \u200b\u200b417.3 thousand ha.
   There are 3 key ornithological territories of international importance in the park: “Olkhon and Priolkhonye Island” with an area of \u200b\u200b220 thousand hectares; "South Baikal Falcon-like Migration Corridor" with an area of \u200b\u200b7.5 thousand hectares; "The source and upper course of the Angara River"  an area of \u200b\u200b2.5 thousand hectares.
   The relief of the park is extremely rugged with small differences in elevation. The hydrographic network is very well developed: about 150 different watercourses (rivers, rivers, streams, etc.) flow here, 60 of which flow directly into Lake Baikal. The park has about 80 lakes of various origins.
   On the territory of the park, 5 species of water-bearing plants, 37 species of fern-shaped plants, 13 species of gymnosperms and 1277 species of angiosperms were noted. 16 species of plants are listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation (Altai onions, calypso bulbous, astragalus olkhon, etc.).

Of the representatives of the animal world, 25 species of fish, 4 species of amphibians, 5 species of reptiles, 320 species of birds (including 200 species of breeding ones), 63 species of mammals live here. The southwestern coast of Lake Baikal is a “route” for the mass autumn flight of birds of prey (up to 2 thousand per day).
One of the main activities of the Pribaikalsky National Park is the development of natural, historical and cultural tourism. The park has a lot of interesting places: majestic cliffs, rocks, picturesque bays and bays, caves; about 1 thousand archaeological sites: ancient settlements, cave paintings, stone "tent" graves, etc.
National Park "Transbaikal"  located in the Barguzinsky district of the Republic of Buryatia. The park was established in 1986 and has an area of \u200b\u200b268.1 thousand ha, including the water area of \u200b\u200bLake Baikal - 37.0 thousand ha.
   Two ranges extend across the territory of the park: Barguzinsky (the highest point - 2376 m above sea level) and Sredinny (the highest point - 1877 m above sea level).
   The largest inland lakes of the park are Arangatuy and Small Arangatuy, as well as Lake Bormashovoe, famous for its mineral waters. The most famous thermal water outlets are the Zmeiny, Nechaevsky, Kulinoe springs.
   The vertical zonation characteristic of the Transbaikalia mountains is well traced in the structure of the vegetation cover. Coniferous species dominate in the composition of forests (pine, cedar elfin, cedar, larch, fir).
   The flora of vascular plants totals more than 700 species, among which there are many endemic, rare and relict.
   The mammalian fauna has about 50 species, the bird fauna - about 250 species, the reptile fauna - 6 species and the amphibians - 3 species. The Ushkany Islands is the largest population of seals on Lake Baikal. Siberian sturgeon is a particularly valuable and rare species.
   One of the main activities of the park is the development of natural tourism. Large recreational sites are indicated here: the Chivyrkuisky and Barguzinsky bays, the Svyatoy Nos peninsula, the Barguzinsky ridge and the Chivyrkuisky isthmus. Wet ecosystems of the Chivyrkuy Isthmus is one of the largest bird nesting sites on Lake Baikal. The thermal springs of Zmeeva Bay are famous for their healing properties.
   To object World Heritage "Lake Baikal"  also includes: a small part of the territory of the Tunkinsky National Park and the Frolikhinsky State Nature Reserve.

Tunkinsky National Park  located on the territory of the Tunkinsky district of the Republic of Buryatia and covers an area of \u200b\u200b1183.7 thousand hectares. The park was created in 1991.
   Within the park, the Tunkinsky Goltsy, the Khamar-Daban ridge and the chain of intermountain hollows stand out. Mineral waters of the Tunkinsky Depression have a wide range of healing properties.
The dominant type of vegetation in the park is taiga. More than 40 species of rare plants are distributed here, many of which are relics and endemic.
   The national park has more than 300 species of vertebrate animals. Birds number over 230 species, including nesting birds - 200 species. In recent years, attempts have been made to restore the population of the two-humped camel in Tunkinskaya Valley, which was widespread here in former times.
   One of the main activities of the Tukinsky National Park is the development of natural, historical, cultural and recreational tourism.

G frolikhinsky State Nature Reserve  located in the Severobaikalsky district of the Republic of Buryatia. It was founded in 1986 in order to preserve the number and reproduction of wild animals, their habitats, as well as to protect rare and endangered species and preserve natural monuments, such as Singing Sands of Turali, Papakh Rock, Lake Frolikha, Ayaya Bay, Cape Haman -Kit, Frolikhinsky source, etc.
   The reserve area is 109.2 thousand ha. Most of the territory is occupied by coniferous taiga forests, the main forest-forming species of which are Siberian pine, Daurian larch, spruce, fir, cedar elfin. The hunting fauna of the reserve includes the following species: elk, red deer, musk deer, wild reindeer, bear, lynx, wolverine, sable, squirrel, red fox, capercaillie, hazel grouse.

Area: 8.8 million ha

Criteria: (vii), (viii), (ix), (x)

Status: inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1996

Component objects:
The Central Ecological Zone of the Baikal Natural Territory, including the FBSU “Zapovednoye Pribaikalye” (Pribaikalsky National Park and the Baikal-Lensky State Nature Reserve) (664050, Irkutsk, Baikalskaya St., 291b), FBSU “Zapovednoe Podlemorye” (Zabaykalsky National Park, Barguzinsky State Nature Frolykhinsky Biosphere Reserve and Federal Reserve (671623, Republic of Buryatia, Ust-Barguzin, Lenin St., 7), Baikal State Nature Biosphere Reserve and Federal Reserve to “Kabansky” (167220, Republic of Buryatia, Kabansky district, Tankhoi village, 34 Krasnogvardeiskaya St.), Tunkinsky National Park (partially) (671010, Republic of Buryatia, Tunkinsky district, village Kyren, Lenin St., 69), regional reserves Snezhinsky, Kochergatsky, Verkhne-Angarsky, Pribaikalsky, Enheluksky.

Lake of superlatives - so called "Holy Baikal". It occupies an area of \u200b\u200b3.15 million hectares and is recognized as the oldest (25 million years) and the deepest (about 1700 m) lake of the planet. Baikal keeps in its original purity about 20% of all world fresh water reserves.

It is called the most important center of speciation - the "laboratory of biodiversity." For millions of years, its closed ecosystem has formed a unique “biosphere”, the study of which provides the knowledge necessary to understand the evolution of life on Earth.

The Baikal Basin is the central link of the Baikal Rift Zone, one of the largest ancient fault systems on Earth. It is still active - the shores of Lake Baikal diverge at a speed of up to 2 cm per year.

The lake with its ridges framing it is the most important natural frontier of Siberia. Here the boundaries of various floristic and faunistic complexes converge and biogeocenoses that have no analogues are presented.

One of the richest and most unusual freshwater fauna in the world has formed in the Baikal depression. Of the more than 2,630 species and subspecies of animals and plants found to date in the lake, more than 80% are nowhere else in the world.

Who has not heard of the famous Baikal omul or Baikal sturgeon? Two unique species of viviparous fish, representatives of the family endemic for Lake Baikal, large and small golomyanki, are known to ichthyologists around the world. The pyramid of the lake ecosystem is crowned by a typically marine mammal, the Baikal seal.

Lake Baikal with its basin is a unique and very fragile natural ecosystem, which provides a natural process for the formation of waters, famous throughout the world for its transparency and purity. There are few places on Earth where you can drink water, simply scooping it off the coast. The transparency of this water reaches 40 meters.

For Siberia, the climate of the Baikal coasts is relatively mild, and the number of sunny days per year in some places is higher than in many Black Sea resorts.

The World Natural Heritage Site, along with other Russian sites: “Komi Virgin Forests”, “Kamchatka Volcanoes”, “Golden Mountains of Altai”, “Wrangel Island”, etc.

The list of World Cultural and Natural Heritage sites includes territories with outstanding global values \u200b\u200bof natural resources. In addition, the desire of the country in which this site is located is necessary to protect and preserve it.

Reprofile BPPM so that it ceases to be a source of pollution;

Reduce the discharge of pollutants into the Selenga;

Allocate additional funds to support the activities of nature reserves and national parks;

Provide and strengthen support for research and monitoring on Lake .

Unfortunately, many of these issues have not yet been resolved. However, one cannot fail to note a number of serious environmental protection measures that have been implemented to date.

Source: studies: textbook. allowance / N. S. Berkin, A. A. Makarov, O. T. Rusinek. - Irkutsk: Publishing house Irk. state University, 2009

  - natural World Heritage Site

On December 5, 1996, by decision of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee at its XX session, held in the Mexican city of Merida, the lake was included as a natural site on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The decision adopted by the committee notes: “The lake is a classic case of a World Heritage site that meets all four natural criteria. The lake is located in the central part of the site. The features of the lake, hidden to a greater extent from the eyes by water, are the main value for science and protection. The lake is surrounded by mountain-taiga landscapes and specially protected natural areas, mainly preserved in a natural state and of additional value.

The lake is a limnological miracle and a territory possessing the following excellent qualities:

The geological rift system that gave rise to the lake was formed in the Mesozoic period. The lake is the oldest and deepest lake on Earth. Various tectonic forces still continue to operate, as evidenced by the emergence of thermal flows from the depths of the lake.

The evolution of aquatic organisms over the course of this long period has led to the formation of an exceptionally unique endemic fauna and flora. The lake is the "Galapagos Islands of Russia", is of exceptional value for the study of evolution.

The picturesque landscape around the Baikal basin with mountain ranges, boreal forests, tundra, lakes, islands and steppes provides an exceptionally beautiful environment of the lake. - the largest reservoir of fresh water on Earth (20% of all world reserves), which additionally characterizes it as a unique phenomenon.

The lake is one of the most biodiverse lakes on Earth, it contains 1340 species of animals (745 are endemic) and 570 species of plants (150 are endemic). In the forests surrounding the lake, there are 10 species of plants listed in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the full composition of typical boreal species is presented. ”

Source: Volkov, S. By u / Sergey Volkov. - M.: AST: AST Moscow, 2010 .-- 568 p.

  Read in

  Terms

1. Tourism (anthropogenic impact)
2. Assignment of World Natural Heritage property status
3. Adoption of the Law on Ecological Zoning of the Natural Territory
4. BPT Central Ecological Zone
5. Buffer Ecological Zone
6. Ecological zone of atmospheric influence
7. Creation of a network of specially protected natural territories
8. A set of other environmental measures

  Other resources

1. Natural phenomenon a // Goldfarb S.I.
2.   as a World Heritage Site // Karnyshev A.D.
3. Baikal // Geography and Natural Resources, 1988. No. 2. - P. 31-39.
4. Grishchenko V.I., Ryabtsev B.B. On the 20th anniversary of the Pribaikalsky National Park: results, main problems // Transactions of the Pribaikalsky National Park. Vol. 2. - Irkutsk: Publishing house Irkut. state University, 2007 .-- S.362-387.

  References

• Lake | Fund ”Protection of Natural Heritage” //nhpfund.ru
• Russian National World Heritage Committee
• World Heritage Sites in the Russian Federation
• World Heritage Sites in the Russian Federation (Russian)
• Greenpeace Russia Project “World Heritage”
• Russian natural sites included and prepared for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List
• World Heritage Links Directory in Russia

  Notes

1. Ryashchenko S.V. The World Natural Heritage Site “Lake” in International and National Dimensions // Volna. - 2007, No. 1 (45). - S. 40–43.

Lake Baikal is one of the most beautiful and picturesque places not only in the Asian part of our country, and on the entire planet. This oldest lake (its age is approximately 25-35 million years), which lies in the rift basin, is located in the southern part of Eastern Siberia. It is the largest reservoir of fresh water on Earth; 22% of all fresh, cleanest and most transparent water in the world and 85% of Russia are concentrated here. The volume of water is 23 thousand km 3 (these are five Great Lakes combined in the USA). In addition to the value of huge reserves of fresh water, which due to its low salinity (100 g / l) can be safely equated to distilled, it should also be noted that Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world and has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1996.

Geographical position

Lake Baikal, having the shape of a crescent elongated from southwest to northeast, is located almost in the center of the continent of Eurasia, in Central Asia, in the southern part of Eastern Siberia. The ancient rift basin of glacial origin, in which the basin of the lake is located, lies in the Baikal mountain region, surrounded by high peaks of mountain ranges and overgrown with thick forests of hills (the border of the Irkutsk region and the Republic of Buryatia in the Russian Federation).

Characteristics of Lake Baikal

The area of \u200b\u200bthe lake is 31.7 thousand km 2, it is the seventh place in the world after the Caspian Sea-lake, lakes Victoria, Taganyika, Huron, Michigan, Upper or the area of \u200b\u200bthe countries of Belgium or the Netherlands. The lake is 636 km long, the widest in the center (81 km), the narrowest - near the Serenga River Delta (27 km).

The average depth of the lake is 744.4 m above the maximum depths of many lakes in the world, its maximum depth, measured by Soviet scientists Kolotilo and Sulimov in 1983, was 1640 m, which made Baikal the deepest lake in the world.

The lake lies in a glacial rift basin, on all sides it is surrounded by mountain ranges and hills. The coastline is 2 thousand km long, the western coast is rocky and steep, the eastern one is more gentle, the mountains are tens of kilometers from the coast. The water area of \u200b\u200bthe lake has six bays (Barguzinsky, Chivyrkuisky, Dip, Posolsky, Cherkalov, Mukhor), two dozen bays (Listvennaya, Peschanaya, Aya, many closed shallow bays called sory. The only river flows from the lake - Angara, flows more than 336 rivers and rivulets, of which large ones can be called Selenga, Upper Angara, Barguzin, Snezhnaya, Kichera, etc.

Water temperature

Water, due to its low mineralization, is remarkable for its amazing purity, transparency (visible to a depth of 40 meters), and oxygen saturation. In spring, water is especially transparent and has a rich blue-blue color, in summer, as a result of the development of organics, transparency decreases and the waters acquire a blue-green hue. The average annual temperature of the water surface is about + 4 ° C, in the summer water is +16, + 17 ° C, in the litter reaches + 22, + 23 ° C.

Baikal is almost completely covered by a layer of ice (1-2 meters) from January to May (with the exception of a small area of \u200b\u200b15-20 km in the source of the Angara). One of the amazing mysteries of Lake Baikal is the appearance in the winter of huge dark rings on ice, which are visible only from a height. Presumably they are formed as a result of methane emission from the depths of the lake, and this contributes to the formation of huge proparins hundreds of meters in diameter with a very thin layer of ice.

Winds on Baikal

Distinctive features of the Baikal climate are its winds, they blow almost always, their maximum wind speed is 40 m / s. There are more than 30 names of winds blowing there: the north-west wind is mountain, the north-east wind is barguzin, Verkhovik), the south-east is shelonnik, the south-west is kultuk, and sarma is the wind blowing in the center of Lake Baikal. They blow mainly along the coast, on which there are practically no places to hide from such a piercing and strong wind.

The nature of Lake Baikal

The flora and fauna of the lake is diverse and unique. Water saturated with oxygen allows a large number of living organisms to live here, more than 2600 species and subspecies of aquatic inhabitants live here, most of them are endemic. Over 58 species of fish live in the water column, such as omul, grayling, whitefish, taimen, Baikal sturgeon, lenok, golomyanka (a unique fish consisting of 30% fat).

The coast covers more than 2,000 species of plants, about 2,000 species of birds nest here, a unique marine mammal lives here - the Baikal seal, in the mountainous part of Baikal region - the smallest deer in the world - musk deer.

(Olkhon - the largest island of Lake Baikal)

The northeastern coast of the lake is part of the protected areas of the Barguzinsky State Natural Biosphere Reserve; since 1996, Baikal has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Settlements and cities

Large cities located several tens of kilometers from the lake are Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude (130 km east of the lake) and Severobaikalsk (in the northern part of the lake coast). From Irkutsk (70 km from Baikal), closest to the oldest Baikal village at the headwaters of the Angara - Listvyanka, it is more than three hundred years old. It has a well-developed tourist infrastructure and the Museum of the Lake, dedicated to the history of Lake Baikal, its flora and fauna. Also in the village there is a nerpinaria, where they show an exciting water show with the participation of Baikal seals and the legendary Shaman-stone, a reserved rock at the source of the Angara, ancient shamanistic rites were held here in antiquity.

Climate and seasons

(The clear water of Baikal in the summer)

Eastern Siberia lies in a temperate sharply continental climatic zone, however, the huge masses of water contained in Lake Baikal especially affect the coastal climate and due to this, unusual microclimate conditions form with warm mild winters and cool summers. The water masses of the lake act as a huge natural stabilizer and make the winter warmer and the summer cooler than, for example, in the same Irkutsk, located a short distance from the lake (70 km). The air temperature in summer can reach + 35 ° C.

(Transparent ice on Baikal in winter)

In winter, the waters of Lake Baikal are bound by incredibly transparent and smooth ice. The temperature above the surface of the lake in the middle of winter is about -21 ° C, and on the coasts it is 5-10 degrees higher, on average -10 ° C - 17 ° C. Due to the insignificant evaporation of cold water from the surface of the lake, clouds are very rarely formed here, therefore, the area of \u200b\u200bLake Baikal is characterized by a high total duration of sunshine, cloudy and cloudy days are rare.

Lake Baikal. The surroundings of Peschanaya Bay

In 2016, 20 years have passed since the inclusion of Lake Baikal in the List of World Natural Heritage. This happened on December 5, 1996 by decision of the 20th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, held in the Mexican city of Merida. An application for inclusion of Baikal in the World Natural Heritage List has been submitted by Russia.

To be included in the World Natural Heritage List, a candidate property must satisfy at least one of four criteria:

• to be an outstanding example representing the main stages of the Earth’s development, including evidence of ancient life, significant geological processes at the stage of formation of relief forms, geomorphological and physiographic elements of great importance; or
• to be an outstanding example representing ecological and biological evolutionary processes, the development of ecosystems and land, river, coastal and marine communities of plants and animals; or
• represent a natural phenomenon or territory of exceptional aesthetic significance; or
• contain habitats of the most representative and important species for conservation of biological diversity, including those areas where species that are of outstanding world importance from the point of view of science and conservation, and are in danger of extinction, are preserved.

Baikal satisfied all four. Of the thousands of natural objects contained in the List, a little more than a dozen satisfy four criteria.

The decision adopted by the UNESCO Committee noted:

“Lake Baikal is a classic case of a World Heritage site that meets all four natural criteria. Baikal itself is the main object of the nomination. The features of the lake, hidden to a greater extent from the eyes by water, are the main value for science and protection. The lake is surrounded by mountain-taiga landscapes and specially protected natural areas, mainly preserved in a natural state and of additional value. Lake Baikal is a limnological miracle and a territory possessing the following excellent qualities:

• The geological rift system that gave rise to Lake Baikal was formed in the Mesozoic period. Lake Baikal is the oldest and deepest lake on Earth. Various tectonic forces still continue to operate, as evidenced by the emergence of thermal flows from the depths of the lake.
• The evolution of aquatic organisms over the course of this long period has led to the formation of a unique endemic flora and fauna. Lake Baikal is the “Galapagos Islands of Russia” and is of exceptional value for the study of evolution.
• The picturesque landscape around the Baikal basin with mountain ranges, boreal forests, tundra, lakes, islands and steppes provides an exceptionally picturesque environment of Lake Baikal. Baikal is the largest reservoir of fresh water on Earth (20% of all world reserves), which further characterizes it as a unique phenomenon.
• Lake Baikal is one of the most biodiverse lakes on Earth, it contains 1340 species of animals (745 are endemic) and 570 species of plants (150 are endemic). In the forests surrounding the lake, there are 10 species of plants listed in the Red Book of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, and the full composition of typical boreal species is presented. ”

When Baikal was included in the World Natural Heritage List, the Russian leadership was given special recommendations.