Natural heritage of Lake Baikal. Baikal is the deepest lake on the planet, a UNESCO heritage

11.10.2019

Cultural criteria: vii, viii, ix, x
Year of inclusion in the List world heritage: 1996

One of the largest facilities in the World natural heritage is a gigantic area (8.8 million hectares), located in the south Eastern Siberia, close to the border with Mongolia. In the center of this area, at an altitude of 456 m above sea level, is the water area of Lake Baikal, and its outer boundaries are mainly outlined by the so-called “first catchment area”, i.e. We are talking about a huge “bowl”, bounded by high mountain ranges - Khamar-Daban, Primorsky, Baikalsky, Barguzinsky, Ulan-Burgasy, etc.

Baikal holds the world championship in several important parameters at once. So, this is the oldest freshwater body of water on our planet - its age is usually determined at 25 million years. Further, Baikal, which occupies a huge ancient graben (tectonic fault), belonging to one of the world's largest rift systems, is recognized as the deepest lake in the world - its maximum depth is 1620 m. And in terms of its overall size, Baikal is also one of the largest lakes in the world : it has a length of 636 km, and its water surface extends over an area of 3.15 million hectares (in Russia this is the most large lake, in the world – in 6th place). Baikal contains a gigantic volume fresh water– approximately 20% of all world reserves. The transparency of the Baikal waters is also stunning - 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 inhabiting this lake, 3/4 are recognized as endemic, which by world standards is exceptional high rate. Among the endemics are such key elements of the lake ecosystem as the epishura crustacean, Baikal omul and nerpa (Baikal seal), as well as viviparous fish - golomyanka plus a number of rare forms of aquatic invertebrates (sponges, 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, ide, carp, etc.

Finally, 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 in all of Russia ecological tourism(animal observations, educational trails), as well as sports (mountain and water hikes) and commercial (gathering taiga gifts, hunting and fishing). There are many picturesque bays, excellent beaches, and the shores are decorated with quaint cliffs and rocky outcrops. There are boat excursions around the lake (including on several large cruise ships), and along the southwestern shore you can ride along the ancient Circum-Baikal Railway (1904), with a mass of tunnels and bridges, which is a real monument of engineering art. On the shores of Lake Baikal (which was discovered by Russian pioneers in mid-17th century c.) traces of settlements from the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages, ancient burials were discovered, there are many interesting historical and cultural monuments. Currently, the Great Baikal Trail (GBT) is being designed around the entire Lake Baikal.

A significant part of the Baikal coast is occupied by various specially protected areas, which form a kind of “protected necklace” around the lake. This “necklace” includes three reserves - Barguzinsky (Buryatia, northeast coast, Barguzinsky ridge, area 374.3 thousand hectares, created in 1916, has the status of a biosphere reserve), Baikalsky (Buryatia, southern coast, Khamar ridge -Daban, 165.7 thousand hectares, 1969, biosphere reserve) and Baikal-Lensky (Irkutsk region, northwestern coast, Baikal ridge, sources of the Lena River, 660 thousand hectares, 1986). These are also two national parks - Pribaikalsky (Irkutsk region, the entire western and southwestern coast of the lake, the region of the Primorsky ridge, including the island of Olkhon and the sources of the Angara; 418 thousand hectares, 1986) and Transbaikalsky (Buryatia, eastern shore, Barguzinsky ridge, Svyatoy Nos Peninsula, Lake Arangatui, Barguzinsky and Chivyrkuisky bays, Ushkany Islands, 267 thousand hectares, 1986). The boundaries of the World Heritage Site also include 1/10 of the territory of the Tunkinsky National Park in Buryatia. The “reserve necklace” also includes a number of nature reserves and natural monuments, including two federal reserves - on Lake Frolikha and Kabansky (the latter is in the Selenga River delta, a wetland of international importance, protected according to the Ramsar Convention). The natural environment of Lake Baikal is remarkable, firstly, in that it performs the most important protective (buffer) function in relation to the water area. It is clear that from ecological state The landscapes surrounding Baikal largely determine the fate of the lake itself.

Secondly, the natural environment of Baikal is of great value in itself: after all, these are vast forests and swamps, rich fauna and flora, exotic alpine landforms (glacial lakes and cirques, canyons, sharp ridges). The coast and foothills are mainly covered with steppes and forest-steppes, low mountains and middle mountains - with pine, spruce, larch forests, cedar and fir forests, above them they are replaced by dwarf cedar, rhododendrons, mountain tundra and loaches.

The flora of the coastal zone of Lake Baikal is represented by more than 800 species of higher plants, including a number of endemic and rare forms (for example, in the Baikal national park grow rare plants– large-flowered slipper, Turchaninov's meadow, cut violet).

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 among high-mountain char and tundra, the most typical are the wild reindeer, deer, elk, musk deer, wild boar, Brown bear, wolf, fox, sable (including the famous Barguzin subspecies), ermine, weasel, squirrel, chipmunk, marmot, otter and muskrat. Large rookeries of the Baikal seal are located on the Ushkany Islands; the total number of this animal on Lake Baikal is now 60-70 thousand.

And among the birds (of which there are about 250 species), we will mention, on the contrary, the most rare ones, listed in the Red Book of Russia, such as: peregrine falcon, osprey, golden eagle, black crane and white-tailed eagle (the last two are also in the International Red Book). Large concentrations of waterfowl are observed in the area of Lake Arangatui, and in winter - in the ice-free sources of the Angara. This site is on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website whc.unesco.org/en/list/754

Lake Baikal. Neighborhoods of Peschanaya Bay

2016 marked 20 years since Lake Baikal was included in the World Natural Heritage List. This happened on December 5, 1996 by decision of the 20th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, held in Mexican city Merida. Russia has submitted an application to include Lake Baikal on the World Natural Heritage List.

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

be an outstanding example representing the main stages of the development of the Earth, including evidence of ancient life, significant geological processes in the formation of landforms, geomorphological and physiographic elements of significant importance; or
be an outstanding example representing ecological and biological evolutionary processes, the development of ecosystems and terrestrial, riverine, coastal and marine plant and animal communities; or
present natural phenomenon or an area of exceptional aesthetic value; or
Contain habitats for the most representative and important species for the conservation of biological diversity, including those habitats containing species of outstanding global scientific and conservation importance and those that are threatened with extinction.

Baikal satisfied all four. Of the thousands of natural objects contained in the List, just over a dozen meet four criteria.

The decision adopted by the UNESCO Committee noted:

“Lake Baikal is a classic case of a World Heritage site, satisfying all four natural criteria. Baikal itself is the main object of the nomination. The lake's features, largely hidden from view by water, are of major scientific and conservation value. The lake is surrounded by mountain taiga landscapes and specially protected natural areas, mainly preserved in their natural state and representing additional value. Lake Baikal is a limnological miracle and a territory with the following excellent qualities:

The geological rift system that gave rise to Lake Baikal formed during the Mesozoic period. Lake Baikal is the oldest and deepest lake on Earth. Various tectonic forces still continue to operate, as evidenced by the release of thermal flows from the depths of the lake.
Evolution aquatic organisms, which occurred throughout this long period, 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 for 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, containing 1,340 animal species (745 endemic) and 570 plant species (150 endemic). The forests surrounding the lake contain 10 species of plants listed in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and a full composition of typical boreal species is represented.”

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

Baikal is a World Natural Heritage Site. In 2016 it will be 20 years since Lake Baikal was included in the World Natural Heritage List. 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. Russia has submitted an application to include Baikal on the World Natural Heritage List.

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

be an outstanding example representing the main stages of the development of the Earth, including evidence of ancient life, significant geological processes in the formation of landforms, geomorphological and physiographic elements of significant importance;
or be an outstanding example representing ecological and biological evolutionary processes, the development of ecosystems and terrestrial, riverine, coastal and marine plant and animal communities;
or constitute a natural phenomenon or area of exceptional aesthetic significance;
or contain habitats of the most representative and important species for the conservation of biological diversity, including those habitats containing species of outstanding global significance from the point of view of science and conservation, and those that are threatened with extinction.

Baikal satisfied all four criteria.

Of the thousands of natural objects contained in the List, just over a dozen meet four criteria.

The decision adopted by the UNESCO Committee noted:

Lake Baikal is a classic case of a World Heritage site, satisfying all four natural criteria.

Baikal itself is the main object of the nomination. The lake's features, largely hidden from view by water, are of major scientific and conservation value. The lake is surrounded by mountain taiga landscapes and specially protected natural areas, mostly preserved in their natural state and of additional value.

Lake Baikal is a limnological miracle and a territory with the following excellent qualities:

The geological rift system that gave rise to Lake Baikal formed during the Mesozoic period. Lake Baikal is the oldest and deepest lake on Earth. Various tectonic forces still continue to operate, as evidenced by the release of thermal flows from the depths of the lake.
The evolution of aquatic organisms that occurred throughout this long period 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 for 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, containing 1,340 animal species (745 endemic) and 570 plant species (150 endemic). The forests surrounding the lake contain 10 species of plants listed in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and a full composition of typical boreal species is represented.”

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

adopt the Federal Law on Lake Baikal;
repurpose the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill in order to eliminate it as a source of pollution;
reduce the discharge of pollutants into the Selenga River;
increase resource support for the activities of nature reserves and national parks adjacent to the lake;
continue to support scientific research and monitoring on Lake Baikal.

Lake Baikal is one of the most beautiful and picturesque places not only in the Asian part of our country, but on the entire planet. This ancient lake (its age is approximately 25-35 million years), lying in a 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, clean and clear water in the world and 85% of Russia are concentrated here. The volume of water is 23 thousand km 3 (these are the five Great Lakes in the USA combined). In addition to the value of huge reserves of fresh water, which, thanks to its low mineralization (100 g/l), can be safely equated to distilled water, it should also be noted that Baikal is the deepest lake in the world and has been included in 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 very center of the Eurasian continent, in Central Asia, in the southern part of Eastern Siberia. The ancient rift basin of glacial origin, in which the lake basin is located, lies in the Baikal mountain region, surrounded by high peaks of mountain ranges and hills covered with dense forests (the border of the Irkutsk region and the Republic of Buryatia in the Russian Federation).

Characteristics of Lake Baikal

The area of the lake is 31.7 thousand km 2, this is the seventh largest in the world after the Caspian Sea-lake, lakes Victoria, Taganika, Huron, Michigan, Superior or the area of the countries of Belgium or the Netherlands. The length of the lake is 636 km, it is widest in the center (81 km), the narrowest is near the Serenga River delta (27 km).

The lake's average depth of 744.4 m is higher than the maximum depths of many lakes in the world; its maximum depth, measured by Soviet scientists Kolotilo and Sulimov in 1983, was 1640 m, making Baikal the deepest lake in the world.

The lake lies in a glacial rift basin, surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges and hills. The length of the coastline is 2 thousand km, the western coast is rocky and steep, the eastern coast is flatter, the mountains are located tens of kilometers from the coast. The water area of the lake includes six bays (Barguzinsky, Chivyrkuisky, Proval, Posolsky, Cherkalov, Mukhor), two dozen bays (Listvennaya, Peschanaya, Aya, many closed shallow bays called sora. Flows from the lake the only river- Angara, flows into more than 336 rivers and rivulets, the largest ones include the Selenga, Upper Angara, Barguzin, Snezhnaya, Kichera, etc.

Water temperature

The water, due to its low mineralization, is characterized by amazing purity, transparency (visible to a depth of 40 meters), and oxygen saturation. In spring, the water is especially transparent and has a rich blue-blue color; in summer, as a result of the development of organic matter, the transparency decreases and the water acquires a blue-green tint. The average annual water surface temperature is about +4°C, in summer period water can be +16, +17°C, in litter it reaches +22,+23°C.

Baikal is almost completely covered with ice (1-2 meters) from January to May (with the exception of a small area of 15-20 km at the source of the Angara). One of amazing riddles Lake Baikal is the appearance in winter of huge dark rings on the ice, which are visible only from above. Presumably they are formed as a result of the release of methane from the depths of the lake, which contributes to the formation of huge steam holes 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 almost always blow, their maximum speed wind - 40 m/s. There are more than 30 names for the 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, sarma is the wind blowing in the center of Baikal. They blow mainly along the coast, where there are practically no places to hide from such a piercing and strong wind.

Nature of Lake Baikal

The flora and fauna of the lake is diverse and unique. Oxygen-saturated water allows life here a large number living organisms, more than 2,600 species and subspecies live here aquatic life, most of them are endemic. More than 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 is covered with 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 the Baikal region - the smallest deer in the world - the musk deer.

(Olkhon - the largest island of Lake Baikal)

The northeastern coast of the lake is part of the Barguzinsky State Natural Reserve 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 source of the Angara - Listvyanka, it is more than three hundred years old. The tourist infrastructure is well developed here and there is a Lake Museum dedicated to the history of Baikal, its flora and fauna. Also in the village there is a seal garden, where they show an exciting water show with the participation of Baikal seals and the legendary Shaman Stone, a protected rock at the source of the Angara, where ancient shamanic rituals were held in ancient times.

Climate and seasons

(Transparent water of Lake Baikal in summer)

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

(Transparent ice on Lake Baikal in winter)

In winter, the waters of Lake Baikal are covered with 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 slight evaporation cold water from the surface of the lake, clouds very rarely form here, therefore the area of Lake Baikal is characterized by a high total duration of sunshine; cloudy and cloudy days are rare.

Lake Baikal.

Baikal was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1996 based on four natural criteria:
(vii) The object is a natural phenomenon or an area of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance.
(viii) The object is an outstanding example of the main stages of the history of the Earth, including a monument of the past, a symbol of ongoing geological processes in the development of relief, or a symbol of geomorphological or physiographic features.
(ix) The property is an outstanding example of ongoing ecological or biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems and plant and animal communities.

(x) The property contains the most important or significant natural habitat for conservation therein biological diversity, including endangered species of exceptional global scientific and conservation value.

The lake is located in Russian Federation, on the border of the Irkutsk region and the Republic of Buryatia, stretches from northeast to southwest for 620 km in the form of a crescent. The width of Lake Baikal ranges from 24 to 80 km.

Baikal is the deepest and oldest lake on earth. The maximum depth of the lake is 1642 m. It is located at a point with coordinates 53°14′59″ N. w. 108°05′11″ E. d. (established in 1983 by the expedition of the State Budgetary Institution of National Economy of the Moscow Region, confirmed in 2002 as a result of the Belgian-Spanish-Russian project to create a new bathymetric map of Lake Baikal)
Baikal is located in a continental depression: the lowest point of the basin lies 1187 m below sea level
The average depth of the lake is 744.4 m. The water surface of the lake covers an area 31,722 km². Fresh water reserves in Baikal are 23,615.39 km³ (about 19% of the world's lake fresh water reserves)
The geological rift system that gave rise to Lake Baikal formed during the Mesozoic period. The age of the Baikal basin is estimated at 20-25 million years. The Baikal rift zone belongs to the territories with high seismicity, earthquakes regularly occur here, the strength of which is one or two points.
336 rivers and streams flow into Baikal. The largest of them are Selenga, Upper Angara, Barguzin, Turka, Snezhnaya, Sarma. One river flows out of the lake - the Angara.

(View from a height of 734 km, altitude above sea level: 952 km.)

The Holy Nose Peninsula is the largest peninsula, separating the Chivyrkuisky and Barguzinsky bays. The largest island in the lake is Olkhon. Ushkany Islands are four islands in the middle part of Lake Baikal: Bolshoi, Krugly, Tonkiy and Dolgiy. In area they are about 10 sq.m. The islands of the Chivyrkuisky Bay - Shaggy, Goly, White Stone, Cormorant and Kovryazhka and the islands of the Small Sea - Izhilkhey, Yedor, Modoto, Kharantsy, Zamotay, Ogoy, Borakchin, Khubyn, Khunuk, Bolshoi and Small Toinaki.
In the north of the lake there are the islands of Yarki and Millionny.
The Ushkany Islands are known for the largest rookery of the Baikal seal. The Baikal seal is endemic to the lake and a landmark of the Transbaikal National Park.

Baikal seals.

Baby seal.

There are about 2,600 species and subspecies of living organisms in Baikal.
About 1000 species are endemic.
The most famous fish Lake Baikal: Baikal omul, grayling, whitefish, Baikal sturgeon, golomyanka.
The lake is home to a number of rare forms of aquatic invertebrates (sponges, amphipods).

The crustacean Baikal epishura plays very important role in the lake ecosystem. This representative of a species of planktonic crustaceans, 1.5 mm in size, consumes organic matter, passing water through its body. Being a natural filter, the Baikal epishura purifies the lake water.

On the Eastern shore of Lake Baikal there is Transbaikalsky national park, on the west coast is the Pribaikalsky National Park.
The flora of the coastal zone of Lake Baikal is represented by more than 800 plant species.
Among approximately 50 species of mammals that live in the coastal zone in swamps, steppes and forest-steppes, in foothill and mountain forests, high mountain areas: wild reindeer, deer, elk, musk deer, wild boar, brown bear, wolf, fox, sable, ermine , Siberian weasel, squirrel, chipmunk, marmot, otter, muskrat.

About 250 species of birds live in the Baikal region. Most rare species: peregrine falcon, osprey, golden eagle, black crane, white-tailed eagle.