On December 5, 1996, Lake Baikal was inscribed on the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage List. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee, at its 12th session in Merida (Mexico), recognized Baikal as an example of an outstanding freshwater ecosystem, the oldest and deepest lake in the world, which contains 20% of the Earth’s non-freezing surface waters.
To be included in the World Natural Heritage List, a candidate property must meet at least one of four criteria:
Be an outstanding example representing the main stages in the development of the Earth, including evidence of ancient life, significant geological processes in the formation of landforms, geomorphological and physiographic elements of great significance; or
be an outstanding example representing ecological and biological evolutionary processes, the development of ecosystems and terrestrial, fluvial, coastal and marine communities of plants and animals; or
be a natural phenomenon or area of exceptional aesthetic value; or
to contain habitats of the most representative and important species for the conservation of biological diversity, including those areas where species of outstanding global significance from the point of view of science and conservation, and endangered species, are preserved.
Baikal met all four. Of the thousands of natural sites included in the List, just over a dozen meet four criteria.
The status of a World Natural Heritage site is the highest of the environmental protection ones.
The preservation of the unique ecological system of Lake Baikal is, of course, a state task. In order to strengthen supervision over the use of the country’s strategic water body – Lake Baikal – in 2016 a single Baikal Administration of Rosprirodnadzor was established.
Wholesale supplies of drinking water from Lake Baikal around the world: BaikalH2O.com
