Decision 46 COM 7B.52

Lake Baikal (Russian Federation) (N 754)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/24/46.COM/7B.Add.3,
2. Recalling Decisions 44 COM 7B.107 and 45 COM 7B.24 adopted at its 44th (Fuzhou/online, 2021) and 45th (Riyadh, 2023) extended sessions respectively,
3. Notes with utmost concern the conclusion of the 2023 joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission that the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property faces significant ascertained and potential threats due to the long-term degradation of the water quality of Lake Baikal, persistent and increasing anthropogenic pressures, notably related to pollution and tourism development as well as irregular legal protection and lack of integrated management;
4. Reiterates its concern at the weakening of the legal protection of the property at a time when the property’s ecological condition continues to deteriorate, which could place the property in potential danger in accordance with Paragraph 180(b) i) and iv) of the Operational Guidelines, and urges the State Party to secure and stabilise the property’s legal status to protect its OUV and to avoid any legal modifications that may lead to potential deleterious effects;
5. Welcomes the development of the study to assess the environmental and socio-economic impacts of the water level regime of Lake Baikal, requests the State Party to submit the study to the World Heritage Centre and to make it available on the Lake Baikal ecological portal and also urges the State Party to elaborate by the end of 2024, detailed proposals to develop water level regulations of Lake Baikal to be compatible with the protection of the property’s OUV and to submit these proposals to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN, reminding the State Party to refrain from issuing any legislative amendments which allow extending the water level variation beyond one meter due to potential negative impact on the property and its OUV, until the before-mentioned study and the legislative proposals of all water use and management regulations on the OUV are reviewed by IUCN and the requirements for its protection are set;
6. Also welcomes the progress made towards eliminating the accumulated environmental damage of the former Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill (BPPM) and reiterates its request to the State Party to apply the highest environmental standards in the selection and application of technological solutions in these works and to ensure regular risk assessment, audited environmental monitoring and reporting to the public and the Committee;
7. Also reiterates its request to the State Party to provide details of all major development initiatives within the property, to ensure that they are subject to Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) developed in accordance with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context and submitted to the World Heritage Centre, and to conduct a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) in each Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to assess and mitigate the cumulative impacts of the existing and proposed activities on the property’s OUV before taking any decision that would be difficult to reverse;
8. Acknowledging that the State Party is taking remedial action to halt and reverse the deterioration of the property’s OUV and state of conservation, requests furthermore the State Party to intensify these efforts and to implement all recommendations of the 2023 mission, including to:
   1. Complete the review of past legal changes and assess the impact on the property and its OUV of the proposed additional changes to the Baikal Law, prior to approval of these amendments and their review by the Committee,
   2. Minimise and work towards eliminating all major sources of pollution in Lake Baikal and its watershed,
   3. Conduct a SEA of the Baikalsk Master Plan and ensure full compatibility with World Heritage requirements,
   4. Elaborate and implement a clear and comprehensive plan and programme of activities for fire management and forest ecosystem restoration,
   5. Develop an integrated management plan for the property,
   6. Finalise the Retrospective Statement of OUV for the property and submit it to the World Heritage Centre together with the map of the boundaries of the World Heritage property as part of the Retrospective Inventory;
9. Considers that unless these actions are urgently implemented to halt the ongoing degradation of the property’s OUV, the property’s urgent conservation needs may require a broad mobilisation to preserve its OUV, including the possible inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger;
10. Also notes with satisfaction the decision of the State Party of Mongolia to abandon the Shuren and Orkhon river dam projects located in the Selenge watershed and the State Party of Mongolia’s plan to proceed only with the Egiin Gol hydropower plant, which will be subject to an EIA in accordance with international standards and the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context, further requests the State Party of Mongolia to ensure that this EIA includes measures to mitigate the impact of the project on the Selenga ecosystem and is submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN prior to any decision, and further requests the States Parties of the Russian Federation and Mongolia to continue to cooperate on the sustainable management of the shared Lake Baikal watershed;
11. Requests furthermore the State Party to invite a new Reactive Monitoring mission to the property in 2026, during the summer season, to assess the progress made in reversing the degradation of the OUV of the property and in addressing the threats affecting its state of conservation, notably legal protection, tourism development, pollution, land use pressures and management, including forest management, and to assess whether the property meets the conditions for inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger;
12. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2025, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property reflecting progress on the implementation of the above, including the recommendations of the 2023 Reactive Monitoring mission, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 47th session.