Decision 47 COM 7B.26

Lake Baikal (Russian Federation)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/25/47.COM/7B.Add.3,
2. Recalling Decisions 44 COM 7B.107, 45 COM 7B.24 and 46 COM 7B.52, adopted at its extended 44th (Fuzhou/online, 2021), extended 45th (Riyadh, 2023) and its 46th (New Delhi, 2024) sessions, respectively,
3. Acknowledges that the State Party is taking remedial actions to reverse the environmental deterioration of the property, but notes with deep concern that the property continues facing significant ascertained and potential threats due to the long-term degradation of the water quality of Lake Baikal, persistent and increasing anthropogenic pressures, in particular related to pollution and tourism infrastructure development, as well as uncertain legal protection and lack of integrated management;
4. Requests the State Party to take urgent action to eliminate all direct wastewater discharges into Lake Baikal, upgrade outdated treatment facilities to meet international standards, and provide a comprehensive, annually updated inventory of pollution sources, with progress metrics publicly available via the Lake Baikal geoportal;
5. Reiterates its concern at the weakening of the legal protection of the property at a time when its ecological condition continues to deteriorate, which may 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 legal status of the property to protect its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), to assess the impact of any proposed legislative changes on the property and its OUV and submit these proposals to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN prior to their approval, as well as to avoid any legislative changes that may result in adverse impacts;
6. Welcomes the submission and public availability of the study on the environmental and socio-economic impacts of the water level regime of Lake Baikal, also urges the State Party to take into consideration IUCN’s review of the study, and reiterates its request to the State Party to also submit the proposals on the water level regulation of Lake Baikal by end of 2025, to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN;
7. Notes with serious concern the renewal of the temporary legislation on the water level regime of Lake Baikal continuing to allow increased water level variation, and reminds the State Party that any existing or proposed water level regulations should be compatible with the protection of the property’s OUV and should not allow the water level variation to exceed one metre, as this may have a negative impact on the property and its OUV, until the legislative proposals and management regulations have been reviewed by IUCN and the requirements for the property’s protection have been determined;
8. Notes the ongoing work to eliminate the accumulated environmental damage of the former Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill, which is expected to be completed at two of the three industrial waste storage sites by 2027, and also requests the State Party to continue reporting on the progress and implementation of the environmental safeguards;
9. Also reiterates its request to the State Party to provide details of all major development initiatives within the property, including the ‘Magic Baikal’ and ‘Baikal Sloboda’ and the tourism master plan for Lake Baikal, to ensure that Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) are prepared in accordance with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context, and to conduct a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) in each Special Economic Zone (SEZ), which could be undertaken as a ‘research and development’ programme, to assess and mitigate the cumulative impacts of the existing and proposed projects on the property’s OUV, and to develop an environmental management plan for the SEZs, before taking any decision that would be difficult to reverse;
10. Welcomes the State Party’s continued investment to support the conservation of the property; however, further reiterates its request to the State Party to continue implementing the urgent remedial measures and the recommendations of the 2023 Reactive Monitoring mission, and to develop an integrated management plan for the property, and considers that if the overall ongoing degradation of the property’s OUV is not halted and reversed and the legal protection of the property is not secured, 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;
11. Welcomes the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the States Parties of the Russian Federation and Mongolia to strengthen cooperation for the protection of Lake Baikal, and further requests the States Parties to report on the outcomes of this cooperation to improve the ecological condition of the Selenga River and its basin, and on the plans for the Egiin Gol hydropower plant, including an assessment of the potential impacts of the project prepared in accordance with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context;
12. Requests furthermore the State Party to submit detailed information on the current proposals for the Power of Siberia-2 gas pipeline, including any EIAs that have been undertaken, to the World Heritage Centre for consideration by the 2026 mission to the property;
13. Reiterates its request to the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission to the property, to take place during the summer season of 2026, 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, in particular those related to legal protection, tourism infrastructure development, pollution, land use pressures and management, including forest management, and to assess whether the property is faced with major threats which could have deleterious effects on its inherent characteristics, in accordance with Paragraph 180 of the Operational Guidelines;
14. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, a progress report by 1 February 2026 and an updated report on the state of conservation of the property by 1 December 2026, reflecting progress in the implementation of the above, including the recommendations of the 2023 Reactive Monitoring mission, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 49th session.