Lake Baikal

• Management systems/ management plan (lack of adequate management system)
• Legal framework (uncertain legal protection)
• Pollution
• Illegal activities (illegal timber harvesting)
• Gas and oil pipeline project across the World Heritage property (issue resolved)
• Illegal activities (illegal construction on the lake shore)
• Illegal activities (illegal sale of land)
• Impacts of tourism / visitor / recreation (tourism development)
• Water infrastructure (lack of mechanism to control waste water discharge)
• Fire (wildfires) (wildfires in the Baikal region in 2015)
• Water infrastructure (Shuren Hydropower Plant and Orkhon river reservoir complex projects (in Mongolia))

On 13 July 2016, the State Party submitted information on existing provisions and regulations for water use and management of the property in response to the Decision 39 COM 7B.22 and on 31 January 2017, a report on its state of conservation, available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1133/documents/. The State Party reports the following:

• The devastating forest fires in the Baikal region in 2015 affected an area of 153,000 ha. As a response, cooperation between different authorities in the field of fire management has been strengthened and a reform of the forest management and forest fire control measures is planned for 2017-2018;
• A federal assessment of the design documentation for tourism infrastructure development within the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) “Gates of Baikal” is underway. Some infrastructure has been built within the SEZ “Baikal Harbour”;
• No decision has been taken yet regarding the future use of the industrial area of the former Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill, closed in 2013. In 2016, a commission was set up to monitor the lignin sludge in the area;
• Due to extreme water shortage in the Lake Baikal basin over the last three years, the State Party adopted Resolution 626 in January 2016, setting the minimum value of the water level during the low water period at 455.54 m (compared to 456 m in the original resolution from 2001) and the maximum value at 457.85 m (compared to 457 m) for 2016-2017;
• A decrease in fish stocks has been reported in several parts of the property (Kabansky region, Baikalsky Nature Reserve and Zabaikalsky National Park and in the larger delta of the Selenga River) Algal (Spyrogyra) blooms, accompanied by significant changes in the structure and productivity of coastal aquatic ecosystems, have been observed in some areas and are seen as a result of latent eutrophication in the proximity of recreational sites, among other factors.

On 3 March 2017, the State Party submitted additional information on planned tourism developments in Baïkalsk.

On 23 January 2017, in response to Decision 40 COM 7B.97, the State Party of Mongolia submitted a letter to the World Heritage Centre providing the following information:

• A study of potential impacts of the Egiin Gol hydropower project on the biodiversity of the property will be conducted in addition to the study of hydrological and ecological impacts of the project, which had already been conducted before the IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission in 2015;
• Assessment of impacts on Lake Baikal of the Shuren hydropower project and the Orkhon River project was included in the draft Terms of References (ToR) for the preparation of Regional Environmental Assessments (REA) and Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs) for these projects. These draft ToR were also submitted to the World Heritage Centre;
• Since the feasibility studies and the ESIAs for these two projects have not been completed yet, it is stated that an assessment of cumulative impacts of planned hydropower development cannot be undertaken at this stage.

On 28 April 2017, the World Heritage Centre transmitted third party information to the State Party of Mongolia on the Egiin Gol hydropower project. At the time of preparation of this report, the State Party did not yet provide a response.

The information provided by the State Party regarding the regulations on water use and management is noted. The adoption of a resolution increasing the allowed fluctuation between the maximum and minimum values of the water level of Lake Baikal in 2016-2017 raises concerns given the apparent absence of an assessment of potential impacts of such changes on the property.

It is further noted with concern that the ecosystem of the lake is reported to be under significant stress with a decrease in fish stocks and algal blooms being some of the observed results. It is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to continue identifying the causes of such changes and the responses required to preserve the ecological integrity of the Lake as well as to develop a property-wide ecological monitoring system. At the same time, all potential threats to the ecosystem of the property need to be minimized. It is recommended that the Committee urge the State Party to elaborate an assessment of potential impacts of existing regulations on water use and management on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property and not to introduce any further changes in the regulations until their effects on the property are fully understood.

Any potential impacts from the closed Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill also need to be minimized. It is therefore essential that the State Party urgently elaborates a comprehensive plan for the future use of the industrial area and the elimination of accumulated waste, and ensures that this plan is subject to a thorough Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which should include a specific assessment of impacts on the OUV of the property, in line with IUCN’s World Heritage Advice Note on Environmental Assessment.

Tourism infrastructure development could also add to existing stresses, and it is therefore recommended that the Committee reiterate its request to the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre the results of the EIAs for each SEZ for review by IUCN and develop a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of all SEZs within the property, in order to guide all future developments in a coherent manner consistent with the conservation of the property’s OUV.

The information provided by the State Party of Mongolia regarding the planned additional study of the impacts of the Egiin Gol project on the biodiversity of the property is welcomed, and the planned REAs and ESIAs for the Shuren hydropower project and the Orkhon River project is noted. While inclusion of an assessment of potential impacts of the projects specifically on Lake Baikal in the Terms of Reference for these REAs and ESIAs is noted, it should be recalled that the Committee has repeatedly requested the States Parties of Mongolia and the Russian Federation to jointly develop a SEA for any future hydropower and water management projects, which could potentially affect the property, taking into account any existing and planned projects on the territory of both countries. It is therefore recommended that the Committee request both States Parties to ensure that the results of such transboundary SEA guide the elaboration of ESIAs of any specific hydropower and water management projects, including the planned Shuren hydropower project and the Orkhon river project.