RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES SIBERIAN BRANCH BAIKAL INSTITUTE

RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES SIBERIAN BRANCH BAIKAL INSTITUTE OF NATURE MANAGEMENT OBJECTS, RESULTS AND MECHANISMS OF THE INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN STUDIES OF THE SELENGA RIVER AND BAIKAL LAKE BRINGING TOGETHER SELENGA-BAIKAL RESEARCH Corresponding-member RAS A. K. TULOKHONOV Geneva – October 2012

I. Baikal – World natural heritage site 2

UNESCO certificate recognizing the Lake Baikal on the World Heritage List

Value of the Baikal lake for humanity For society The largest fresh water reservoir of the planet – 23 thousand cubic km - depth – 1637 m - width - 30 -70 km - length - 620 km - age- 25 million years - area 30500 sq. km Contact zone of the western and eastern cultures - Christians - Buddhists For science Objects of study: -seismicity -volcanism -formation of oil, gas and gas hydrates - endemics (seal and golomyanka) - fluctuations of lake level - paleoclimate - contact of cultures of West and East 4 - future ocean

COMPARISON OF THE SIZES OF THE LAKE BAIKAL AND BAIKAL PART OF THE WORLD NATURAL HERITAGE WITH THE SIZES OF THE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES CONVENTIONAL SIGNS - boundaries of the Lake Baikal - boundaries of the world natural heritage site - boundaries of the Baikal natural territory 5

Biodiversity of the Baikal Lake Number of species and subspecies of animals Reference Baikal 2565 Timoshkin, 1995 Tanganyika (Africa) 1248 Coulter, 1991 Biwa (Japan) 595 Mori, Miura, 1990 Caspian 542 Kosarev, Yablonskaya, 1990 Okhrid (Macedonia) 430 Stancovic, 1960, Salemman, 1985 Khovsgol (Mongolia) 285 Varykhanova, 1989, Kozhova and others, 1997 Titicaca (South America) 200 Dejoux, 1992

The water of Baikal If a Frenchman would drink a day for 10 liters of water 60000000 × 10 liters × 365 days × 100 years = 219000000 liters or 21, 9 cubic km It is 1, 1 meters above the Baikal Lake 1 liter – 1 dollar = 100 billion dollars 7

II. Selenga – the river for international cooperation Selenga – Baikal – Angara – Enisej (6 т. км. ) a Angara Le n j ise En RUSSIA Kazakhstan China Mongolia 8

Key areas of cooperation Use of transboundary natural resources Migration of population Other problems Sustainable development of the Baikal Asia (basin of the Selenga River) Tourist and recreational potential Ecology of Ulan-Bator Agriculture Mining industry 9

Areas of cooperation Use of transboundary natural resources Problems: - Quality of monitoring of the state of the environment - Lack of legal documents - Lack of programs on joint use of natural resources Migration of population and ecology of Ulan-Bator Problems: - Employment - Air pollution in winter 10

Areas of cooperation Agriculture Problems: - Desertification - Land degradation - Migration of the rural population Mining industry Problems: - Transformation of ecosystems - Contamination of water and land resources, air pollution 11

Areas of cooperation Tourist and recreational potential Ecological tour on Great Lakes of Asia Problems: -- Lack of tourism infrastructure - Low capacity of the border checkpoints 12

III. Deltas and microdeltas as unique indicators of the balance of the substance and energy of the endogenic and exogenous processes on boundary of the terrigenous and aquatic environments The Selenga River forms the world's only intercontinental freshwater delta of classic type with an area of more than 5 km 2. , where it flows into the Baikal Lake. Moreover, power of lacustrine-alluvial deposits in the Ust-Selenga hollow reaches 8 - 9 km. , whose age are 20 -25 million years, which makes the Selenga River basin the ancient waterway in the world. МЭОЦ «Истомино» 13

Deltas of the world largest rivers 14

Picture LANDSAT 15

Uniqueness of the Selenga River delta 1. S – 5000 square kilometers, age – 25 million years, H – 8 -9 kilometers 2. Unique in the world fresh-water delta of a classical type inside the continent 3. Unique water-marsh ecological system included in the list of the objects of the Ramsar convention 4. Dwelling-place of the valuable Red Book fishes of the Baikal ichtyofauna (sturgeon, omyl, sig, umber, sazan) 5. Dwelling-place of birds of passage of the Northern Asia and their nesting. 6. 100 -kilometers structure of all landscape zones (lake, marsh, river, terraces, meadows, steppes, taiga, mixed woods, cedar forests, mountain tundra) 7. The natural clearing biological filter of the river Selenga water (50% of all drain to Baikal) 8. Territory of intensive earthquakes 16

Map of an actual material (sampling)

Water balance of delta 3. 6 – 3. 9 million tons/year 2 080 thousand tons/year “ENTRY” Water 3. 4 – 3. 5 million tons/year The weighed substances 860 thousand tons/year “EXIT” 18

The basic conclusions 1. Deltas are formed under condition of the positive balance of substance above speed of a substratum lowering. 2. Deltas – the unique natural objects having a unique biodiversity: - dwelling-place, nesting of birds of passage; - fattening of the valuable species of fishes; - quality of the environment depends on a water level. 3. Deltas are the unique natural biological filter clearing waters before water basis. 19

IV. Mechanisms of cooperation the Baikal Institute of Nature Management of the Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences KEY AREAS OF FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCHES 1. Problems of nature management: interaction of natural and socio-economic systems. 2. Chemical elements and compounds in natural and artificial environments. 3. Development of new materials and resource saving environment-friendly technologies; chemical aspects of rational nature management. 20

International cooperation Country Organization Italy Austria China University of Udine (province of Venice) University BOKU (Vienna) Institute of geography and natural resources research, CAS ( Beijing); Institute of geography and limnology, CAS (Nanjing) Norway University of Bergen Finland University of Joensuu Mongolia Institute of geography MAS, Mongolian State university of agriculture, Institute of geoecology MAS, Institute of botany MAS Germany Konstanz university, Marburg university, Kassel university, Saarbrucken university, University of Berlin, Technical University of Berlin, Berlin institute of sociology, Center for environmental research , Leipzig, University of Hannover Japan Great Britain Южная Корея Ehime university Napier university ( Edinburgh) Korea environment institute 21

International cooperation UNEP GEF TACIS Grant “National Action Plan to combat desertification for the Republic of Buryatia, Chita region, Aginsk Buryat Autonomous okrug” 1. Creation and development of the international ecological-educational centre «Istomino» 2. Conservation of biodiversity in the basin of the rivers Tugnui-Sukhara 3. Organization of ecological audit in the Selenga River delta 1. TEMPUS project “Organic farming in the Baikal region” 2. Strengthening of public management in the Baikal region International Bank for Grant “Assessment of the ecological damage and compensation mechanisms: regional Reconstruction and level” Development 22

International ecological-educational centre «Istomino» The main activities: 1. scientific and logistical support of fundamental research on the Baikal Lake ecosystem and the Selenga River as an indicator of anthropogenic impact and natural changes of biodiversity in the Baikal Lake basin; 2. carrying out of scientific expeditions; 3. organization of scientific-practical meetings and events for the sustainable development of the Baikal region; 4. conduct specialized practices of students of natural faculties and summer schools for gifted children on ecology, economics, chemistry, physics and mathematics; 5. development of eco-tourism; 6. demonstration of ecological farming system and organic food production with renewable energy sources. 23

Infrastructure of the IEEC «Istomino» - comfortable two-story brick building of 615 square meters (7 double rooms and 2 rooms with 8 beds); - a conference room for 45 people equipped with modern communication facilities, office equipment and library; -satellite TV; - dining room for 50 people; - hydro chemical laboratory, mobile laboratories; - yurts in the summer for 30 people. ; - summer kitchen for 40 people; - sauna, outdoor shower; - warm garage for 6 cars; - warehouses for equipment; - automatic weather station; - mobile power station, renewable energy sources (solar, wind, biogas); - fleet of 3 vehicles; - motor boats (4 pcs. ); 24 - greenhouse;

State Duma of the Russian Federation Ministry of Natural Resources of the RF Siberian Branch of the RAS Government of the Republic of Buryatia Fund for Protection of Lake Baikal Moscow State Universityт Buryat State University Global Environment Fund Mongolian Academy of Sciences Korea Environment Institute Russian Foundation for Basic Research First informational letter In the frame of the International Year of water cooperation of UNESCO, the Year of ecological culture and protection of environment of the UIS, the Year of the Environment in the Russian Federation, announced in 2013 by the Decree of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin, in the city of Ulan-Ude and the special economic zone of tourist-recreational type "Baikal harbor" in late June - early July 2013 is carried out a cluster of satellite conferences "Baikal - strategic resource of the planet in the 21 st century", which include the International scientificpractical conference "Natural-resources potential of the Baikal Lake: use, protection and reproduction» , the VI International scientificpractical conference "Priorities and features of the Baikal region development" and the VII All-Russian workshop on sustainable development. The purpose of the conferences - summarizing the results of the first year of implementation of the Federal target program "Protection of the Baikal Lake and socio-economic development of the Baikal natural territory", the Global Environment Fund project "Integrated management of natural resources of transboundary ecosystem of the Baikal Lake basin", compilation and analysis of the results of international cooperation on Baikal, elaboration proposals for improving ecological-economic and legal mechanism of nature management and environment protection, improvement of existing and development of new forms of business-government partnership, development of tourism, working out proposals for the implementation "green growth" and "green economy” principles. Forms of participation in the conferences - plenary and order reports; - report on sections; - poster presentations; - publication of reports without participation in the conferences. Additional information will be presented after coordination with concerned parties. Tulokhonov Аrnold. К. Tel. 8 (3012) 433380

Letter № 1 UNESCO proclaimed 2013 the Year of water cooperation, in Russia this year is declared the Year of the environment by the decree of the President of Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. In the frame of these events we invite you to participate in the International Conference "Baikal - a strategic resource of the planet in the 21 st century. " Organizers: the State Duma of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Natural Resources of the RF, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Government of the Republic of Buryatia, the Fund for Protection of Lake Baikal, Moscow University, the Global Environment Fund, the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, the Korea Environment Institute, the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, etc. The purpose of the conference: summing the results of the first year of the federal target program "Baikal", the outcome of international cooperation at Baikal, improve the mechanism of ecological, economic and legal framework for the protection of the environment and nature management, the development of new forms of business-government partnership, the development of tourism and the "green economy" and etc. Main areas: - development of tourism; - development of new environment-friendly technologies; - "green" economy in industry and agriculture; - ecological monitoring and its improvement; - experience in the implementation of international projects on sustainable development of the Baikal natural territory; - ecological education and upbringing; - improvement of economic and legal mechanisms of nature management; - culture, health and ecology. Round Table "Business in protection of the Baikal Lake as a World Natural Heritage Site: experience, necessary conditions" (Fifth All-Russian Conference "Priorities of the Baikal Region development"). Round table "The role of the young scientists in the sustainable development of the Baikal region and special protected natural territories" (Seventh All-Russian Youth School-Seminar on Sustainable Development). Date - end of June - beginning of July, 2013. Location: city of Ulan-El’, Special economic zone "Baikal harbor". ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

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