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
3
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
- future ocean
4
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
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 = 21900000000000 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.)
RUSSIA
Angara
Kazakhstan
China
Mongolia
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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
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Areas of cooperation
Tourist and recreational potential
CHINGIS-KHAN PATHS
Ekological tour on Great Lakes of Asia
C o n v e n t i o n a l
s i g n s:
Ecological tour
on Great Lakes of Asia
Route 1
(2345 êm)
Route 2
(1805 êm)
Route 3
(1290 êm)
Railways
Highways
40
0
40
80
120
160
200
kilo m eters
-- Lack of tourism infrastructure
Nilova
pustun
85
105
KH O
- Low capacity of the border
·
#
IR K UT SK
B
I
A
K
ULA N -U DE
·
#
110
Gus in ooze rsk
A rshan Isto min o
345
150
140
Is tom ino #·
·
#
Irku tskNilova p ustun
230
V SG
OL
·
#
· Kha nkh
#
IrkutskArsh an
200
L
Ars han
A
Problems:
·
#
lake Gusin oe
115
checkpoints
·
#
Kha tga l
·
#
85
·
#
M uren
360
SE
LE
NG
A
180
Khy ak hta
130
· Da rkha n
#
Er dene t
·
#
260
200
lake Terkh ijn-Nu r
·
#
Kho rgo
·
#
270
350
Kha rkho rin
N
·
#
ULA N -B AT OR
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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 km2.,
where it flows into the Baikal Lake. Moreover, power of lacustrinealluvial 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»
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Deltas of the world largest rivers
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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
9. Exits of petroleum and gas
10. Deposits of gas hydrates
11. Natural laboratory on studying the natural and anthropogenous phenomena
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”
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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.);
- greenhouse;
- experimental farm for the production of organic food and
the development of rural tourism.
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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 21st century", which
include the International scientific-practical conference "Natural-resources potential of the Baikal Lake: use, protection and
reproduction», the VI International scientific-practical 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 21st 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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