The protection of nature at Baikal
Our national parks and nature reserves
The protection of nature at Baikal
Our national parks and nature reserves
If you are planning a trip to Baikal, and are visiting without a tour guide, then we recommend that you do quite a bit of research beforehand, and take the time to schedule all your stops along the way. You should be aware that there are some parks or other areas where you will need to pay a fee or get special permission to enter.
Fortunately for all of us, Lake Baikal is almost entirely surrounded by national parks or other specially protected areas. So it might help here to talk more about all of these parks, and what laws and restrictions apply to each of the protected territories in Russia. And also: why were these parks created in the first place?
To begin, let's define what we mean by a "specially protected area." In Russia this can be any large parcel of land where you can find a natural eco-system or specific wildlife that is significant for its environmental, scientific, cultural, aesthetic, or recreational value—or for its value in protecting human health. Because of their significance, special protected areas have been created by our governmental authorities, for which sometimes various economic activities are restricted or limited, and for which an organized regime for protecting nature has been established.
Fortunately for all of us, Lake Baikal is almost entirely surrounded by national parks or other specially protected areas. So it might help here to talk more about all of these parks, and what laws and restrictions apply to each of the protected territories in Russia. And also: why were these parks created in the first place?
To begin, let's define what we mean by a "specially protected area." In Russia this can be any large parcel of land where you can find a natural eco-system or specific wildlife that is significant for its environmental, scientific, cultural, aesthetic, or recreational value—or for its value in protecting human health. Because of their significance, special protected areas have been created by our governmental authorities, for which sometimes various economic activities are restricted or limited, and for which an organized regime for protecting nature has been established.
If you are planning a trip to Baikal, and are visiting without a tour guide, then we recommend that you do quite a bit of research beforehand, and take the time to schedule all your stops along the way. You should be aware that there are some parks or other areas where you will need to pay a fee or get special permission to enter.
Fortunately for all of us, Lake Baikal is almost entirely surrounded by national parks or other specially protected areas. So it might help here to talk more about all of these parks, and what laws and restrictions apply to each of the protected territories in Russia. And also: why were these parks created in the first place?
To begin, let's define what we mean by a "specially protected area." In Russia this can be any large parcel of land where you can find a natural eco-system or specific wildlife that is significant for its environmental, scientific, cultural, aesthetic, or recreational value—or for its value in protecting human health. Because of their significance, special protected areas have been created by our governmental authorities, for which sometimes various economic activities are restricted or limited, and for which an organized regime for protecting nature has been established.
Fortunately for all of us, Lake Baikal is almost entirely surrounded by national parks or other specially protected areas. So it might help here to talk more about all of these parks, and what laws and restrictions apply to each of the protected territories in Russia. And also: why were these parks created in the first place?
To begin, let's define what we mean by a "specially protected area." In Russia this can be any large parcel of land where you can find a natural eco-system or specific wildlife that is significant for its environmental, scientific, cultural, aesthetic, or recreational value—or for its value in protecting human health. Because of their significance, special protected areas have been created by our governmental authorities, for which sometimes various economic activities are restricted or limited, and for which an organized regime for protecting nature has been established.
At Baikal these protected areas were founded not only to preserve the inland landscapes around the lake, but also the shorelines and water, as well as the air above. These state-managed areas are here to preserve the biodiversity of our region, including all animal and plant species within protected area boundaries. They also are there to protect the rich cultural and historical heritage of our region.
Let's give a list with a short description of each type of protected area in our region:
- State nature reserves, including special biosphere reserves;
- National parks
- Wildlife preserves
- Local nature parks
- Natural monuments
- National forest lands and botanical gardens
- Special health retreats and spas.
At Baikal these protected areas were founded not only to preserve the inland landscapes around the lake, but also the shorelines and water, as well as the air above. These state-managed areas are here to preserve the biodiversity of our region, including all animal and plant species within protected area boundaries. They also are there to protect the rich cultural and historical heritage of our region.
Let's give a list with a short description of each type of protected area in our region:
- State nature reserves, including special biosphere reserves;
- National parks
- Wildlife preserves
- Local nature parks
- Natural monuments
- National forest lands and botanical gardens
- Special health retreats and spas.
Each of these protected areas has its own regime, with separate restrictions on what visitors can and cannot do. It's good to remember that these restrictions are in place to protect the natural environment, while at the same time allowing you to enjoy nature as a tourist.
For those of you visiting from China, you probably are familiar with similar nature reserves that protect the giant pandas in your own country, or the parks that protect the wonderful snow leopard and clouded leopard species. Or, on your way to Russia, you may decide to stop in Mongolia, where you can visit the land of the Przewalski wild horses in Khustai Mountains National Park.
You will find the same kind of parks here around Baikal, including the Barguzin Nature Reserve that was set aside to protect the wild Siberian sable. For us in Russia the sable symbolizes wild nature in much the same way that the panda and leopards do for you in China. As it turns out, the Barguzin Reserve was the first protected area created here in Russia, dating back to the end of tsarist times in 1917. Undoubtedly, without this reserve, the sable would have disappeared from the wild long ago!
The Baikal area is famous not only for the sable, but for the sheer size of all its parks and reserves. In all, some 386,000 square kilometers are protected here, by far and away the largest park complex in Russia. There are five nature reserves, 4 national parks, and 20 wildlife preserves alone in the Baikal region, along with countless other smaller protected areas.
For those of you visiting from China, you probably are familiar with similar nature reserves that protect the giant pandas in your own country, or the parks that protect the wonderful snow leopard and clouded leopard species. Or, on your way to Russia, you may decide to stop in Mongolia, where you can visit the land of the Przewalski wild horses in Khustai Mountains National Park.
You will find the same kind of parks here around Baikal, including the Barguzin Nature Reserve that was set aside to protect the wild Siberian sable. For us in Russia the sable symbolizes wild nature in much the same way that the panda and leopards do for you in China. As it turns out, the Barguzin Reserve was the first protected area created here in Russia, dating back to the end of tsarist times in 1917. Undoubtedly, without this reserve, the sable would have disappeared from the wild long ago!
The Baikal area is famous not only for the sable, but for the sheer size of all its parks and reserves. In all, some 386,000 square kilometers are protected here, by far and away the largest park complex in Russia. There are five nature reserves, 4 national parks, and 20 wildlife preserves alone in the Baikal region, along with countless other smaller protected areas.
Each of these protected areas has its own regime, with separate restrictions on what visitors can and cannot do. It's good to remember that these restrictions are in place to protect the natural environment, while at the same time allowing you to enjoy nature as a tourist.
For those of you visiting from China, you probably are familiar with similar nature reserves that protect the giant pandas in your own country, or the parks that protect the wonderful snow leopard and clouded leopard species. Or, on your way to Russia, you may decide to stop in Mongolia, where you can visit the land of the Przewalski wild horses in Khustai Mountains National Park.
You will find the same kind of parks here around Baikal, including the Barguzin Nature Reserve that was set aside to protect the wild Siberian sable. For us in Russia the sable symbolizes wild nature in much the same way that the panda and leopards do for you in China. As it turns out, the Barguzin Reserve was the first protected area created here in Russia, dating back to the end of tsarist times in 1917. Undoubtedly, without this reserve, the sable would have disappeared from the wild long ago!
The Baikal area is famous not only for the sable, but for the sheer size of all its parks and reserves. In all, some 386,000 square kilometers are protected here, by far and away the largest park complex in Russia. There are five nature reserves, 4 national parks, and 20 wildlife preserves alone in the Baikal region, along with countless other smaller protected areas.
For those of you visiting from China, you probably are familiar with similar nature reserves that protect the giant pandas in your own country, or the parks that protect the wonderful snow leopard and clouded leopard species. Or, on your way to Russia, you may decide to stop in Mongolia, where you can visit the land of the Przewalski wild horses in Khustai Mountains National Park.
You will find the same kind of parks here around Baikal, including the Barguzin Nature Reserve that was set aside to protect the wild Siberian sable. For us in Russia the sable symbolizes wild nature in much the same way that the panda and leopards do for you in China. As it turns out, the Barguzin Reserve was the first protected area created here in Russia, dating back to the end of tsarist times in 1917. Undoubtedly, without this reserve, the sable would have disappeared from the wild long ago!
The Baikal area is famous not only for the sable, but for the sheer size of all its parks and reserves. In all, some 386,000 square kilometers are protected here, by far and away the largest park complex in Russia. There are five nature reserves, 4 national parks, and 20 wildlife preserves alone in the Baikal region, along with countless other smaller protected areas.
More on our nature reserves. Here in our Russian nature reserves the main goal is to preserve the environment in its natural state. This means that a lot of human activities are not allowed in these reserves except for when they are deemed necessary to protect local eco-systems. You can't cut down any trees, you can't look for or dig up gold or any other minerals, you can't even fish or gather mushrooms or berries here in the heart of these reserves. So in order to keep the natural world more or less pristine in these reserves, they want to limit the number of people who can gain access to nature.
In other words, if you want to visit the protected lands within these strict reserves you will need to call or write ahead of time, and seek special permission. This limitation in the number of people who can visit at one time helps the reserve protect their lands as an entire eco-system. It also helps them reach their objective of defending local wildlife, particularly the rare or endangered species like the Siberian sable, the Daurian crane, or the Russian muskrat, amongst many others.
In other words, if you want to visit the protected lands within these strict reserves you will need to call or write ahead of time, and seek special permission. This limitation in the number of people who can visit at one time helps the reserve protect their lands as an entire eco-system. It also helps them reach their objective of defending local wildlife, particularly the rare or endangered species like the Siberian sable, the Daurian crane, or the Russian muskrat, amongst many others.
More on our nature reserves. Here in our Russian nature reserves the main goal is to preserve the environment in its natural state. This means that a lot of human activities are not allowed in these reserves except for when they are deemed necessary to protect local eco-systems. You can't cut down any trees, you can't look for or dig up gold or any other minerals, you can't even fish or gather mushrooms or berries here in the heart of these reserves. So in order to keep the natural world more or less pristine in these reserves, they want to limit the number of people who can gain access to nature.
In other words, if you want to visit the protected lands within these strict reserves you will need to call or write ahead of time, and seek special permission. This limitation in the number of people who can visit at one time helps the reserve protect their lands as an entire eco-system. It also helps them reach their objective of defending local wildlife, particularly the rare or endangered species like the Siberian sable, the Daurian crane, or the Russian muskrat, amongst many others.
In other words, if you want to visit the protected lands within these strict reserves you will need to call or write ahead of time, and seek special permission. This limitation in the number of people who can visit at one time helps the reserve protect their lands as an entire eco-system. It also helps them reach their objective of defending local wildlife, particularly the rare or endangered species like the Siberian sable, the Daurian crane, or the Russian muskrat, amongst many others.
More on our national parks. National parks in Russia were also created to protect natural eco-systems that have a particular value related to the environment, or to the history or esthetics of a region. At the same time our national parks welcome tourists and other visitors—and so park staff is in charge of trying to regulate and manage tourism, and provide for local recreation so that the impact on nature is minimal.
Both our national parks and nature reserves are managed by a federal agency based in Moscow. However, our national parks are somewhat different, since they can also be "zoned" according to the best possible use of each region or zone inside the park. Some parks will have parcels of land that are labeled as wilderness areas. These wilderness areas are almost like mini-nature-reserves with the same restrictions as the larger nature reserves at the lake. There are also special zones set aside for recreation and eco-tourism, offering special opportunities or services for visitors to the parks. And local residents and native groups also will have zones set aside for traditional land-use activities.
More on our national parks. National parks in Russia were also created to protect natural eco-systems that have a particular value related to the environment, or to the history or esthetics of a region. At the same time our national parks welcome tourists and other visitors—and so park staff is in charge of trying to regulate and manage tourism, and provide for local recreation so that the impact on nature is minimal.
Both our national parks and nature reserves are managed by a federal agency based in Moscow. However, our national parks are somewhat different, since they can also be "zoned" according to the best possible use of each region or zone inside the park. Some parks will have parcels of land that are labeled as wilderness areas. These wilderness areas are almost like mini-nature-reserves with the same restrictions as the larger nature reserves at the lake. There are also special zones set aside for recreation and eco-tourism, offering special opportunities or services for visitors to the parks. And local residents and native groups also will have zones set aside for traditional land-use activities.
Hence, national parks will manage two kinds of landscapes, i.e., either natural areas where they want to restrict human activity to make it easier to protect nature, or tourist zones within the park where visitors can enjoy the beauty of nature while learning more of the culture and history of the region around Baikal. Even in the special recreation zones where people can gather, there are certain activities that are restricted or carefully managed, so as to ensure that the environment does not suffer from any undue human impacts.
Hence, national parks will manage two kinds of landscapes, i.e., either natural areas where they want to restrict human activity to make it easier to protect nature, or tourist zones within the park where visitors can enjoy the beauty of nature while learning more of the culture and history of the region around Baikal. Even in the special recreation zones where people can gather, there are certain activities that are restricted or carefully managed, so as to ensure that the environment does not suffer from any undue human impacts.
More on our special wildlife preserves. Our local wildlife preserves represent a third and last major category of protected areas here in Russia. They have been designated as preserves with the objective of protecting and/or restoring specific species of plants and animals—and maintaining the natural balance of the larger habitats where these species live—all to ensure the survival of local animals or plants that are at risk. Hunting of wildlife is often prohibited on these preserves. But otherwise the number of restrictions on human activities are not as far-reaching as what occurs within the strict nature reserves described above.
Depending on the current balance of nature in these smaller wildlife preserves you might find that certain large-scale activities are prohibited, like harvesting trees for sale, or mining for precious minerals and metals. If a plant is seen as endangered, there will be special restrictions put on gathering these plants or their fruits by visitors. In the end, even though these preserves are open to tourist visits, there usually are not many programs that the wildlife preserve can provide for tourists who choose to spend the day here.
Depending on the current balance of nature in these smaller wildlife preserves you might find that certain large-scale activities are prohibited, like harvesting trees for sale, or mining for precious minerals and metals. If a plant is seen as endangered, there will be special restrictions put on gathering these plants or their fruits by visitors. In the end, even though these preserves are open to tourist visits, there usually are not many programs that the wildlife preserve can provide for tourists who choose to spend the day here.
More on our special wildlife preserves. Our local wildlife preserves represent a third and last major category of protected areas here in Russia. They have been designated as preserves with the objective of protecting and/or restoring specific species of plants and animals—and maintaining the natural balance of the larger habitats where these species live—all to ensure the survival of local animals or plants that are at risk. Hunting of wildlife is often prohibited on these preserves. But otherwise the number of restrictions on human activities are not as far-reaching as what occurs within the strict nature reserves described above.
Depending on the current balance of nature in these smaller wildlife preserves you might find that certain large-scale activities are prohibited, like harvesting trees for sale, or mining for precious minerals and metals. If a plant is seen as endangered, there will be special restrictions put on gathering these plants or their fruits by visitors. In the end, even though these preserves are open to tourist visits, there usually are not many programs that the wildlife preserve can provide for tourists who choose to spend the day here.
Depending on the current balance of nature in these smaller wildlife preserves you might find that certain large-scale activities are prohibited, like harvesting trees for sale, or mining for precious minerals and metals. If a plant is seen as endangered, there will be special restrictions put on gathering these plants or their fruits by visitors. In the end, even though these preserves are open to tourist visits, there usually are not many programs that the wildlife preserve can provide for tourists who choose to spend the day here.