Baikal Nature Reserve

The Baikal Nature Reserve is a nature reserve on the southeast shore of Lake Baikal, in southern Buryatia, Russia. Also called Baikal Zapovednik, it was established in 1969 for preserving the nature along the lake and the neighboring central part of the Khamar-Daban Range. The area of this nature reserve is 165,700 hectares. It hosts dark pine taiga, thin forests, Siberian Dwarf Pine and rhododendron underbrush, subalpine meadows, and alpine tundras. The Baikal Nature Reserve is home to 812 kinds of plants, 49 types of mammals, 272 birds, 3 reptiles, 3 amphibians, and 7 types of fish. The reserve is also home to East Siberian brown bear, Baikal lynx, wolverine, otter, osprey, and golden eagle. The Baikal Nature Reserve is part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves. The reserve is also a part of the Lake Baikal World Heritage Site. The Kabansky Nature Zakaznik, across 12,100 ha, was transferred under the jurisdiction of the Baikal Nature Reserve in 1985. ()