Zapovednik Baikalo-Lensky, in the southern part of Irkutskaya Region, was founded in
1986; its area is 660,0 thousand ha. The Zapovednik is located on the western shore of
Lake Baikal. It includes the basin of the upper parts of the river Lena and its
tributaries the Kirenga, Tongoda and Malyi and Bolshoi Anoi which have their sources in
the Baikalsky mountain range. The Zapovednik includes 100 km of Lake Baikal shore.
On the western slopes of the Baikalsky mountain range and in the lower taiga dark
coniferous forests prevail of cedar, fir, larch-cedar, cedar-fir and spruce. Along the
rivers one can meet poplar forests, and many bogs. The eastern slopes are occupied by
light coniferous taiga formed from pine and larch; in the valleys grow poplar and
Chosenia. Above the forest border thickets of cedar elfin wood are spread, and mountain
tundras with high-mountain meadows. The wood-covered area is 570,4 thousand ha; meadows
occupy 1,4 thousand ha and wetlands l,6 thousand ha. Flora makes up about 300 higher plant
species, including 27 rare species.
Fauna is spread over 48 mammal species and 171 bird species. Brown bear, roebuck,
reindeer, black-capped marmot and Baikal seal live in the Zapovednik permanently. Rare and
disappearing bird species include the fish hawk, white-tailed eagle, golden eagle,
peregrine falcon and Eastern solitary snipe.
Wetlands are inhabited by valuable fish species, like the Arctic grayling, taimen,
round whitefish, Siberian whitefish, etc.
It belongs to the World Natural Heritage Site "Lake Baikal".
