Water and Environment in the Selenga-Baikal Basin

The water resources of the Selenga River/Lake Baikal system are essential to the ecosystems and economic development of the surrounding region. In this large river and lake basin, there are strong contrasts between relatively pristine areas and massive anthropogenic impacts on the environment. The effects of climate change are more pronounced than in most other parts of the earth, and the transition from socialism into a market-oriented economy has led to a boom in mining but also to a partial collapse of environmental monitoring and urban wastewater management systems. Moreover, the expansion of agriculture and mining has triggered considerable land use change, rising water consumption, and the release of contaminants that had previously been unknown to the region. The consequences for the water resources and the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems depending on them have become increasingly visible in recent years. This book, which is based on contributions to the 2014 Bringing Together Selenga-Baikal Research Conference, provides multidisciplinary insight into current water-related challenges and strategies for their solution from the viewpoint of the international scientific community.