Scientists have discovered 18 new plant species on Lake Baikal during the study of flora

Scientists have discovered 18 new plant species on Lake Baikal during the first large-scale study of the Chivyrkuy Isthmus in 34 years. This was announced on February 4 by Oleg Anenkhonov, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Head of the Laboratory of Floristics and Geobotany at the Institute of General and Experimental Biology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

"Among these 18 plant species, only four are representatives of the indigenous flora, that is, native (local, indigenous) plants, <...> and the remaining 14 species are adventitious, that is, alien, introduced. I am sure that these 14 species were introduced to the isthmus on the way," he said in a conversation with Kommersant.

The study was conducted in the summer of 2025 as part of the Caring for Lake Baikal project, supported by the Lake Baikal Foundation. The total list of flora of the isthmus now consists of 384 species of vascular plants.

The scientist noted that despite the increase in species diversity, this process is not positive, as it is caused by human intervention rather than natural evolution. At the same time, eight Red Book species of Buryatia remain stable, including the curly-winged camel and the quadrangular water lily, which is due to the natural remoteness of their habitats.

Two mini-reserves have been created to protect the rare white—cauliflower: one to restore the population in an area with a high tourist load, the other is a reference one for observations, Anenkhonov explained.

He also confirmed the effectiveness of protective measures, such as the creation of "resting areas" with a ban on plant harvesting and parking, introduced by the Trans-Baikal National Park. The scientist stressed the need for regular monitoring of the flora in order to identify threats in a timely manner and take measures to preserve the unique ecosystem of Lake Baikal due to the growing tourist flow.

"I believe that the main challenge is a responsible attitude towards balancing economic interests, on the one hand, and preserving the riches of wildlife, on the other hand. At the same time, one must realize that economic interests can be momentary, and the loss of the riches of wildlife is absolutely irreplaceable," Anenkhonov concluded.

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On December 9 last year, the State Duma adopted in the third reading a law completely prohibiting continuous logging in the central ecological zone of the Baikal natural territory, with the exception of sanitary logging of dead plantations.

The document establishes several key restrictions: a complete ban on continuous logging in the central zone on the lands of the forest fund and protected areas, a ban on construction and reconstruction without state expertise, as well as a ban on housing construction and the creation of new economic zones in certain parts of this territory.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.