Place of the ESPOO convention in the formation of the international legal mechanism for the protection of lake Baikal

The article examines the key provisions of the 1991 Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context, the so-called Espoo Convention, as well as the developing provisions of the Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (Kiev Protocol) of 2003 in terms of preventing negative anthropogenic impact on the natural environment, bearing in mind, first of all, the development of the mechanism of international legal protection of Lake Baikal. In the article is briefly characterized the experience of a number of countries in the post-Soviet space in the implementation of the provisions of these international documents into national legislation. The experience and current position of the Russian Federation on the application of the provisions and mechanisms of the Espoo Convention and the Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment in national practice are analyzed. The conclusion is sub-stantiated about the relevance and effectiveness of the use of mechanisms to prevent negative anthropogenic impact on the environment, enshrined in these international documents for the preservation of the unique ecosystem of the World Heritage Site - Lake Baikal.