One-fifth of all non-frozen fresh water in the world is located in a single Russian lake, and experts say that lake is in crisis, AFP reports.
Siberia's Lake Baikal—the world's deepest lake at more than 5,500 feet—is a UNESCO world heritage site, home to more than 3,600 species of plants and animals, and is called of "exceptional value to evolutionary science."
It's also an increasingly popular tourist destination, home to growing communities, and the only source of the omul fish, a type of salmon popular with diners. Thanks to those factors, UNESCO last month said "the ecosystem of the lake is reported to be under significant stress," and President Vladimir Putin in August called the preservation of Baikal a "government priority."
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