AUTHORITIES TO COOPERATE IN CONSERVATION OF UVS LAKE BASIN

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ Several authorities concluded Thursday a cooperation pact on conservation of the Uvs lake basin. These authorities include Environmental Department of Uvs province, Police Department, Emergency Management Department, Intelligence Bureau, Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Environment, Administration responsible for Uvs Lake and Tes River basin Conservation and Border troop divisions in Uvs province. Under the cooperation pact, the sides will work together in enforcing relevant laws such as law on environment conservation, law on protected areas and law on environmental zone, as well as in enhancing conservation activities. Uvs Lake is a highly saline lake in an endorheic basin - Uvs Nuur Basin in Mongolia with a small part in Russia. It is the largest lake in Mongolia by surface area, covering 3,350 km² at 759 m above sea level. The northeastern tip of the lake is situated in the Tuva Republic of the Russian Federation. The largest settlement near the lake is Ulaangom. This shallow and very saline body of water is a remainder of a huge saline sea which covered a much larger area several thousand years ago. All of the lake and many parts of its surroundings have been declared protected sites. The UNESCO is using the designation "Uvs Lake site" as an umbrella term to summarize twelve separate clusters of protected sites, each a representative of a major eastern Eurasian biome. In 2003, the UNESCO listed the Uvs Lake Basin as a natural World Heritage Site. It was nominated as "one of the largest intact watersheds in Central Asia where 40,000 archeological sites can be found from historically famous nomadic tribes such as the Scythians, the Turks and the Huns. This transboundary patrimony is one of the largest sites inscribed in the World Heritage List to date.