Three Decades Under Protection: Evolution of Legal Protection of Russian Protected Areas on the Example of Lake Baikal

The priority of public interest in land legal relations defines the essence of the legal regulation of lands of the natural reserve fund. Questions of correct application of substantive law rules governing the circulation of land in specially protected natural areas and objects of world natural heritage, their contestation were often the subject of appeals (applications, complaints, disputes), considered by the Supreme and Constitutional Courts of the Russian Federation. From the point of view of fulfilling the goals of ensuring environmental safety of Russia, and protection of natural and cultural values are topical issues of historical definition and modern legal regulation of landconservation fund with identification of problems and taking into account the opinion of the professional legal community of the prosecutor’s office and court in matters of prospects for improvement of regulatory regulation of the most valuable objects. The objective of the work is to formulate conclusions and recommendations regarding possible vectors for development of legal regulation of land of natural-reserve fund, and especially of natural heritage sites on the example of Lake Baikal. The methodological basis is made up of traditional techniques and methods of scientific cognition (dialectical, historical-legal, systems analysis, comparative-legal, sociological, etc.). The article provides an analysis of the questionnaire of practitioners of the prosecutor’s office and the judicial system, presents an analysis of the opinions of law enforcement agencies on the possible improvement of the system of protection of world natural heritage sites on the example of Lake Baikal.