In recent years, Russia problems of protection of Lake Baikal are actualized in the matter of the possible negative impact of global climatic changes, international and national economic processes of human impacts. The importance of lake Baikal as a natural heritage recognized in international and Russian law, its status is enshrined in several legal and policy documents, but there is however a number of unresolved regulatory matters. The study of features of international legal status of lake Baikal and the specifics of international legal influence on the development of national legislation on Baikal particularly true in light of the increasing relevance of issues of international legal regulation of water use, which in recent years has become of utmost importance in the system of international relations.