Lake Baikal, the world's deepest and most ancient lake, stretches 400 miles in length and holds one fifth of the world's freshwater. The unique eco-system of the lake contains many species unknown elsewhere. Lake Baikal is surrounded by landscapes of wild, majestic beauty and is a sacred place to the local and indigenous inhabitants. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996, it has a number of Russian State Nature Reserves and National Parks along its shores. Yet developments such as pollution and unregulated tourism threaten this natural wonder.
Over the past twenty years NGO Baikal Environmental Wave has fought tirelessly to protect this extraordinary landscape – the ‘Blue Pearl of Siberia’. It has remained a strong, committed and often lone regional voice and has won international acclaim for its major victories defending the lake, which include protecting the lake from oil and gas pipeline developments. .
But the organisation's future is now under real threat. Recently the Baikal Wave office has been subjected to a police raid, had its computers and documents confiscated and its website closed, on spurious grounds. The real reason appears to be the organisation’s outspoken criticism of Prime Minister Putin's decision to weaken the protection of the lake and reopen the polluting Baikalsk Paper and Pulp Mill on the shores of Baikal.
The raid is a devastating blow. Not only is there now a renewed and extreme threat to the lake with the re-opening of the paper mill, but Baikal Wave is left voiceless in an arena dominated by powerful business and government interests. This comes at a time when funding for NGOs in Russia has dwindled to almost nothing and several members of staff have already become committed but unsalaried ‘volunteers’. Its members desperately need your support in order to continue their work to save the lake and help the local communities around Lake Baikal voice their opinions and fight for their rights to a healthy and non-toxic future.
On behalf of all our friends and colleagues at Baikal Wave, LEWE has launched an appeal for donations towards saving Lake Baikal. We aim to raise £5000 to allow Baikal Wave to continue their vitally important work protecting one of the most exquisite natural sites on the planet. They are in desperate need of equipment and resources.
Please DONATE as little or as much as you can. Every penny counts and every penny is going straight to Baikal Wave to support their work.
For more information about Baikal Environmental Wave and for the latest updates on their work, please click here.
Thank you so much.
The Look East Wild Earth Team.
21st February 2010
Look East Wild Earth is a UK registered company (6300335) and a registered charity in England & Wales (1123541). We are run by volunteers so every penny donated will go directly to the cause for which it is donated.
The Baikalsk Paper Mill:
Citizens of Irkutsk protest against the reopening of the mill, and the Russian authorities respond with armed forces, despite the fact that the protest was sanctioned by the city council....
Photos courtesy of www.babr.ru