Открой Байкал!

On the eve of World Heritage Day the Coalition of Russian and international non-governmental organizations “For Baikal!” that includes 45 Russian NGOs sent the following appeal to UNESCO conserning World Heritage Site - Lake Baikal.

To: Mrs. Irina Bokova
Director General
UNESCO

Dear Mrs. Bokova!

Allow us, in the beginning of this letter, to express our sincere respect to your organization, as well, our warmest gratitude for what UNESCO has done to spread highest standards of education, maintain cultural diversity and support scientific research throughout the world.

We are writing this on behalf of the Coalition of Russian non-governmental organizations that in a joint effort are trying to resolve one of the most burning issues of Lake Baikal, a World Heritage property since 1996: contamination of Lake Baikal by the Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill.

We hereby want to express our deepest concern regarding the Russian Government’s Decree No.1 signed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on 13 January 2010 “On introduction of amendments into the List of activities prohibited in the Central Ecological Zone of the Baikal Natural Area”. This Decree officially permits to dump toxic wastewaters into Lake Baikal with no legally enforced restrictions, as well as store, process, dispose of and incinerate all kinds of waste including most hazardous.

Lake Baikal is a truly unique natural phenomenon on our planet from the point of view of both biological diversity and storage and re-production of the world’s biggest stock of freshwater that has been there for millions of years. It is for that reason that in 1996 the UNESCO World Heritage Committee gave Lake Baikal the status of World Heritage property based on all four natural uniqueness criteria applied to such nominations.

Placing a chemical production on the Baikal shore was a mistake. That is why so much time and effort was spent to eliminate impact of the mill on Lake Baikal: World Heritage status, special federal laws and governmental resolutions in Russia, international aid and constant attention of international non-governmental organizations.

It is for that reason that we say now that adoption of Decree No.1 has thrown us some twenty years back. This decision can bear no criticism: the mill is environmentally hazardous, especially after over a year of standing idle, the production is unprofitable while the mill itself is a great hindrance on the way of future development of Baikalsk – a bright example of a mono-town that urgently needs modernization and diversification of its economy.

Coalition “For Baikal!” is ready and willing to provide you all the data on economic and social aspects of the situation in Baikalsk, as well as on environmental impacts with support of the Siberian Department of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

We are looking at you to apply the great international authority of UNESCO to save this unique natural property and to point out to the Government of the Russian Federation that such a decree cannot be accepted and must be cancelled, and that favorable conditions should be developed in the Baikalsk area to facilitate growth of alternative types of production and tourist industry. In the past, only thanks to a proactive position of UNESCO, such unique cultural sites as the Giza Pyramids and Archeological Site of Delphi were saved for future generations. Today Lake Baikal urgently needs UNESCO’s help! Natural heritage is no less valuable for humankind than cultural and if today we fail to stop this insanity, tomorrow we shall lose one of the pearls of the World Nature.

Further on, the Coalition of Russian and international non-governmental organizations “For Baikal!” suggests that the World Heritage Committee discuss the situation at the Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill as an essential item of the agenda of the Committee’s next session in Brasilia, Brazil, in July 2010. 

And finally, we are asking you to facilitate further development of the World Heritage property network in the Russian Federation. For that purpose it would be great to organize a representative international conference under the auspices of UNESCO and use this forum to discuss development, conservation and efficient management of World Heritage sites in our country.

Very truly yours,

Gebler Environmental Society -Barnaul
Alliance for animals rights – Moscow, Petrozavodsk
Association of small indigenous peoples of the Irkutsk region – Irkutsk
Russian Association of Indigenous peoples of the North – Moscow
Russian Federation Eco-journalists Association – Moscow
Baikal Environmental Wave – Irkutsk
Baikal Movement – Irkutsk
Baltic Fund for Nature of the Saint-Petersburg Naturalist Society – Saint-Petersburg
Balakovo branch of the All-Russian Society for Nature Protection - Balakovo
Bureau of Regional Public Campaigns – Vladivostok
Buryatian Regional Association for Baikal– Ulan-Ude
WWF Russia – Moscow
Greenpeace Russia – Moscow and Saint-Petersburg
Movement of Civil Initiatives – Saint-Petersburg
Movement against Seizure of Lakes – Saint-Petersburg
“Let’s save Yuntolovo” Movement – Saint-Petersburg
Druzhina (Team) for Nature Preservation «Lower Amur Environmental Inspection» - Komsomolsk-on-Amur
Druzhina (Team) for Nature Preservation «Service of Nature Protection» of the Kazan State University - Kazan
Druzhina (Team) for Nature Preservation of the City of Kharkov - Kharkov (Ukraine)
Druzhina (Team) for Nature Preservation IATE Atom -Obninsk
Druzhina (Team) for Nature Preservation «Growth Point» - Vladimir
Tikhomirov Druzhina (Team) for Nature Preservation of the Biology Department of the Moscow State University – Moscow
Green Wave – Saint-Petersburg
Green World – Saint-Petersburg
Kamchatka League of Independent Experts – Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
Karelian Regional Non-Governmental Organization “SPOK” – Petrozavodsk
Karelian Republican Council of the All-Russian Society for Nature Protection - Petrozavodsk
Karelian Republic Animal Welfare Society – Petrozavodsk
“Firn” Club – Ulan-Ude
Kola Biodiversity Conservation Center - Apatity
Krasnoyarsk Regional Public Association «Krasnoyarsk Regional Environmental Union» - Krasnoyarsk
International Social and Ecological Union – Moscow
MOOL «Town of Oranienbaum» - Saint-Petersburg
Society of Volunteer Forest Firemen – Saint-Petersburg
Ecowiki Project – Moscow
ROEO «Triglava» - Gorno-Altaisk
Siberian Environmental Center – Novosibirsk
Bird Conservation Union of Russia – Moscow
Biodiversity Conservation Center – Moscow
Expert Center ECOM of the Saint-Petersburg Naturalist Society – Saint-Petersburg
Northern Caucasus Environmental Watch – Maikop
Sakhalin Environmental Watch – Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
“ECOperestroyka” Environmental Group – Saint-Petersburg
Dront Ecological Center – Nizhny Novgorod
Bellona Environmental Rights Center – Saint-Petersburg