The new building of the All-Russia State Television and Radio
Broadcasting Company (VGTRK) hosts a.
Organized by the Fund for Protection of Lake Baikal, the Moscow
press conference is attended by:
- A. N. Chilingarov – President of the Fund for Protection of Lake Baikal, the President of the Russian Federation’s Special Representative on International Cooperation in the Arctic and the Antarctic, State Duma of the Russian Federation Deputy, Hero of the Soviet Union, Hero of Russia;
- M. V. Slipenchuk – Chairman of the Guardianship Board of the Fund for Protection of Lake Baikal, Head of the METROPOL Group of Companies;
- Y. S. Chernyayev – Member of the Technical Board of the Fund for Protection of Lake Baikal, pilot of the Mir-2 manned submersible, Research Scientist at the Manned Submersibles Laboratory of the P. P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Hero of Russia;
- A. K. Tulokhonov – Guardianship Board Member of the Fund for Protection of Lake Baikal, Director of the Baikal Institute of Nature Management of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences;
- M. Y. Borzin – Vice President of the Fund for Protection of Lake Baikal, Deputy Director General of IFC METROPOL.
The speakers remind their guests about the outcomes of the 2008 and
2009 expeditions and share their approach to the third season,
summarizing the objectives that stand before the team. They
also share details about further activities planned by the Fund for
Protection of Lake Baikal.
In particular, A. N. Chilingarov reveals that despite the financial difficulties encountering the project, the third season will start on July 1, 2010. “Our most important achievement is that we are continuing this work,” he notes. “This was very hard to do. But the scientists, experts and the public as a whole all feel that this work must go on. Considering that we have no financing, and that all the work is being paid for by sponsors, it was very difficult to keep the Mir manned submersibles going for another season of expeditions. But the lake’s study must go on. The lake is a unique natural body that belongs to all of Russia.”
A. K. Tulokhonov underscores that the Fund for Protection of Lake Baikal’ active involvement in the expedition has helped it draw the world community’s close attention to the problem of protecting the lake’s unique ecosystem. He particular highlights the enormous significance of what two first seasons of the Mir on Baikal expeditions have been able to achieve so far: they have discovered gas hydrate fields – “our fuel of the future,” according to Tulokhonov; the have identified sedimentary oil flows; the have helped establish Lake Baikal’s age, which is identified through ancient accumulative terraces; they have unearthed previously-unknown types of local fauna; and led to other discoveries. A. K. Tulokhonov also highlights the great personal contribution that M. V. Slipenchuk made in organizing the expedition, expressing the hope that soon, the preservation of Lake Baikal will also start receiving backing from the state budget.
M. V. Slipenchuk reveals that just like in previous years, this season’s expedition will be comprised of scientists from the Limnology Institute of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Buryatia Institute of Nature Management of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Geography Faculty of the M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, and other leading Russian research institutions. The staff of Switzerland’s University of Geneva has expressed a strong interest in developing cooperation. And planning to joined the expedition are people like: Mongolian President Ts. Elbegdorj, the US producer James Cameron, and the renowned hydronauts Don Walsh (who conquered Mariana Trench) and Sylvia Earle. The expedition has further developed a special program for students of the Geography Faculty of the M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University. Touching on the Fund for Protection of Lake Baikal’s own plans, M. V. Slipenchuk notes that organizers are currently drafting a program for involving the Mir manned submersibles in the research that is being conducted on Lake Geneva. This program is being headed by the renowned hydronaut Frederik Paulsen.
M. V. Slipenchuk also reveals that the Fund for Protection of Lake Baikal has received the unofficial invitation of James Cameron to involve the Mir manned submersibles in the Gulf of Mexico’s recovery efforts. But in light of its tremendous complexity, this project will only be reviewed upon the receipt of an official invitation from the US government and British Petroleum.
The press conference concludes with an extended question-and-answer period for the Russian and foreign press.
