A working seminar on improving the effectiveness of international cooperation at Lake Baikal took place at the International Center for Education of the Moscow State University in Geneva on the initiative of the MSU Faculty of Geography, the Russian Geographical Society and the Fund for Protection of Lake Baikal. The seminar was aimed at discussing the results of the numerous European organizations working in the various areas relating to the issues of sustainable development of the Baikal natural territory, in particular the nature of the environmental system “Selenga-Baikal”.
At the official part of the event Executive Director of the FPLB R. Afonin read a welcome address of the Chairman of the FPLB Board of Trustees M. Slipenchuk to the guests and participants of the international seminar. The grand opening of the photo exhibition “Baikal – the world treasure” took place after the first scientific reports. These exhibits have previously been successfully demonstrated by the Fund for Protection of Lake Baikal in the Museum of Oceanography in Monaco (2011), at the Headquarters of UNESCO in Paris (2012) and the residence of the Russia Embassy in France in Paris (2012). Now by the decision of the FPLB the ongoing photo exhibition will be constantly showed on the walls of the Moscow State University on the shores of Lake Geneva. After a brief story of Deputy Director of the FPLB I. Krylova about the history and travel of the exhibition, the honorable right to cut the ceremonial ribbon was transferred to the first Vice-president of the RGS, Dean of the MSU Faculty of Geography, Academician N. Kasimov and President of the ICL in Geneva T. Gassanov. Taking an exhibition as a gift, Mr. Gassanov noted that this generous gift from the FPLB will become an important educational object and the ICL’s pride.
Representatives of many scientific organizations and European universities of Sweden, Finland, Germany, France and the United States took part in the international seminar. From the Russian side the main reports were made by representatives of the Moscow State University, the Russian-Mongolian biological expedition of the Russian Geographical Society, the Baikal Institute of Nature Management of the Russian Academy of Sciences (member of the Scientific Council of the FPLB, corresponding member of Russian Academy of Sciences A. Tulokhonov), etc.
The adopted resolution encouraged to develop a joint action program for the study of environmental problems in the Baikal region in the context of the problems solved by the federal target program for the conservation of Lake Baikal and the existing international protocols. The Russian side it was proposed to the seminar participants to take part in a major international conference “Baikal – a strategic resource for the planet”, planned to be held in Buryatia in 2013.
