The round-Baikal expedition, organized by the Primorskiy regional department of the Russian Geographical Society with the support of the Fund for Protection of Lake Baikal, has finished in Buryatia.
The head of the Far East Expeditionary Center “White Dragon”of the RGS Primorskiy branch Sergey Sablin told about the expedition results at the press conference at the Government of the Republic of Buryatia.
We remind that in the framework of the expedition, the participants have skirted Lake Baikal by walk for 65 days, have researched the problem about “the Baikal coast-dweller” and have mapped permanent streams that feed the lake Baikal.
“Within the past 135 years Lake Baikal has lost nearly forty rivers. Now Baikal feeds not 336 rivers, as it was in 1877, but 297 permanent rivers and streams, without including season sources”, - said Sergey Sablin.
During the expedition there were found two watercourses not previously identified on any map. The members of the expedition are going during the next year to continue their observations, and in case of confirmation of this fact, it is planned to give to one of the streams the name of the author of Lake Baikal first map, midshipman Alexey Pushkarev.
Also, the members of the expedition told about serious preconditions of revival of subethnos “Baikal coast dwellers”.
“Areas of distribution of this subethnos takes almost all the Baikal coast of the Buryat side – Severobaikalsk, Barguzinskiy and Kabanskiy districts. Basically they are communities who are busy fishing”, - said the head of the expedition.
The expedition members are also very concerned about the environmental situation in Baikal “Terrible situation. In comparison with the past year, it became a lot more garbage, despite the efforts of volunteers and various environmental organizations. Every year the number of volunteers increases more and more. But people who come to rest on the lake only add to their work. The main problem is a wild unorganized tourism”, - said Sergey Sablin.
Vice-president of the Fund for Protection of Lake Baikal Bair Tsyrenov has the same point of view: “The sad fact that people come to relax and leave a lot of garbage, but it is again not only due to the fact that there should be legislative arrangements, but above all, there is no understanding of personal responsibility. While there will be chaos in the minds, the problem will continue. We must understand that what we do today will affect our future generations”.
This expedition is a pilot project of the Far East Expeditionary Center “White Dragon” of the RGS Primorskiy branch. All phases of the expedition (pedestrian research and observation from water), as well as educational part of the project (participation in the press conference in Irkutsk, an interview in the radio station “Autoradio”, participation in the first charity ecological marathon “Save Baikal by the whole world!” within the framework of the celebration of the Day of Baikal in Ulan-Ude) were implemented with the organizational and financial support of the Fund for Protection of Lake Baikal.
The expedition leaders thanked the FPLB for organizational and financial support of the project.
“Without the support of the FPLB our expedition would be lost somewhere, probably, three weeks ago, due to lack of funds. Moreover, we would like to note the scale of operation, which is implemented by the Fund. Many things have been done and I want the Fund to continue this work. We hope for further cooperation”, - said S.Sablin.
According to Bair Tsyrenov, the results of the RGS expedition will be included in history of science and will contribute to the conservation of Lake Baikal.
The Ministry of Natural Resources also thanked the FPLB for organizing the marathon “Save Baikal by the whole world!” and noted the active conservation activities of the Fund in the Baikal region and the successes achieved in the field of environmental education.
