Geographic portal “Environmental Monitoring of Lake Baikal” (www.baikalake.ru) was launched on June 18, 2014. It allows any web user to get introduced to the government’s activities for preserving Baikal and take part in public control over the status of this unique lake and its surrounding area. Visitors to the portal can get the most current information on environment, history, points of interests and recreation opportunities around Baikal in three main European languages.
The web portal was created with support from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment as part of the Federal Program “Protection of Lake Baikal and social and economic development of the Baikal Nature Preserve for 2012–2020” approved by the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 847 of August 21, 2012.The site’s mission is to provide Russian and European Internet audience with access to the most complete information on this unique natural territory and explain what measures the Russian government is taking to preserve it.
Lake Baikal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The respective ruling by this organization, as well as other international, federal and regional laws enacted with the aim of preserving the unique lake and surrounding pristine nature, can now be accessed in the “Laws” section of the www.baikalake.ru site in three primary European languages – English, German and French. The portal users can also read a report by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation “On the status of Lake Baikal and the measures for its protection” to learn about activities conducted by the Russian government to protect the environment.
Any visitor to the website, regardless of their language, can obtain any information they need. They can plan their future trip to Baikal using an interactive map with information on the popular tourist routes, excursions, hotels and sights. Or, if the vacation is still a long way away, they can make an exciting virtual tour without leaving their home. The portal contains a unique photo gallery made in a special expedition; it contains 2,500 photos collected into 250 viewing points.
The main feature of the new portal is that any visitor who cares about Baikal can personally take part in public environmental monitoring online. With the help of Web 2.0, users can interactively add their content to the site, thus helping preserve the unique nature complex of Lake Baikal.
According to Sergei Donskoy, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Russia, the Ministry pays special attention to the Baikal Nature Preserve, which must be developed in compliance with all environmental requirements and rules, in an attempt to preserve the nature and environment for the sake of Russia’s future. While implementing the Federal program “Preservation of Lake Baikal and the Socio-Economic Development of the Baikal Nature Preserve in 2012-2020”, there are several key objectives to address. This includes liquidation of environmental damage already inflicted and reducing current anthropogenic impact (six factories processing industrial waste are being planned, which will help rehabilitate 80% of the polluted territory by 2020), regulating the tourist industry actively developing now in the Baikal area, and, naturally, improving the environmental monitoring system. The monitoring is yet to start working at full speed, including by means of public control. The new portal allows any person interested to see the results of the Ministry work and take part in it as much as possible.
The Environmental Monitoring of Lake Baikal website also performs an educational function. It offers a lot of information on the local wildlife sanctuaries. News on environment, cultural events in the Baikal area, new developments affecting the tourists and guests of the region are updated regularly.
Modern design, comfortable navigation, soft colors and adaptive cross-platform page layout make the new resource stand out among the best Internet sites in Russia. No similar projects in Russian, English, French and German, covering the full diversity of information on Baikal and offering professional texts and photo materials, currently exist.
For more information please contact:
www.baikalake.ru
Insiders Communication Group, +7 (495) 221-7432
Alexander Dolgushin, [email protected]
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Lake Baikal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its preservation as a nature’s laboratory is one of the most important activities for the Russian state. The Environmental Monitoring of Lake Baikal geographic portal (baikalake.ru) was established by Insiders Communication Group following a decree of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation, with the aim of providing access to information related to the protection of Lake Baikal and the Baikal Nature Preserve in accordance with Article 23 of the Federal Law No. 94-FZ of May 1, 1999 “On the Protection of Lake Baikal”. The works are being performed under the special Federal Program for Development of the Baikal Nature Preserve Territory in 2012-2020”, enacted by the Decree of the Russian Government No. 847 of August 21, 2012.
