Russia

The Russian "Father"

Name: Tatiana Klepicova
Age: 50 years old

Tatiana Klepicova

We are lucky to have Lake Baikal. The nature here is unique. I believe it will be successful in drawing more tourists to the area and we are currently working on developing more tourism accommodation facilities such as Bed and Breakfast’s and some small modern hotels.

I remember the first time I came to Baikal. It was for a school graduation trip in 1979. At that time there were only two camps in the town of Listviyanka. There were no buildings, just traditional wooden houses. Not many people came to the lake at that time, so there were no tourist facilities. It was great trekking through the valleys and swimming in the cool water. The water today feels just as cold as ever!

The pine and birch forests around the lake support a lot of wildlife. In the north there are seals and bears, while all around the lake there are many different types of birds. However, there are many threats to the region. For example, in recent years there has been a great deal of logging activity. We now export a lot of timber to China. I also think that the change in climate is a real threat. The summer days are much hotter now and this might result in more fires. We have already seen an increase in fires over the last few years, but this could be due to some tourists behaving irresponsibly. There is also some industrial development around the lake which poses a future threat, although at the moment I think Lake Baikal can still be considered pristine.

One major change that has occurred in recent times is a one metre rise in water level of the lake. This was due to the construction of the Irkutsk dam. It was unfortunate for some people in the region as their houses where flooded and they had to be relocated.

These are the reasons I volunteer on the Great Baikal Trail project. The project is a great initiative to develop a sustainable eco tourism model in the region. With more development of this kind we can protect the lake and develop community businesses in a sustainable manner.