—— the Lake Baikal’s Biosphere Reserve ——

As a Chinese exchange student studying in Kanazawa University, this time, by taking participate in the school’s Russia culture communication programme, along with many lovely Japanese students, I had an opportunity to visit two Biosphere Reserves of the vast Siberia continent in Russia. One is the Far East Biosphere Reserve, the other one is the Lake Baikal Biosphere Reserve. Part of the UNESCO ‘s Man and the Biosphere Programme, Biosphere Reserve, which means in an ecosystem has some plants or animals of unusual scientific and natural interest protected by the each country’s government. The plan aims to promote the management, research, and education in ecosystem conservation in order to get a balanced relationship between mankind and nature. Until 2016, 669 biosphere reserves in 120 countries, have been included in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves. This culture exchange programme provided us with a great chance to learn about the environment protection in Russia.

During the few days’ time we spent in the Irkutsk State and the Buryat Republic in Russia, we finally saw that deep blue and extremely clear Lake Baikal. The fresh water that the Lake Baikal contained with is the top of the world. Just because many researchers and Russia’s government had put a huge effort into the environmental protection, like to prevent the water pollution and to create a better place for the plants and the animals to grow. The water of the Lake Baikal can stay blue and clear.     

We visited a National Forest Park and a Bird Protect Center near the Lake Baikal. In the Bird Protect Center, we learned about different kinds of bird’s habit and how the researcher catch, mark and then study on the bird. In the National Forest Park, we met volunteers gathered together just to built the eco-trails. They told us about their dreams and passions. We met a lot of people here to share their story about how they love the nature, the animal, the plant, and want to make the Lake Baikal a place where all the animal and nature in this place can get well with human being in some way, that really impressed me a lot.

The Bird Protect Center

A researcher who catch, mark and study on the bird

National Forest Park

Volunteer activity to build the ecotrail in the park