Environmental specialists, along with the leader of President Vladimir Putin’s Human Rights Council, have urged legislators to dismiss a contentious bill aimed at easing logging restrictions along the shores of Lake Baikal, a site recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage.
Proponents of the bill, which seeks to amend Russia’s legislation regarding the protection of Lake Baikal, argue that the changes are essential for developing basic infrastructure—such as roads, sewage systems, and public restrooms—in isolated villages by the lakeside.
Opponents caution that this proposal could severely threaten Baikal’s delicate ecosystem, potentially allowing extensive clear-cutting under the pretext of sanitary logging. They further criticize lawmakers for prioritizing the interests of private businesses, including billionaire Oleg Deripaska, who stands to gain from tourism and logging rights.
“Legislators, your conduct is thoughtless, unqualified, and potentially illegal,” Alexander Sosnov, a former municipal deputy, declared in a video message shared on Tuesday. “You are fully aware that you won’t bear the consequences of this.”
This statement followed a week after reports indicating that the Russian government had approved long-delayed amendments enabling sanitary logging—a practice intended to mitigate damage from wildfires, pests, and other natural threats—in the Baikal area.
Valery Fadeyev, the head of the Presidential Human Rights Council, communicated with State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin on Tuesday, cautioning that the bill would “not only jeopardize Lake Baikal’s ecosystem but also impair [Russia’s] foreign policy,” as reported by the RBC news agency.
In a separate correspondence, members of the Russian Academy of Sciences expressed “increasing concern” about the future of the lake, directed to Volodin, as noted by RBC.
A government commission that approved the bill for a vote slated for July 8 is said to have suggested a compromise that includes reforestation within the Baikal Central Ecological Zone, based on “special research” conducted by the Academy of Sciences.
On Wednesday, Dmitry Kobylkin, Chairman of the State Duma Ecology Committee, stated that a specialized commission from the Academy of Sciences would be responsible for making all final decisions regarding developments near the lake should the bill be approved.
Earlier this month, UNESCO, which designated Baikal as a World Heritage site in 1996, expressed concerns regarding the “uncertain legal protections” for the lake.
