Heritage Heroes – Russian Federation
Ivan Blokov & Andrey Petrov
Petrov and Blokov at the Greenpeace office in Moscow.
Photography: Michael Schaab
Russian Federation, Lake Baikal
(Natural World Heritage *1996 )
Одна из черт Всемирного наследия - то, что это часть природы, которой владеет весь мир. Они сохраняются не для себя, а для будущих поколений
"One of the specifics about World Heritage is that it is a piece of nature owned by the whole world. You don’t preserve it for yourself but for future generations." (Ivan Blokov)
On behalf of Greenpeace Russia, Ivan Blokov and Andrey Petrov are involved in the nominations and monitoring of all Russian natural World Heritage sites.
Five out of these ten sites are endangered, according to Greenpeace Russia. Lake Baikal, which stores 20% of the world‘s fresh water and nourishes a unique fauna, has also been repeatedly threatened: whether by waste water of a paper mill, construction of an oil pipeline along the lake or currently by the construction of dams in Mongolia.
Many environmental activists in Russia do not feel safe from repressions. But Blokov and Petrov courageously engage through awareness-raising campaigns and persuasion to protect Russia‘s unique natural wonders. Through dialogue with the responsible governmental agencies and international partners, they have thus been able to contribute to an exceptional progress in nature protection.
The governmental authorities of the Russian Federation finally decided to close the paper mill at Lake Baikal and to reroute the pipeline away from Lake Baikal.
