Why Is Leonardo DiCaprio Being Asked To 'Save' Lake Baikal?
Why Is Leonardo DiCaprio Being Asked To 'Save' Lake Baikal?
The titanic debate over a Siberian lake that's led thousands of Russians to call on the Hollywood star to #saveourbaikal.
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Beginning in 1966, the Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill slurped the lake’s pristine waters into its production floor, where as many as 2,000 people were once employed. After years of bitter debate, the unprofitable mill closed in 2013.
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Everyday trash has also historically been a problem in the lake, though volunteer cleanup efforts (pictured) and a changing attitude to littering have helped restore it.
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But in recent years, tourism to Baikal, especially from China, has ramped up sharply, thanks in part to a hit Mandarin song about the lake. From 2017 to 2018, the number of Chinese tourists reportedly jumped 37 percent to 186,000.
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Lakeside in the tourist town of Listvyanka. The influx of foreign visitors has fueled tensions in some of the villages surrounding the lake, where massive Chinese investment is funding high-rise hotels and resorts. In 2019, the mayor of Listvyanka was charged with allowing the construction of Chinese-owned hotels on land reserved for private housing.