He talked about difficulties in fighting fires and enforcing littering rules with such meager support. Addressing the problem of trash in the National Park involves issues of infrastructure, landfills and human behavior. As in Tahoe, Baikal's ecosystem is inextricably connected to cultural and economic systems. Solutions to the complex challenges of stopping industrial pollution or creating a viable system of national parks must address both the ecological issues facing the lake and the social issues facing the country. Baikal is so large that there is a risk we will not see the damage caused by human activities until the problems are very serious.
Some people believe that the lake's volume is so great it can absorb the pollutants flowing in.
While it is hard to imagine that human activity could destroy such a vast resource, our time at Tahoe led us to think differently. The environmental conservation movement caught Tahoe on the brink of disaster and although the movement is now well-established, the fate of the lake is still uncertain. Baikal has recently become a World Heritage site. This, in conjunction with the strong connection people feel to the lake, has great potential to promote preservation. Maybe the race against pollution at Baikal has begun early enough.