In the Republic of Moldova, the crude oil extraction started 30 years ago. The original contract stipulated that the company would use a significant percentage of its profits to improve the area and preserve its biodiversity. Has the company honored the contract, and how much money has it allocated to the Beleu relic lake conservation? Or, on the contrary, has irreparable environmental damage been caused?
Watch the investigation by REALITATEA press group journalists Traian Stoianov, Lilia Burakovschi, and Sergiu Scobioala, producer of RLIVE TV, to see what local and central authorities say about the state of Beleu Lake today, and what laboratory investigations by specialists reveal.
The relic Beleu Lake, located in the Lower Prut, is a state nature reserve created on 23 April 1991 with an area of 17,554 hectares. Since 2018, it has been part of the Lower Prut Biosphere Reserve and included in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
A few decades ago, there were 27 fish and 228 bird species. Many have disappeared due to the lake’s pollution and water volume reduction. There are many sources of pollution of the lake, including the products of human activity and irresponsible attitudes towards the natural heritage.
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