Alignment of interests when exploiting oil and gas resources in the northern territories of the Russian Federation

摘要

Research relevance. Depletion of commercial fuel, energy, and minerals in the developed regions of the country provides for mineral production increase, including oil and gas resources in the Arctic. Exploitation of subsoil resources will again have negative economic, ecological and social effect. The latter includes the effects connected with indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North (ISNPN) living conditions deterioration, which requires finding the possibilities for peaceful coexistence of subsoil users and ISNPN. Research aim is to determine basic negative effects on ISNPN caused by commercial exploitation of arctic territories and substantiate policies the implementation of which promotes the sustainable development of traditional natural resource use and ISNPN. Research methodology. The methods of systematization, factor, comparative and systemic analysis were used during the course of research. Research results. It follows from the characteristic of oil and gas and mining administrative entities of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation (AZRF) that in recent years the amount of mineral production (oil and condensate, natural gas) grows. Thus, natural gas production in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District in 2018 grew by 7.4% as compared to 2017; oil production grew by 2% at the year end of 2018. The formation of new centers of oil, gas and coal production is predicted, which are currently at the stage of exploration. The growth in the intensity and increasing environmental impact (on the environment and population, including ISNPN) is also natural. Generalization and analysis of experience in oil and gas fields exploitation shows that the most severe conflicts erupt between commercial exploitation of the territory and traditional natural resource use: deer pasture pollution, land withdrawal in favor of industrial and transport construction, etc. Implementation of integrated programs, aimed at ISNPN sustainable development, which put major focus on social and cultural development with no appropriate economic support, does not solve the problem under consideration. The authors propose the policy aimed at the preservation of the "feeding environment" of the natives and their cultural heritage, and taking into account the specific character of the current state of traditional economy and indigenous people engaged in it. The main attention has been focused on the effective use of traditional natural resource use territories, their maintenance within the limits of cultural landscapes, governmental assistance, introduction of ecological-economic estimation of natural capital of the territories of traditional natural resource use (TTNRU) and compensatory payments when damaging biota, considering TTNRU as the components of ecological framework, preservation of cultural heritage of an ethnos. Corresponding scientific investigations may help solving the problem of mutual coexistence. Summary. In order to prevent the negative effects on ISNPN from commercial exploitation of the Arctic, possible conflicts should be predicted and prevented, which will be contributed by the implementation of the authors policy aimed at ISNPN sustainable development.