SPIEF 2023 Session Focuses on Protection and Monitoring of Arctic Biodiversity

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• Jun 24, 2023 | Dhupali Das

Participants in the 'Protecting and Monitoring Arctic Biodiversity' session at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum discussed...

Digital Desk: Participants in the 'Protecting and Monitoring Arctic Biodiversity' session at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum discussed the impact of climate change on Far North ecosystems, the development of monitoring and observation systems, the use of modern technologies, and various aspects of public-private partnerships in environmental matters. The session was held as part of the Roscongress Foundation's management of Russia's Arctic Council presidency in 2021-2023.

"The special natural and climatic features of the Arctic zone, its vulnerability, the uniqueness of its biodiversity, and its importance for Indigenous peoples' lives all point to the need to strengthen the special regulatory framework in this natural region. Today, considerable attention must be made to biodiversity conservation in the Russian Arctic in the face of climate change and permafrost thawing. It is possible to fix it legally by incorporating special climatic laws into specific areas of legislation. The State Duma is now debating two key regulatory legislation acts. The further development of the integrated monitoring system is also critical," stated Yelena Matveyeva, Co-ordinator of the Russian State Duma's Subcommittee on Lake Baikal Protection.

The Arctic is home to 20,000 distinct species, which account for a substantial portion of the Russian Federation's Red Book. Forty specially protected natural areas have been established in the Russian Arctic, with the majority of them—14 nature reserves, 10 national parks, and eight wildlife sanctuaries - tasked with preserving biodiversity, according to Olga Krever, Deputy Director of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment's Informational and Analytical Centre for Protected Areas Support. Krever stated that in order to establish an integrated monitoring system in all specially protected natural areas, the law governing environmental protection must be changed, a separate subsystem titled "Monitoring in Specially Protected Natural Areas" must be added to the Unified System of State Environmental Monitoring, and specially protected natural areas must be taken into account as special model platforms for carrying out environmental monitoring and gathering background information.

"We will soon all be employing artificial intelligence in our daily activities. But I implore you not to forget that the Arctic zone's highly protected natural regions are typically situated in very remote locations, therefore we are not always physically able to deploy such technologies. This year, we will begin calculating the corresponding manmade load on each protected area. We are making progress in this regard. Today, we plan to introduce a system to obtain permits to visit specially protected natural areas," said Irina Makanova, Director of the Department of State Policy and Regulation in the Development of Specially Protected Natural Areas of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

Experts from specialised organisations, as well as officials from regional departments and firms operating in high latitudes, also attended the session. Experts included: Director of the Occupational, Industrial, and Environmental Safety Department of Zarubezhneft Yelena Kompasenko, Minister of Ecology, Nature Management, and Forestry of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and Deputy General Director and State Secretary of the Arctic Initiatives Centre Rustam Romanenkov, MMC Norilsk Nickel Vice President for Ecology and Industrial Safety Stanislav Seleznev, President Emeritus of the Marine Exchange of Alaska Paul Fuhs, and Executive Director of the Marine Research Centre at Lomonosov Moscow State University Nikolay Shabalin.

The session was organised by the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

The session 'Protecting and Monitoring Arctic Biodiversity' was conducted at the Ministry for Development of the Russian Far East and the Arctic's stand in Pavilion G at the ExpoForum Convention and Exhibition Centre. The booth's business agenda comprised approximately 15 activities. Some of them will be hosted as part of Russia's Arctic Council presidency plan, such as the session "The Northern Sea Route." 'The Russian Arctic - Focal Point. Protected Areas in the Twenty-First Century, and 'Filmmaking in the Arctic: A Dialogue Between Nature and Technology'.