Improving the current configuration of the Russian Federation Arctic Zone, with account to international environmental cooperation within the framework of the Arctic Council

Abstract

This article analyzes the problems of correlating the space within which the Russian Federation’s special state policy is implemented, considering Russia’s international obligations, to the actual status of the Arctic territories. The boundaries of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation (AZRF) and the territories specified by the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) working group of the Arctic Council are only partially coincident and vary in different regions. This discrepancy can be explained by the lack of uniform criteria for the identification of the southern border of the Arctic zone, while international projects aimed at preserving the natural environment and biodiversity in the Arctic are being implemented in these territories. A number of territories have been proposed for inclusion in the Arctic zone as part of the final stage of the Russian Arctic. It is important to define the Arctic zone in order to address the problems of protecting the environment and biological resources of the territory and ensuring the social and economic well-being of the Arctic population.