Legal Challenges to Biological Security in the Arctic Zone

Abstract

Under present—day conditions of climate change, the northern territories are becoming an object of increased anthropogenic pressure. The main types of economic activity in the Arctic Zone are hydrocarbon production, shipping industry, and agriculture (fishing and reindeer husbandry). Climatic changes cause a number of environmental threats to the Arctic ecosystem and northern biocenosis. Besides, it disrupts the traditional lifestyle and management of the indigenous population. Also, the Russian Arctic is characterized by economic and social problems of the 90s state policy. Among them are: (1) low level of self—sufficiency of local agricultural products, (2) food security threat, (3) massive immigration, (4) unemployment, and (5) health deterioration of indigenous minority. The foreign experience of the Arctic states (Norway, Finland, etc.) indicates that the solution to economic problems, in particular, the food security problem, is in breeding a new variety of reindeer and biological resources that are resistant to the effects of climate change and have increased nutritional value. At the same time, the use of genomic technologies has environmental risks and may lead to an adverse change in the biological entity of organisms in the Arctic ecosystem. Therefore, ensuring biological safety becomes relevant, but the current legislation does not contain either a definition of biosafety or a measure set to ensure it. The novelty of this paper lies in identifying the legal problems of ensuring biosafety in the Arctic Zone. The research purpose is to analyze the legal problems of ensuring biosafety in the Arctic Zone. The research is aimed to formulate the legal problems of ensuring biosafety of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation and the author’s proposals for improving biosafety’s legal support as an integral part of environmental safety.