Prospects for the Application of the Norms of the European Charter of Hunting and Biodiversity in Russia's Environmental Activities

Abstract

Currently, there are a number of documents of an international legal nature in the field of protection and use of wildlife, which have not been yet ratified by the Russian Federation, but have the potential to improve environmental activities at the national level. The article provides information on important documents in the field under consideration – the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, as well as the European Charter of Hunting and Biodiversity, the main objectives of which are the conservation of wild flora and fauna and their natural habitats, the promotion of interstate cooperation in the protection of animals and their habitats. Based on the author›s translation of the authentic text of the Charter and the developed methodological recommendations for its application in English, the work analyzes the norms of the Charter in the form of formulated 12 principles of sustainable hunting, as well as additional information contained in the methodological recommendations to the Charter. With the use of general scientific and private scientific methods, examples from the Russian practice of preserving objects of the animal world are considered. The historical method is used in describing the course of the formation and adoption of this document. Noting the diversity of documents adopted in compliance with the norms of the Berne Convention that are significant in the field of biodiversity conservation, the authors provide an analysis of the European Charter of Hunting and Biodiversity (here in after referred to as the Charter), the norms of which are prescribed by the permanent structures of the Berne Convention to be applied by States when developing hunting policies, including in order to ensure the implementation of sustainable hunting. The definition of the concept of «sustainable hunting» contained in the Charter is given, noting the social, the economic and cultural essence of this activity. The author makes conclusion about the prospects of using the norms of the international documents under consideration in order to increase the effectiveness of activities to regulate legal relations in the field of protection and use of wildlife, to ensure compliance with the principles of sustainable development in the implementation of hunting activities in Russian Federation and its regions, including Baikal natural area.