Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment: Criminal Law and Criminological Aspects

Abstract

The main part of the Russian Arctic is the Arctic Ocean and marginal seas: The White, Barents, Kara, Laptev, East Siberian and Chukchi. The Arctic is not only valued for minerals. The region has enormous importance for global biodiversity, it is inhabited by numerous species of land and marine mammals, birds and fish, and unique plant life. Natural, geographical features of the region have important criminological value, they significantly complicate crime and perpetrators detection, influence the spread of socially dangerous consequences of the acts committed (e.g., pollution), etc. For the protection of the Arctic marine environment, special attention should be given to address pollution from land-based sources, as this type of pollution is one of the main in the Arctic basin. The marine environment of the Arctic is characterized by unique biodiversity, which, in addition to the negative impact of the economic activities in sea and on land, is exposed to criminal attacks, such as illegal poaching and trafficking of especially valuable wild animals and aquatic biological resources belonging to the species listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation and (or) protected by international treaties of the Russian Federation (Article 258.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), illegal harvesting (catching) of aquatic biological resources (Article 256 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Criminal responsibility has great potential for the protection of the marine environment of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation. Given the global importance of the Arctic, the development of this area should be given special attention in science and practice.