Russian Arctic

In: GIWA regional assessment 1a

Abstract

This report presents the results of the GIWA assessment of the Russian Arctic region, which is occupying a large part of the Russian Federation and is including the Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, East Siberian Sea as well as the Russian section of the Chukchi Sea. The region contains significant stocks of natural resources, like oil and gas. The exploitation of these resources leads to severe environmental impacts, where the issues chemical pollution, oil spills and modification of ecosystems were identified as having the highest priority. The past and present status and future prospects are discussed, and the transboundary issues are traced back to their root causes. Policy options have been identified not only to preserve and restore the aquatic ecosystems and to reduce pollution, but also to aid the local population to deal with the environmental and socio-economic concerns.--Publisher's description