2. Completed Demonstration and Pilot Projects
2.1. The Environmental Co-Management of Extracting Companies, Authorities and Small-In-Numbers Indigenous Peoples of the North Demonstration Project
The Project Goals
(a) Facilitating joint management of environment protection by executive authorities, local administrations, extracting companies and the indigenous peoples of the North in traditional indigenous communities and economic activity of these peoples;
(b) Developing administrative, economic, financial and social mechanisms of environmental co-management by establishing, for example, coordination councils or other bodies, serving as a forum to identify and solve potential conflicts between the indigenous population, industrial companies, executive authorities and local administrations and other stakeholders.
The Project was implemented by the Batani International Development Fund for Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East with the participation of the Russian Association of small-in-numbers indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia, and the Far East (RAIPON) and a foreign partner, UNEP/GRID-Arendal, covering three model regions such as Yamalo-Nenetsky Okrug, Nenets AO, and the Republic Sakha (Yakutia).
The Project Implementation Period 15 November 2007 - 15 February 2009
The Project Activities
To attain the Project goals, the Project implemented the following activities in the three model regions:
Phase 1: (initial)
On January 25, 2008, Moscow hosted an inception workshop (coordination meeting) aimed at reaching a consensus concerning objectives and expected results among the Project executive team, the UNEP/GEF Project Implementation Unit, and all stakeholders of the main content of the Project and expected results. This initial activity was necessary for the successful implementation of the entire Project.
Phase 2:
Analyses of the environmental co-management practice was conducted, and improvement recommendations were developed for three model regions (i.e. seminars, review of the results, problems identification and prioritization), including the efficiency analyses of the organizational framework and functioning principles of the traditional nature use territories and other existing mechanisms and principles of the interrelation between indigenous organizations, authorities, local self-governments and industrial companies in seeking solutions to nature use issues in both Russia and abroad. Reasons were established for the current and potential conflicts in environment protection and nature resources use. Recommendations were developed to address these problems.
Phase 3:
Regional consultations were held in an attempt to accommodate interests and to coordinate the activities of the stakeholders participating in environmental co-management. This phase developed the main principles and methods of cooperation in addressing issues related to co-management, in adopting a common approach by all participants in this process. First steps were taken to establish institutional mechanisms of interrelations between the indigenous peoples, authorities and private businesses. A model ethno-ecological council was established as a result of the Project’s third phase. Ethno-ecological councils will serve as a forum to identify and solve potential conflicts between the indigenous people, industrial corporations, executive authorities, local self-governments and other stakeholders.
Phase 4:
Round tables were held to review the Project outcomes and outputs. As a follow up of the Round Table recommendations, a joint action plan was prepared for the executive authorities, local self-governments, extracting companies and the indigenous communities. The plan will guide environmental co-management and preservation of the traditional way of life and habitat of the small-numbered indigenous peoples by balancing the interests of the indigenous people, extracting companies, and authorities in addressing the economic and environmental concerns of the North. On 5 December 2008, the State Duma of the Russian Federation hosted the Project completion round table, with the participants, including representatives of federal executive authorities and other stakeholders, to discuss and disseminate the positive experience in co-management in both the model territories and other parties of the Russian Arctic.
The Project Outcomes
During the Project implementation, the Project experts reviewed the applicable federal and regional legislative framework concerning possible development of environmental co-management. It was found that the existing legislative framework had prerequisites for the development of environmental co-management but these were still underdeveloped with respect to establishing the corresponding institutions and methodologies to realize this potential.
The Project experts and regional project coordinators collected materials characterizing the existing practice of interaction between the authorities, industrial corporations, nongovernmental organizations and business entities of small-in-numbers indigenous peoples of the North in the area of environmental co-management in three model regions including the operation of the territories of traditional nature use of regional importance in the Nenets AO. It was found that in the three model regions, the environmental co-management regional legislation is well ahead of the federal level legislation, while the existing practice of agreements and contracts between the authorities, extracting companies and indigenous people organizations allows – though indirectly – recognizing the interests of the indigenous peoples. But regional initiatives are inhibited by lack of the corresponding provisions in the federal legislation, mechanisms and methodologies approved at the federal level. Some regional initiatives and the federal laws themselves are subject to gradual recession. Also, the existing socioeconomic agreements and contracts do not pay much attention to an environmental component. The Project experts developed improvement recommendations for the federal and regional legislation, as well as methodologies and draft regional regulations as new effective legal and economic mechanisms to balance the interests of the extracting companies and indigenous peoples in managing economic and environmental problems while preserving traditional lifestyles and territories of the indigenous peoples.
The Demonstration Project tested a methodology for training indigenous peoples in the use of traditional knowledge to map territories of traditional nature use. The database of information collected under this methodology will facilitate ethno-ecological monitoring. The Project also tested guidelines to assess the quality of lands, which are native territories of the indigenous people of the North, Siberia, and Far East of the Russian Federation, as well as to map the boundaries of the territories of traditional nature use. Guidelines were also offered to determine the amount of damage to the users of lands and other natural resources in the indigenous people communities and in the areas of traditional lifestyle of the small-in-numbers indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia, and the Far East of the Russian Federation.
Figure 1. Training Indigenous Peoples in the Use of Traditional Knowledge for Mapping Territories of Traditional Nature use.
A Guide was prepared to help establish a territory of traditional nature use (TTNU). For the territories of traditional nature use co-management model, the Project proposed a TTNU Coordination Council, which is a coordination body to ensure integrity of management and control across the territories of traditional nature use with due regard to the traditions and customs of indigenous peoples.
For a model of a forum or platform to coordinate local self-governments, executive and legislative authorities at the regional level, designated state environmental authorities, and nongovernmental organizations of the small-in-numbers indigenous peoples of the North, the Project proposed an ethno-ecological council as an environmental co-management model in the indigenous communities and territories of traditional nature use. The ethno-ecological councils were established in two model regions, i.e. in Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (YANAO) and Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).
The ideas, methods and practical experience of the Demonstration Project were used to develop the proposed federal law “Protection of Original Habitat, Traditional Way of Life and Traditional Nature Use of the Russian Federation’s Small-Numbered Indigenous Peoples”.
As proposed by the Demonstration Project experts, the proposed law included the following provisions: (i) identifying the indigenous people communities and territories of traditional economic activities of indigenous peoples; (ii) establishing and zoning the indigenous people communities and territories of traditional economic activities of indigenous peoples; (iii) ethnological expert review of the projects to be implemented in the territories of traditional nature use; (iv) developing co-management with the participation of indigenous peoples in the indigenous people communities and territories of traditional economic activities of indigenous peoples, as well as in the territories of traditional nature use, and other provisions. The same ideas were laid down as a basis for legislative initiatives proposed for the improvement of the regional legislation in the three model regions of the Demonstration Project. These ideas were discussed by all the stakeholders in the regional workshops and round tables.
The Round Tables recommended disseminating the experience of the Demonstration Project in the other districts of these constituent subjects of the Russian Federation.
Also, in the course of the Project implementation, its preliminary outcomes were presented at international (Geneva, Khabarovsk) and regional (Murmansk, Syktyvkar, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Yuzhno-Sakhalinks) workshops and meetings attracting the interest of the authorities, corporations, and nongovernmental organizations of small-in-numbers indigenous peoples of the North. The Demonstration Project experts received proposals to prepare projects for implementation of some ideas in Murmansk Oblast, the Komi Republic, and Sakhalin Oblast.
All the analytical materials and guidelines developed under the Demonstration Project are published and could be used in other regions of the Russian Federation.
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