COASTAL MANAGEMENT IN RUSSIA
EUCC has compiled country files on Integrated Coastal
Management (ICM) for all coastal states of Europe and
Central Asia. Summaries for all countries will become
available in August.
This page provides a preliminary summary on the following
items for Russia:
- Spatial planning
- Environment
- Nature Conservation
- Sectoral Development
- Framework for Development of ICZM
- National Achievements in the Field of ICZM
- Problems and Constraints for the Development of ICZM
1. Spatial
Planning
1.1 Legislation and Regulations
- Rules of the Protection of the Coastal Areas, (1984).
- Water Code, (1995).
- Law on Specially Protected Natural Areas, forbids almost all economic activities in the 100 metre offshore zone, (1995).
- Land-use Code, (1996).
- Sanitary Rules and Norms in the Protection of the Coastal Marine Areas from Pollution in the Area of Water Use by Population.
1.2 Administrative Competencies
The Russian Federation State Committee for Land Policy (Goscomzem of Russia) provides an inter-industrial co-ordination of the activity in the field of land relations and functional regulation in this sphere as well, including maintenance of state land cadastre, cadastral land valuation, land management and state inspection on land protection and land use.
1.3 Coastal Policy
The Russian Strategy of Coastal Zone Exploitation
still has to be adopted. No further information
received.
2. Environment
2.1 Legislation and Regulations
- Law on the Protection of the Environment, (1991).
- Environmental Protection Act, (1992).
- Water Code, (1995).
- Law on State Environmental Expert Commission, (1995).
- Presidential Decree on the Concept of the Transition of the RF Towards Sustainable Development, (1996).
- Sanitary Rules and Norms in the Protection of the Coastal Marine Areas from Pollution in the Area of Water Use by Population. [41]
2.2 Administrative
Competencies
The Department of Natural Resource Use and Environmental Protection of the Central Administration of the Russian Federation is the most important organ within the structure of executive bodies. The department co-ordinates decision-making of other executive federal bodies. The most important federal body directly involved with the implementation of environmental policy is the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources (MEPNR). [42] The Ministry of Melioration and Water Management, Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Fisheries also approve rules determined to protect surface waters from pollution. Also involved in the work on environmental bills are the Committee on Ecology and the Committee on Natural Resources and Nature Use. Territorial branches of the MEPNR have been established in the oblasts, krays and local administrations. [43]
2.3 Environmental Policy
- Using ICZM as the major tool for sustainable development in the coastal zone.
- To develop and approve legal instruments specific for coastal zones and ICZM.
- To gradually improve and adapt the present institutional arrangement in coastal zones, securing horizontal and vertical integration of planning, the decision making process and management.
- To strengthen and intensify the international co-operation on the Black Sea ICZM activities, giving a certain priority when defining the national policy of international co-operation. [44]
3. Nature
Conservation
3.1 Legislation and Regulations
- Law on the Protection of the Environment, (1991).
- Environmental Protection Act, (1992).
- Law on Specially Protected Natural Areas, (1995).
- Law on State Environment Expert Commission, (1995).
- Law on the Wildlife, (1995).
- Law on Fauna, (1995).
- Law on Flora, (1995).)
- The Water Code, (1995).
- The Forest Code, (1995).
- The Land-use Code, (1996).
- Law won the Continental Shelf of the RF, (1996).
- Following resolutions: Resolution On Approval of the Regulation of the Protecting Water Areas in the Water Bodies and their Protecting Near-shore Zones (1996) (development of the Water Code), Resolution On the Red Book of the Russian Federation (1996), Resolution On Approval of the Regulation of the Implementation of the State Control Over the Management and Protection of the Water Bodies (1997), Resolution On the Implementation of the Decree of the President of the RF from 29.08.97 On the Measures on the Ensuring of the Protection of the Marine Biological Resources and the State control in this Sphere (1998). [45]
3.2 Administrative
Competencies
The Department of Natural Resource Use and Environmental
Protection of the Central Administration of the Russian
Federation is the most important organ within the structure
of executive bodies. The department co-ordinates
decision-making of other executive federal bodies on nature
protection. The most important federal body directly
involved with the implementation of environmental policy is
the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural
Resources (MEPNR). At present the Ministry has 10 major
units, including a Directorate for Protection of Biological
Resources, a Directorate for Ecological Safety, a Department
for Management of Wilderness Areas and a Directorate of
International Co-operation. Territorial branches of the
MEPNR have been established in the oblasts, krays and local
administrations. The Territorial branches of the MEPNR are
empowered to determine guidelines for local environmental
protection and to elaborate environmental programmes in
their area.
Nature Reserves are administrated by the State Committee for
Environmental Protection. The Federal Department of
Protected Areas of the Committee supervises the
administration of each Reserve and its Director. It is very
common for federal Reserves to be placed under the Regional
Committee for Environmental Protection. The administration
and staff of National Parks work under the control of the
National Board of the Federal Forest Service. Nature Parks
are governed by regional authorities and usually
administrated by the Regional Board for Environmental
Protection, a corresponding body or by the Regional Board of
Tourism.
3.3 System of Protected Areas
Russia has a very long tradition of conservation which is
unique in the world. Russiaís specially protected
natural territories now form a unified system which primary
purpose is biodiversity conservation and research of natural
processes and phenomena. Protected territories consist of
state wilderness areas, national parks, reserves and nature
monuments. The wilderness areas act as nature research
institutes, carrying out long-term studies under a common
programme. These studies form the basis for environmental
monitoring. The wilderness areas are managed on a federal
level.
The concept of national parks as a form of protected area
was only introduced at the beginning of the 80ís.
Because the system is only ten years and many parks do not
have full scientific staffs, there is little data
available.
Reserves are areas for a special purpose, where either
permanent or temporarily limitations are placed upon onsite
economic activities. They are established to preserve
ecosystems and natural process as well as populations of
rare and commercially valuable flora and fauna. They can be
established on a federal level but along nature monuments,
they play a more significant role at regional level.
Nature monuments are designated to protect objects of
special interests such as rock formations, large trees, bird
rookeries or ascenic landscape. They are almost similar to
reserves but relatively small and thus usually cannot
provide protection to ecosystems.
[46]
4. Sectoral
Development
4.1 Coastal Defence
No information received.
4.2 Recreation and Tourism
Decrease in tourism, insufficient development.
No more information received.
4.3 Fisheries and Aquaculture
On a state level main responsibility lies with the Ministry of Fisheries and the State Fisheries Inspection. Normative documents have been created to limit harvest and protect fish resources. Currently a crisis in fisheries is visible.
4.4 Transport
Russia holds the world's largest natural gas reserves, the second largest coal reserves, and the eighth largest oil reserves. Russia is also the world's second largest energy consumer, and is the world's largest exporter of natural gas and second largest exporter of energy and petroleum in the world. The energy sector is overseen by the Ministry of Fuel and Energy. The majority of Russian oil is exported via terminals in the Baltic and Black Seas. To increase export capacity, Russia has a number of plans to build new export terminals and pipelines and to expand capacity at several existing terminals.
4.5 Harbours and Shipping
The Russian transport problem is a complicated one, partially because the existing ports reflect developments in the 1950s and 1960s. Russia suffers from a large deficit of harbour facility of 48 million tons in 1996, with a potential growth until 140-150 millions in the year 2010 if new ports will not put into operation. This deficit provides compelling economic arguments for the construction of new harbours as well as expansion of existing ports.
4.6 Industry
Russia's economic turnaround has been driven in large part by increases in its industrial production, which was about 6% higher during the first 8 months of 1999 compared to the same period a year earlier.
4.7 Agriculture
Agriculture is the leading economic sector with various
specialisation such as vegetable growing, melon production,
meat and milk cattle breeding and sheep breeding.
[47]
5. Framework for Development of
ICZM
A number of documents which relate to the implementation
of ICZM in the Black Sea Region, have been signed by Russia
and were adopted at international and regional level. The
leading documents in the process of the definition and
implementation of ICZM related activities are the Rio de
Janeiro Declaration on Environment and Development with its
ëAgenda 21í(1992), The Bucharest Convention
(1992) and the Odessa Ministerial Declaration (1993). Other
conventions that Russia has also signed relevant to the
Black Sea region are the United Nations Convention on the
Law of the Sea, MARPOL, the ECE Convention and the Ramsar
Convention. The basic decision to introduce the ICZM process
in the Black Sea coastal zones has been adopted by the
Odessa Declaration. This decision has been further
elaborated in the Black Sea Strategic Action Plan, (1996),
and the comprehensive Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis
(TDA). These two plans are now the basis for further
development of actions in the field of ICZM, as well
national as international.
[48]
6. National Achievements in the
Field of ICZM
- Establishment of the National Co-ordination Council on the GEF Project, 1993.
- Establishment of The International Activity Centre in the city of Novorossiisk (and then, in the city of Krasnodar, 1994.
- Presidential Decree ëOn Natural Resources of the Black Sea and Azov Sea Coastal Zone, 1994.
- Proposals on ICZM Pilot Projects, submitted in 1995.
- Elaboration of the Federal ICZM Programme, 1996.
- Governmental decision ëOn the Programme on Integrated Black Sea and Azov Sea Coastal Zone Managementí, 1996.
- Preparation of the National Report on ICZM, 1996.
- Definition, consideration and approval of coastal zone boundaries.
- The use of a GIS database for ICZM.
- Advanced training of experts and managers in the field ICZM.
7. Problems and Constraints for the
Development of ICZM
- Insufficiency of the legal framework with reference to the needs of sustainable development and ICZM in coastal zones.
- Institutional deficiencies related to the needs of sustainable development and ICZM in coastal zones, absence of integration.
- Insufficient practical experience in the implementation of the ICZM process, plans and projects.
- Absence of or weak public participation in the decision making process in coastal zones.
- Poor funding due to socio-economic problems related to transition to a market economy.
- Ecosystem degradation and antropogenic pollution (all types of pollution).
- Insufficient public awareness. [49]