SPIEF 2023 session focuses on Arctic biodiversity protection and monitoring

The 'PThe 'Protecting and Monitoring Arctic Biodiversity' session, held at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, discussed the impact of climate change on Far North ecosystems, the development of observation and monitoring systems, modern technologies, and public-private partnerships in environmental matters. The session was part of Russia's chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021-2023, managed by the Roscongress Foundation. The Arctic zone's unique features, vulnerability, and importance for Indigenous peoples require further strengthening the special regulatory framework. The State Duma is currently considering two relevant regulatory legal acts, and the further development of an integrated monitoring system is of particular importance. The Arctic is home to 20,000 species, making up a significant part of the Red Book of the Russian Federation.

Forty specially protected natural areas have been set up in the Russian Arctic, with the bulk of them tasked with preserving biodiversity. An integrated monitoring system needs to be set up in all specially protected natural areas, requiring a separate subsystem titled 'Monitoring in Specially Protected Natural Areas' as part of the Unified System of State Environmental Monitoring, amendments to the law on environmental protection, and considering specially protected natural areas as unique model platforms for conducting environmental monitoring and obtaining background data. The session was organized by the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.