DOCSLIB.ORG

Table of Contents

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Table of Contents Oil Industry and Reindeer Herding: The Problems of Implementing Indigenous Rights in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia Anna Degteva Thesis submitted for the degree: Master of Philosophy in Indigenous Studies Faculty of Social Science, University of Tromsø Spring 2006 Co-funded by “The Challenge of Indigenousness: Politics of Rights, Resources and Knowledge”. Oil Industry and Reindeer Herding: The Problems of Implementing Indigenous Rights In the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia Anna Degteva Master Thesis Spring 2006 Master of Philosophy in Indigenous Studies Faculty of Social Sciences University of Tromsø Co-funded by: ““The Challenge of Indigenousness: Politics of Rights, Resources and Knowledge.” Centre for Sami Studies, University of Tromsø i ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank many people and institutions without whom this thesis would never have come true. First, I am grateful to the University of Tromsø (UiTø) for the opportunity to do the Master Programe in Indigenous Studies and for the resources available. I am thankful to Indra Øverland for his initial help in launching this project. For considerable financial support a special thanks goes to the research project “The Challenge of Indigenousness: Politics of Rights, Resources and Knowledge” at the Centre for Sami Studies, UiTø. I am most thankful to Professor Ivar Bjørklund at Tromsø Museum for supervising this paper with consistency, patience and good humour. I am grateful to Winfried Dallmann at the Norwegian Polar Institute, who has spent many hours helping me to make the maps for this thesis. Thank you also for the front-page picture. My deep gratitude goes to the people I met during my fieldwork in Khorey-Ver and Naryan-Mar. Particular thanks and warm regards to Fedot Kusteshev without whom I would not succeeded. Many thanks to the family of Lageiskie, especially to Zhanna and Tatyana, for accommodation and for making my time in the Khorey-Ver village nice and unforgettable. I am grateful to the governmental and non-governmental organisations of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug for fruitful collaboration, and personally to Ludmila Laptander, Alexander Belugin and Andrey Vokuev. I am thankful to my colleagues at the Master Program and to all my friends in Tromsø who were the best source of inspiration and support, especially to Lena Susanne Gaup, Erika Satta, Marte Nermark, Ekaterina Zelina and Yury Kiselev. Thank you for giving me a wonderful time. With all my heart, I want to thank Camilla Brattland for being a friend indeed during these years, as well as for thorough reading through this paper and true encouragements. The most sincere gratitude to all my friends who gave me a hand in proofreading and doing last- minute corrections. Thank you very much! And, finally, I would like to thank my friend and ‘psychologist’, Per Klemetsen Hætta, for staying by my side during both good and bad times. iii TABLE OF CONTENT 1 INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………1 1.1 General problem statement and research question………………………………1 1.2 Presentation of the case………………………………………………………….1 1.3 Structure of the thesis……………………………………………………………2 2 SOME THEORETICAL COMMENTS………………………………………………………5 2.1 Comparative perspective………………………………………………………..5 2.2 Ethnicity and politics: the case of the Sami……………………………………..6 2.3 Theorizing ethnicity: studies in Norway and in Russia…………………………7 3 ON METHODOLOGY………………………………………………………………………11 3.1 The fieldwork……………………………………………………………….…..11 3.2 Data collection……………………………………………………………….....12 3.3 Problems faced and lessons learned………………………………………...….14 4 THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL………………………………………………………..…17 4.1 International Indigenous Movement …………………………………………...17 4.2 New global economic regime and the indigenous peoples…………………….19 4.3 International legal standards concerning indigenous peoples………………….21 5 THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION (THE FEDERAL LEVEL)………………………………26 5.1 The State and the indigenous peoples……………………………………..…...26 5.2 Indigenous ethnopolitical movement (RAIPON)…………………………..….30 5.3 ‘From central planning to free capitalism’…………………………………….32 5.4 Russian legislation regarding indigenous peoples…………………………..…35 5.5 Summary……………………………………………………………………….40 6 THE NENETS AUTONOMOUS OKRUG (THE REGIONAL LEVEL)……………….…41 6.1 The Nenets Autonomous Okrug: introduction………………………………….41 6.2 The basis of economic development: reindeer herding, oil, or both?..................41 6.3 Regional politics and legislation………………………………………………..46 6.4 Regional ethnopolitical movement (Yasavey)………………………………….49 6.5 Summary ……………………………………………………………………….54 7 THE KHOREI-VER VILLAGE (THE LOCAL LEVEL)………………………………….55 7.1 The story of the SPK “Put’ Il’icha” and the Khorei-Ver village……………….55 7.2 Resource management: tradition and/or modernity……………………..……...57 7.3 “Surviving economy”…………………………………………………….……..63 7.4 Oil companies: ambiguity of their activities…………………………………....64 7.5 Ethnicity and its management at the local level: “The lack of indigenousness”..69 7.6 Summary………………………………………………………………………..72 iv 8 CONCLUSION….…………………………………………………………………………..74 8.1 Comparison with the Sami case: finding the answers to the research question….74 8.2 The problems with implementation of indigenous rights in Russia: realising the causes………………………………………………………………………...75 8.3 Implications for the Global level…………………………………………………78 Literature……..…………………………………………………………………………………80 Appendix…………………………………………………………………………………………85 Map no.1 Oil development and reindeer pasture lands in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug Map no.2 Pasture lands of SPK “Put’ Il’icha” v 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 General problem statement and research question The last decades, called the ‘Globalisation era’, have been characterised by a dramatically increased flow of goods, services and technology across national borders. Along with products and capital, ideas and cultures circulate more freely. As a result, laws, economies and social movements are being formed at the international level. Recently, along with this flow of ideas and cultures has come an increased awareness of indigenous issues. The international community has recognised that indigenous peoples, despite the diversity of situations they face, have in common that been socially and economically disadvantaged for several centuries. In order to redress the harm done, indigenous peoples’ rights have been considered and international standards have been set. The main concerns indigenous peoples and international organs (Permanent Forum, the UN Working Groups) have are: control over and safeguard of land and natural resources; the right to preserve culture, language, tradition and lifestyles; the right to practice and benefit from economic and social development in accordance with indigenous views; health protection; and administration of justice. However, in spite of the acknowledgment of indigenous peoples’ rights at the international level, allegations of violations of their human rights and fundamental freedoms are being received form different parts of the world. Obviously, there are some problems with the implementation mechanisms since indigenous peoples still face discrimination, poverty, poor health, detachment from their traditional land, etc. And the key question is what these problems are, or in other words: “Why is it so difficult to implement international standards concerning indigenous rights?” In the present paper I would like to contribute to answering the question I have just raised by discussing the example of one region in Russia – the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, where, at this point, the interests of oil and gas companies clash with the needs of Nenets and Komi reindeer herders for land resources. By no means do I claim to present a universal explanation since, despite some common trends, indigenous peoples’ experiences differ to a great extent when talking about the situation around the world. Nevertheless, it is vital to identify and analyse the factors that trouble implementation of international legal standards at the grassroots level in order to consider them in international and national law making. 1.2 Presentation of the case Oil extraction and transportation endangers traditional occupations and, hence, the culture and livelihood of the indigenous Nenets reindeer breeders of the “Put’ Il’icha” reindeer herding farm in the Khorei-Ver village. This village, with about 900 people, is situated in the western part of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug (‘district’ - hereafter NAO). The oil companies’ impact is quite ambiguous and 1 covers several dimensions: environment, economic condition, social situation, and local reindeer and land management. The local population, however, perceives the activities of oil companies as more positive than negative. This is in spite of the concretely negative consequences, such as: reported flora and fauna loss and environmental pollution caused by oil activities; the insufficiency of the compensation policies and potential social problems (so-called “consumers’ attitude”, social tensions because of feeling of injustice); direct obstacles for reindeer management due to oil pipeline and roads cutting off part of their pastures. The positive impact - the current financial support - is perceived as more important. This, as we will see, has to do with the fact that cash income helps people to overcome the economic crises and seems to give an opportunity for future survival. The situation reindeer herders face can be described by following: the Nenets indigenous population constitutes half of the total local population on the land that has
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Strengthening Protected Area System of the Komi Republic to Conserve Virgin Forest Biodiversity in the Pechora Headwaters Region
    Strengthening Protected Area System of the Komi Republic to Conserve Virgin Forest Biodiversity in the Pechora Headwaters Region PIMS 2496, Atlas Award 00048772, Atlas Project No: 00059042 Terminal Evaluation, Volume I November 2014 Russian Federation GEF SO1: Catalysing the Sustainability of Protected Areas SP3: Strengthened National Terrestrial Protected Area Networks Russian Federation, Ministry of Natural Resources Komi Republic, Ministry of Natural Resources United National Development Program Stuart Williams KOMI REPUBLIC PAS PROJECT - TE Acknowledgements The mission to the Komi Republic was well organised and smoothly executed. For this, I would like to thank everyone involved starting with Irina Bredneva and Elena Bazhenova of the UNDP-CO for making all the travel arrangements so smooth and easy, and making me welcome in Moscow. In the Komi Republic, the project team ensured that I met the right stakeholders, showed me the results of the project efforts in remote and beautiful areas of the republic, and accompanying me. Special thanks are due to Alexander Popov (the National Project Director) and Vasily Ponomarev (the Project Manager) for the connections, arrangements, for accompanying me and for many fruitful discussions. Other team members who accompanied the mission included Svetlana Zagirova, Andrei Melnichuk and Anastasiya Tentyukova. I am also grateful to all the other stakeholders who gave freely of their time and answered my questions patiently (please see Annex III for a list of all the people met over the course of the mission to the Komi Republic). I am also particularly grateful for the tireless efforts of Alexander Oshis, my interpreter over the course of the mission even when he was not well, for the clear and accurate interpretation.
    [Show full text]
  • Participation of Indigenous Nenets People in the International Polar Year Research
    Participation of Indigenous Nenets People in the International Polar Year Research Nadezhda Laptander1, Tamara Semenova2 1Regional Movement of Nenets People (Yasavey), Naryan-Mar, Russia; 2Russian Research Institute for Cultural and Natural Heritage, Moscow, Russia 1. Introduction 2. Facts about Nenets AO 3. MODIL Project 4. CLUE Project 5. Present-Day Situation 6. Conclusion 1. Introduction Nenets Autonomous Region (Nenetskiy Avtonomny Okrug - NAO) in northwestern Russia is home to approximately 8000 Nenets and 3000 Izhma‐Komi indigenous people. Many of them depend directly or indirectly on reindeer husbandry, fishing and hunting for their livelihood. In the past, reindeer pastures covered almost all of the region territory. Now, however, large tracts of land have been degraded by oil prospecting and production or have become difficult to access across oil pipelines and infrastructure. In light of this it is noteworthy that not all the companies make agreements with reindeer herders. Most agreements with herders are only valid for 1‐2 years, whereas the company’s license is for a longer period. Many agreements are confidential and cannot be evaluated by public opinion. There is no mechanism for the investigation of reindeer herders’ opinions on land allocation issues and oil companies’ operations. One of the challenges in efficient management and use of traditional pastures is the lack of up‐to‐date land use plans for future activities. Other challenges are the lack of proper management of Traditional Land use Areas (TLA) and ambiguity regarding which government authority is responsible for this, the lack of compulsory and independent assessment of industrial projects’ impact on the traditional lands and lifestyle of the indigenous people and the absence of a common forum in the region where representatives of government authorities, industrial companies and indigenous peoples could negotiate and make common decisions to achieve a balance of interests of all stakeholders.
    [Show full text]
  • ECSP Report 6
    Features Environmental Change & Security Project REPORT ISSUE NO. 6 • THE WOODROW WILSON CENTER • SUMMER 2000 TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURES X5 Human Population and Environmental Stresses in the Twenty-first Century Richard E. Benedick 19 Oiling the Friction: Environmental Conflict Management in the Niger Delta, Nigeria Okechukwu Ibeanu SPECIAL REPORTS 33 The Global Infectious Disease Threat and Its Implications for the United States National Intelligence Council 66 Exploring Capacity for Integration: University of Michigan Population-Environment Fellows Programs Impact Assessment Project Denise Caudill COMMENTARY 77 Environment, Population, and Conflict Geoffrey D. Dabelko Ted Gaulin Richard A. Matthew Tom Deligiannis Thomas F. Homer-Dixon Daniel M. Schwartz 107 Trade and the Environment Martin Albrow Andrea Durbin Kent Hughes Stephen Clarkson Mikhail Gorbachev Anju Sharma William M. Daley Tamar Gutner Stacy D. VanDeveer OFFICIAL STATEMENTS AND DOCUMENTS 119 William J. Clinton; Albert Gore, Jr.; Madeleine K. Albright; David B. Sandalow; Benjamin A. Gilman; George W. Bush; Kofi Annan; Mark Malloch Brown; Klaus Töpfer; Nafis Sadik; Gro Harlem Brundtland ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE & SECURITY PROJECT REPORT, ISSUE 6 (SUMMER 2000) 1 Features 132 NEW PUBLICATIONS Environmental Change, Adaptation, and Security 132 Ecology, Politics, and Violent Conflict 135 Hydropolitics in the Third World: Conflict and Cooperation in International River Basins 136 Violence Through Environmental Discrimination: Causes, Rwanda Arena, and Conflict Model 139 The Sustainability
    [Show full text]
  • Bringing Hope and Transformation to Eurasia Through God's Word
    “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17, ESV Bringing Hope and Transformation to Eurasia through God’s Word JUNE 2016 P.O. BOX 496, WHEATON, IL 60187 | PH: 630.462.1739 | MISSIONEURASIA.ORG 1 Thanks to the generous, faithful contributions of supporters like you, Mission Eurasia has consistently been able to fulfill our commitment to equip Next Generation Christian leaders in Eurasia to share the Word of God in their own nations and communities. Through culturally relevant Christian literature and Scripture pieces in national languages, the gospel message is being shared in compelling and unexpected ways with hurting men, women, and children who desperately need the hope of the good news. We know that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). As Next Generation Christians faithfully proclaim the “word of Christ” to their nations, hearts and minds are being opened to hear the Word and believe through faith. We hope that as you read this report, your faith will be strengthened by the testimonies of lives changed through the reading of God’s Word. Thank you for your support of Mission Eurasia—which is providing life- changing Scripture resources for millions of God’s children in Eurasia and beyond! Spiritual Crisis in Eurasia In the midst of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the spiritual Unreached people groups in Russia’s Far North, Mongolia, the vacuum in Eurasia, and escalating religious persecution in the Northern Caucasus, and other regions of Eurasia need access to region, God’s Word is needed now more than ever.
    [Show full text]
  • The Sinister Political Life of Community
    NIGER DELTA ECONOMIES OF VIOLENCE WORKING PAPERS Working Paper No. 3 THE SINISTER POLITICAL LIFE OF COMMUNITY Economies of Violence and Governable Spaces in the Niger Delta, Nigeria Michael Watts Director, Institute of International Studies, University of California, Berkeley, USA 2004 Institute of International Studies, University of California, Berkeley, USA The United States Institute of Peace, Washington DC, USA Our Niger Delta, Port Harcourt, Nigeria 1 The Sinister Political Life of Community: Economies of Violence and Governable Spaces in the Niger Delta, Nigeria Michael Watts We seek to recover the . life of the community, as neither the “before” nor the “after” picture of any great human transformation. We see “communities” as creatures with an extraordinary and actually . quite sinister political life in the ground of real history. Kelly and Kaplan (2001:199) “Community” is an archetypal keyword in the sense deployed by Raymond Williams (1976). A “binding” word, suturing certain activities and their interpretation, community is also “indicative” (Williams’s term once again) in certain forms of thought. Deployed in the language for at least five hundred years, community has carried a range of senses denoting actual groups (for example “commoners” or “workers”) and connoting specific qualities of social relationship (as in communitas). By the nineteenth century, community was, of course, invoked as a way of talking about much larger issues, about modernity itself. Community—and its sister concepts of tradition and custom—now stood in sharp contrast to the more abstract, instrumental, individuated, and formal properties of state or society in the modern sense. A related shift in usage subsequently occurred in the twentieth century, when community came to refer to a form or style of politics distinct from the formal repertoires of national or local politics.
    [Show full text]
  • Arctic and North
    Arctic and North. 2012. № 6 1 ISSN 2221-2698 Arctic and North Arkhangelsk: Northern (Arctic) Federal University Named after М. V. Lomonosov 2011. № 4 (November) Arctic and North. 2012. № 6 2 ISSN 2221-2698 Arctic and North. 2011. № 4 (November) Electronic periodical edition © Northern (Arctic ) Federal University named after M. V. Lomonosov, 2011 © Editorial Board of the journal «Arctic and North», 2011 Published 4 times a year The journal is registered like electronic periodical edition on Russian and English languages. The testimony of the Federal service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technologies and communications (№ FC77-42809 from the 26 of November 2010.) The journal is registered in the system of the Russian Index of the scientific quotations (RINZ), where should be placed all the regular issues of the journal. A license agreement is № 96- 04/2011R on April 12, 2011.12. The journal is registered in the Depository in the electronic editions FSUE STC «Informreg- istr» (registration certificate № 543 от 13 October 2011) and it was also given a number of state registrations 0421200166. Founder: The federal state autonomous institution of higher education «The Northern (Arc- tic) Federal University» named after M.V. Lomonosov. The chef editor − Lukin Urii Fedorovich, Doctor of History, Professor. Editorial council Editorial board Vostryakov Lev Evgenievich Vertishin Aleksey Nikolaevich Glazichev Vyacheslav Leonidovich Dregalo Aleksandr Alekseevich Dergachev Vladimir Aleksandrovich Zalivskii Nikolai Pavlovich Kefeli
    [Show full text]
  • Climate Change and Human Mobility in Indigenous Communities of the Russian North
    Climate Change and Human Mobility in Indigenous Communities of the Russian North January 30, 2013 Susan A. Crate George Mason University Cover image: Winifried K. Dallmann, Norwegian Polar Institute. http://www.arctic-council.org/index.php/en/about/maps. TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................................... i Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ ii 1. Introduction and Purpose ............................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Focus of paper and author’s approach................................................................................... 2 1.2 Human mobility in the Russian North: Physical and Cultural Forces .................................. 3 1.2.1 Mobility as the Historical Rule in the Circumpolar North ............................................. 3 1.2.2. Changing the Rules: Mobility and Migration in the Russian and Soviet North ............ 4 1.2.3 Peoples of the Russian North .......................................................................................... 7 1.2.4 The contemporary state: changes affecting livelihoods ................................................. 8 2. Overview of the physical science: actual and potential effects of climate change in the Russian North ..............................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Second Report Submitted by the Russian Federation Pursuant to The
    ACFC/SR/II(2005)003 SECOND REPORT SUBMITTED BY THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 25, PARAGRAPH 2 OF THE FRAMEWORK CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF NATIONAL MINORITIES (Received on 26 April 2005) MINISTRY OF REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION REPORT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROVISIONS OF THE FRAMEWORK CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF NATIONAL MINORITIES Report of the Russian Federation on the progress of the second cycle of monitoring in accordance with Article 25 of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities MOSCOW, 2005 2 Table of contents PREAMBLE ..............................................................................................................................4 1. Introduction........................................................................................................................4 2. The legislation of the Russian Federation for the protection of national minorities rights5 3. Major lines of implementation of the law of the Russian Federation and the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities .............................................................15 3.1. National territorial subdivisions...................................................................................15 3.2 Public associations – national cultural autonomies and national public organizations17 3.3 National minorities in the system of federal government............................................18 3.4 Development of Ethnic Communities’ National
    [Show full text]
  • Russia Pipeline Oil Spill Study April 2003
    Russia Pipeline Oil Spill Study April 2003 Joint UNDP/World Bank Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme (ESMAP) “ESMAP Values your Feedback If you have found this report useful, or would like to provide comments on our reports and services, please log on to our website at www.esmap.org and leave your feedback. In this way we can better understand our audience’s needs and improve the quality of our knowledge products. Thank you. ESMAP Management” ii TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE............................................................................................................................................ VI ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................................. VII ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ............................................................................................... VIII EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...................................................................................................................... 1 GENERAL OBJECTIVE OF STUDY ........................................................................................................ 2 DATA ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................. 4 RISK ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................................................ 7 REGULATORY AND MONITORING REGIMES ......................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Domestic Terrorism in Africa
    DOMESTIC TERRORISM IN AFRICA: DOMESTIC TERRORISM IN AFRICA: DEFINING, ADDRESSING AND UNDERSTANDING ITS IMPACT ON HUMAN SECURITY DEFINING, ADDRESSING AND UNDERSTANDING ITS IMPACT ON HUMAN SECURITY Terrorism Studies & Research Program ISS Head Offi ce Block D, Brooklyn Court, VealVeale Street New Muckleneuk,, PrPretoria Tel: (27-12) 346 9500 Fax:Fa (27-12) 346 9570 E-mail: iss@[email protected] ISS AdAddis Ababa Offi ce FirsFirst Floor, Ki-Ab Building, Alexander Pushkin Street, Pushkin Square, Addis Ababa Tell:(: (251-1111)3) 37272-1154/5/6 Fax:(: (251-1111)3) 372 5954 E-mail: addisababa@is@ safrica.orgg ISS Cape Town Offi ce 67 Roeland Square, Drury Lane Gardens Cape Town 8001 South Africa TTel:(: (27-27 21) 46171 7211 Fax: (27-2121)4) 461 7213 E-mail: [email protected] ISS Nairobi Offi ce 5h5th Flloooor, LanddmarkPk Pllaza Argwings Kodhekek RRoad, Nairobi, Kenya Tel: (254 -20) 300 5726/8 FaxFax: (254-20) 271 2902 E-mail: [email protected] ISS Pretoria Offi ce Block C, Brooklyn Court, Veale Street New Muckleneuk, Pretoria Tel: (27-12) 346 9500 Fax: (27-12) 460 0998 Edited by Wafula Okumu and Anneli Botha E-mail: [email protected] Wafula Okumu and Anneli Botha www.issafrica.org 5 and 6 November 2007 This publication was made possible through funding provided by the ISBN 978-1-920114-80-0 Norwegian Government. In addition, general Institute funding is provided by the Governments of Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. 9 781920 114800 Terrorism Studies & Research Program As a leading African human security research institution, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) works towards a stable and peaceful Africa characterised by sustainable development, human rights, the rule of law, democracy, collaborative security and gender mainstreaming.
    [Show full text]
  • JOINT STATEMENT of INDIGENOUS SOLIDARITY for ARCTIC PROTECTION
    JOINT STATEMENT of INDIGENOUS SOLIDARITY for ARCTIC PROTECTION We the Peoples of the North have for too long experienced the oppression of our Peoples and the barbaric destruction of our land. It is time that we join forces and demand that the oil companies and the Arctic States change their path and start to listen to the voices of the Indigenous Peoples residing in these lands. The Peoples of the North will no longer be bought with dimes and cents to stand silently by while the oil companies destroy our native land. Our culture and history cannot be bought off and replaced with pipelines and drill rigs. Our way of living defines who we are and we will stand up and fight for our nature and environment. Too many have been reduced to depend on the generosity of the oil companies. Our rights and ability to sustain ourselves must not be trampled by others’ endless hunger for profits. Our lands and culture must be preserved for the generations to come. If divided, we will not be able to withstand the pressure from oil producing companies to open up our homes for destruction. Today we gather our forces and refuse to continue to stand silently by, witnessing the destruction of our land. We stand together in our call for: • A ban on all offshore oil drilling in the Arctic shelf. We cannot accept the ecological risks and destructive impacts of a spill on our lands and in our seas. The irresponsible practices of oil companies everywhere have provided us with more than enough evidence that oil spills in the Arctic seas will be inevitable.
    [Show full text]
  • How Interest-Convergence Shapes Benefit-Sharing And
    sustainability Article Who Benefits? How Interest-Convergence Shapes Benefit-Sharing and Indigenous Rights to Sustainable Livelihoods in Russia Maria S. Tysiachniouk 1,2,3,*, Laura A. Henry 4 , Svetlana A. Tulaeva 5 and Leah S. Horowitz 1,6 1 Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA; [email protected] 2 The Centre for Independent Social Research, 190041 Saint Petersburg, Russia 3 Environmental Policy Group, Wageningen University, 6706KN Wageningen, The Netherlands 4 Department of Government and Legal Studies, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME 04011, USA; [email protected] 5 North-West Institute of Management, Faculty of International Relations and Politics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, 197101 Saint Petersburg, Russia; [email protected] 6 School of Human Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 8 October 2020; Accepted: 23 October 2020; Published: 30 October 2020 Abstract: The paper examines interactions of oil companies and reindeer herders in the tundra of the Russian Arctic. We focus on governance arrangements that have an impact on the sustainability of oil production and reindeer herding. We analyze a shift in benefit-sharing arrangements between oil companies and Indigenous Nenets reindeer herders in Nenets Autonomous Okrug (NAO), Russia, as an evolution of the herders’ rights, defined as the intertwined co-production of legal processes, ideologies, and power relations. Semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and document analysis demonstrate that in NAO, benefit-sharing shifted from paternalism (dependent on herders’ negotiation skills) to company-centered social responsibility (formalized compensation rules). This shift was enabled by the adoption of a formal methodology for calculating income lost due to extractive projects and facilitated by the regional government’s efforts to develop reindeer-herding.
    [Show full text]