This page provides a preliminary summary on the following items for Russia:

1. Spatial Planning
 

1.1 Legislation and Regulations

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

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

3.1 Legislation and Regulations

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. Russia’s 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 80’s. 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 ‘Agenda 21’(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
 

References