Co-Management by Indigenous Minorities of the North over Arctic Territories in the Period of Their Commercial Development

The authors explain the significance of the presented subject by the current intensive industrial development of the Arctic territories of the Russian Federation and other Northern countries, which apart from positive economic and social benefits, also brings climate change, environmental problems and destroys traditional lifestyle and economy management of indigenous minorities of the North. The article proves that in many countries indigenous minorities of the North are interested not only in enforcement and guarantees of their rights on the part of the state, but also in making managerial decisions on the use and protection of territories which is the traditional place of their inhabitance and economic activity, together with government authorities and resource-users. The authors view co-management as an efficient model of interrelations between the state, local self-government and indigenous minorities of the North. The authors analyze international rules, foreign laws and regulations, and legislation of the Russian Federation that create legal framework for the implementation of the co-management model in the Arctic territories of Russia. In their article the authors indicate gaps in federal legislation in the area of protection of the Northern indigenous peoples’ rights to govern the territories of their traditional inhabitance and economic activity. In the end the authors state the possibilities to fill the gaps in the federal and regional legislation on the indigenous minorities’ rights, in particular, they suggest approving and ratifying international documents on indigenous peoples, including co-management norms, into the RF legislation, and also expanding possibilities of government and local authorities on indigenous minorities’ involvement into management over the Northern territories.