Legislation
Conservation and management of wildlife and their habitats, including requirements concerning the polar bear and other rare and endangered species, are regulated by a number of environmental and natural resource management laws, decrees of the Russian government, sectoral regulations and other types of law (i.e., civil, criminal and administrative).
The federal law on Fauna regulates relationships in the area of overall conservation and management of wildlife, as well as conservation and restoration of wildlife habitats to ensure biodiversity and sustainability, creating conditions for wildlife to persist over the long term; conservation of genetic diversity; and other forms of wildlife conservation as an integral component of the natural environment.
Legal regulation of the polar bear’s protected status is also ensured by the federal laws “On Environment Protection”, “On Specially Protected Natural Areas, “On Hunting and Conservation of Game Resources”, Forest Code of the Russian Federation, Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, and Federal Decree “On approval of the list of especially valuable wild animals and water biological resources belonging to the species inscribed in the Red Data Book of Russian Federation and/ or protected by international agreements of the Russian Federation”. Conservation measures for the polar bear are also affirmed in the Order of the Government of the Russian Federation of February 17, 2014, # 212-r “Strategy for Protection of Rare and Endangered Species of Animals, Plants, and Mushrooms for the period up to 2020”.
The handling of animals belonging to the species included in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation (including the polar bear) is regulated by the Russian government’s Decree dated February 19, 1996, # 156 “On the Procedure of Issuing Permits (Executive Licenses) for Handling of Wild Animals Belonging to the Species Included in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation”.
Between 2010 and 2014, Russian legislation concerning polar bear conservation was enforced through:
- Amendments to the Federal Law “On Fauna” in terms of the strengthening of state control in the field of protection, recovery and use of wildlife and their habitats.
- Amendments to the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:
- Penalizing the destruction of critical habitats for animals and plants listed in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation, including the polar bear;
- Providing greater punishment for illegal extraction, maintenance, purchase, storage, transportation, transfer and trade of the most valuable wildlife and water resources belonging to the species listed in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation and protected by international agreements, including the polar bear;
- Amendments to the Article 226.1, which criminalize the smuggling of animals and resources listed in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation;
- A new article 258.1 (2013), provides punishments for illegal actions against high-value wild animals (for these criminal liability of up to seven years in prison is provided).
- The List of the most valuable wildlife and aquatic biological resources related to the species listed in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation and protected by international agreements (including all big cats) is approved by the Order of the Government of the Russian Federation of October 31, 2013,#978.
- Liability of paying damages or other expenses for illegal hunting on polar bear was significantly increased by a special order of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation on March 31, 2013.
The three polar bear subpopulations that occur in Russia are included in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation, with each population assigned a different conservation status:
- Kara-Barents subpopulation—Category 4 (Indeterminate status)
- Laptev subpopulation—Category 3 (Rare)
- Chukotka-Alaska subpopulation—Category 5 (Recovering)
The Red Data Book is updated every 10 years. A new list of wildlife species is developed now (not yet approved), with a higher conservation status for the polar bear: it has been suggested that category 1 (endangered) will be assigned for all such subpopulations (it should be noted that some changes are proposed for the conservation status in the new list taking into account among other criteria a priority of the species protection).
The polar bear is also listed in the Red Data Books of a number of Russian administrative regions, including Republic of Sakha-Yakutia, Arkhangelsk Region, Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Taymyr (Dolgano-Nenets Autonomous Okrug), and Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.
Conservation and management of two subpopulations of the Polar Bear (Kara-Barents and Chukotka-Alaska) are also conducted under the bilateral agreements: Bilateral Environmental Agreement between the Government of Russia and the Government of Norway, including Provisions on Polar Bear Conservation, and Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Russian Federation on the Conservation and Management of the Alaska-Chukotka Polar Bear Population.
In the framework of Russian-Norway Agreement the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Climate and Environment of Norway have signed in 2015 a Memorandum on cooperation in the monitoring of Polar Bears in the Barents Sea.
In the framework of Russian-US Agreement a sustainable quota of no more than 58 polar bears per year, 29 of which for each party to Agreement, was established in 2010. Russia does not yet use its part of the quota.
Habitat Protection
The key polar bear habitats in the Russian Arctic, including maternity dens and hunting sites, are protected in the following Specially Protected Natural Areas:
State strict nature reserves (zapovedniks):
- Wrangel Island (2,225,650 hectares (ha), including 1,430,000 ha of sea area; Chukotka Autonomous Okrug)
- Great Arctic (4,169,222 ha, including 980,934 ha of sea area; Krasnoyarsk Krai)
- Ust-Lensky (1,433,000 ha; Republic of Sakha-Yakutia)
- Gydansky (878,174 ha; Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug)
- National parks:
- Russian Arctic (1,426,000 ha, including 793,910 ha of sea area; Archangelsk Region)
- Beringia (1,800,000 ha, including 300,000 ha of sea area; Chukotka Autonomous Okrug)
State federal nature reserves (zakazniks):
- Franz Josef Land (4,200,000 ha, including 2,600,000 ha of sea area; Archangelsk Region)
- Severozemelsky (421,701 ha; Krasnoyarsk Krai)
State regional nature reserves (zakazniks):
- Vaygach (242,778 ha; Nenets Autonomous Okrug)
- Chaunskaya Guba (210,000 ha; Chukotka Autonomous Okrug)
- Yamalsky (1,402,000 ha; Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug)
Regional natural monument:
- Cape Vankarem (40 ha; Chukotka Autonomous Okrug)
Regional resource reserves in Republic of Sakha—Yakutia:
- Buustaakh (1,464,711 ha)
- Kurdigino Krestovaya (1,067,100 ha)
- Lena Delta (5,932,000 ha)
- Bear Islands (6,000 ha)
- Terpey-Tumus (1,112,000 ha)
- Chaygurino (2,375,600 ha)
It should be noted that projected long-terms effects of climate change on sea ice have not yet been taken into account in planning for Specially Protected Natural Areas for polar bear conservation. Likewise, the impacts of climate change were not taken into account during the projection of important polar bear habitat outlined in the Concept of Development of Federal Specially Protected Natural Areas for the period up to 2020 approved by the Governmental Decree of 22 December, 2011, #2322-r.
Management System
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation is responsible for the development of state policies on wildlife conservation and recovery, as well as for the wildlife conservation (including Polar Bear conservation) inside the federal Specially Protected Natural Areas.
Some federal powers for wildlife conservation and management (including red listing species) outside the federal Specially Protected Natural Areas has delegated to the regional authorities in the subjects of the Russian Federation.
The Federal Supervisory Service for Natural Resource Management (Rosprirodnadzor) is responsible for overseeing of wildlife protection inside the federal Specially Protected Natural Areas, as well as the execution of powers delegated to the subjects of the Russian Federation.
The handling of polar bears requires a permit issued by the Rosprirodnadzor in accordance with the Administrative Procedure of the Rosprirodnadzor for Issuing Permits (Executive Licenses) for Handling of Wild Animals Belonging to the Species Included in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation, approved by the Order of the MNR dated January 15, 2008, #4.
National Action Plan
The Action Plan of the Russian Federation up until 2020 on the Implementation of Priority Actions for the Conservation of the Polar Bear is based on the Strategy for Polar Bear Conservation in the Russian Federation, which was approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation, Decree of July 5, 2010, # 26-r. It is based on a careful assessment of the current data for polar bear populations and contains a list of urgent conservation measures in a 10 year period. The Action Plan is an advisory document that reflects the opinions of experts on how to implement the Strategy and focuses on eliminating and decreasing direct and indirect threats for polar bears in Russia.
The other national key policy document provided and supported the special conservation measures for the Polar Bear is the State Program of the Russian Federation “Protection of Environment” for the 2012–2020 period. The Program is coordinated by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation. The Program’s component “Biodiversity of Russia” is focused on sustainable wildlife management and conservation of rare and endangered species, including the Polar Bear. The goal is to protect and restore biodiversity of Russia via
- strengthening of the legal and regulatory framework and enhancing the scientific and methodological base for biodiversity conservation;
- enabling improved enforcement and protection of wildlife;
- conservation of rare and endangered species of flora and fauna and their habitats, and
- support and expansion of the Specially Protected Natural Areas.