Indigenous hunting in the Russian Arctic: toward sustainable wildlife resource management

Abstract

Arctic wildlife resource management must secure biodiversity without infringing on indigenous hunting rights. The article focuses on the bottlenecks in resource management of game species hunted by Arctic indigenous population. It is based on data collected by the author on subsistence and commercial hunting by indigenous peoples in several Russian Arctic regions and on the results of CAFF Arctic Migratory Birds Initiative (AMBI) projects on the assessment of hunting impact on Arctic migratory birds. Three main problems of Arctic game resource management are discussed: gapes in legislation related to the contradiction between the right of Arctic indigenous peoples to hunt without permission and the need to restrict hunting in order to maintain the balance of ecosystems; lack of reliable information on hunting resources, including both population numbers and harvest size; the practically total removal of hunters from the management of hunting resources. The Russian game resource management system in its current state does not meet the Arctic conditions. It needs to be revised towards official liberalization of indigenous hunting and more flexible game resource regulation considering interests of different groups of hunters.