Indigenous Affairs 3-4/08: Protecting Indigenous peoples' rights to their natural resources - the case of Russia

Of the 45 indigenous peoples in Russia with populations of fewer than 50,000, 40 live in the North, Siberia, and the Far East. These same areas are rich in natural resources, such as oil, gas and minerals, and they are the sites of large energy projects like pipelines and hydroelectric dams. Any industrial project taking place on indigenous peoples’ lands presents a threat and elicits concern among the indigenous population. A newly-published map entitled “Places for Potential Conflict Between Industrial Companies and Numerically Small Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia, and the Far East,” from the Center for Support of Indigenous Peoples of the North (www.csipn.ru) identifies 70 hotspots with potential for conflict. Legislation on indigenous peoples’ rights is designed to identify and reduce conflict between industries and indigenous peoples. But does such legislation exist in Russia? And what are interactions between indigenous peoples and corporations like in reality?