"Arctic Dossier" – Russia’s first contribution to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
On 19 September, the National Centre RUSSIA hosted the presentation of the "Arctic Dossier" – Russia’s national report on its contribution to restoring Arctic ecosystems. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev and Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Alexander Kozlov spoke about large-scale environmental projects, land reclamation, the modernisation of the scientific and expedition fleet, and the work of volunteers, highlighting Russia’s strategic role in preserving Arctic ecosystems and promoting sustainable development in the region.
The "Arctic Dossier" was prepared by experts from the National Committee of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, established in 2023 on the basis of the Civic Chamber Commission on Environment and Sustainable Development. The Committee operates with the official support of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Russia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. This organisational format was proposed by the Russian offices of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev spoke at the National Centre RUSSIA during the presentation of the "Arctic Dossier", Russia’s national report under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. He emphasised that the country consistently adheres to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and advocates strengthening dialogue on the rational use of natural resources.
"Russia is the largest Arctic power. Therefore, the ecological recovery of the Arctic is one of our priorities. The Arctic is also a strategic space for the development and implementation of future projects, including those at the interstate level. This is due both to its considerable logistics potential and to its unique natural resources. In the Arctic zone, to protect ecosystems we have created specially protected natural areas of federal significance with a combined area of about 40 million hectares, which is the largest contribution among the Arctic states. This approach helps preserve the biodiversity of the Arctic, which includes about 20,000 species of living organisms. Among other things, it involves restoring populations of rare and endangered species of flora and fauna," Dmitry Patrushev said.
The Deputy Prime Minister reminded the audience that, by order of the President of Russia, a fund was established to support environmental and conservation projects. In 2025, 15 per cent of all projects awarded grants were aimed at the preservation and study of the natural environment in the Arctic zone, with the Arctic singled out as a separate area of the competition.
The Deputy Head of the Russian Government the important role of Russian business. Companies are implementing unique projects to preserve the region’s biodiversity, including projects of international scale. Dmitry Patrushev noted that further effective development of the region must be inseparably linked with care for the environment. Active work is underway in the Arctic zone to eliminate accumulated environmental damage — cleaning up landfill sites and restoring disturbed lands. In 2024 alone, reclamation covered more than 6,000 hectares of land — primarily in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area and the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).
As part of the national project "Environmental Well-Being", measures are planned in the region to create a modern waste management system, preserve forests, restore water bodies and reduce harmful atmospheric emissions. A total of 12 billion roubles is to be allocated for these purposes. To develop the state monitoring system of the environment in the Arctic zone, Roshydromet’s observation network is being modernised. In addition, the research and expedition fleet is being systematically renewed.
In conclusion, Dmitry Patrushev stressed that Russia will continue along the path of nature conservation across all its territories, including the Arctic.
Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Russia Alexander Kozlov also spoke at the event. He emphasised that the Russian sector of the Arctic covers about nine million square kilometres, nearly seven million of which are marine waters. In this regard, he described the study and preservation of these vast territories as a strategic task for the Ministry of Natural Resources.
"Our studies involve research on global climate change. And preservation means building a healthy ecology. The leading centre for polar research is the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute of Roshydromet. Over its 105 years of work, more than one thousand expeditions to the Arctic have been carried out," he stressed.
Alexander Kozlov reminded the audience that Russia operates four main research bases: the permanent station at Cape Baranov, the satellite monitoring centre on Spitsbergen, the hydrometeorological observatory in Tiksi, and the drifting ice-resistant platform "North Pole". The Minister highlighted that Russia is open to cooperation with scientists from around the world.
In addition to scientific research, Alexander Kozlov drew attention to environmental safety and the elimination of accumulated damage. He noted the introduction of modern technologies at enterprises, regulatory measures to prevent accidents, and the active work of volunteers and the military in cleaning up protected areas and sea bays. In recent years, hazardous facilities and unauthorised landfills have been removed, and sunken ships have been raised and disposed of. All this is part of the national project "Environmental Well-Being", which also provides for the development of tourism infrastructure in Arctic national parks.
According to him, Russia will continue to defend the country’s interests in international forums, preserving Arctic ecosystems and relying on both the scientific community and civic initiative.
Yelena Sharoykina, Chair of the National Committee of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and of the Civic Chamber Commission on Environment and Sustainable Development, also spoke at the presentation of the "Arctic Dossier".
"Today’s presentation is an excellent opportunity to sum up the first results of the large-scale work on protecting the fragile Arctic ecosystem carried out in Russia, and to discuss the next steps. It is symbolic that our meeting is taking place on the anniversary of the Arctic Council, which for almost three decades has ensured international cooperation in the Arctic region. Next year the Arctic Council will celebrate its 30th anniversary. We hope that our 'Arctic Dossier' will give an additional impetus to the development of this intergovernmental dialogue and cooperation," she noted.
