Types of Spatial Transformation of Natural Resources Utilization and Their Socioecological Consequences : A Field Study on the Regions of Eastern Russia
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概要
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Despite of significant population decline since the early 1990s, East Siberia and Far East of Russia remain to be rich in tremendous amounts of precious natural resources. Based on many field research trips to these two eastern regions in the period of 2001-2007, this paper is to investigate socioecological problems of such rich, but sparsely populated regions. I delineate the following six types of spatial transformation of natural resources utilization at micro and meso levels during the post-Soviet period: (1) total disappearance of production units as components of territorial and organizational structure of natural resources utilization, (2) downsizing of production units, (3) emergence of new production units, (4) pulling of production units to more plentiful natural resources, (5) enlarging of production units and increasing the number of production units, (6) insignificant changes compared with the Soviet period. I then point out the social and ecological consequences of each type of transformation of natural resources utilization. In general, the socioecological consequences of natural resources utilization in these regions portray the situation in the whole of Russia. Nonetheless, such types of transformation as total disappearance of production units and downsizing of production units have more profound and longer-term effects in the studied regions compared with the western regions of Russia. This is mainly due to harsher climatic conditions of these regions, their remoteness from Moscow, and their socioeconomically peripheral position. Many socioecological problems associated with the closedown of resource enterprises in the 1990s remain unsettled and call for a joint decision of federal, regional and local authorities as well as of international environmental foundations. To conclude the paper, we assert that new mechanisms have to be elaborated and implemented to mitigate socioecological consequences dangers and to promote well-being of local people.
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