Oil Extraction and Benefit Sharing in an Illiberal Context:The Nenets and Komi-Izhemtsi Indigenous Peoples in the Russian Arctic

How can indigenous communities in illiberal regimes benefit from oil production? This paper compares the experience of two indigenous peoples in the Russian Arctic, the Nenets and the Komi-Izhemtsi, in their quest for environmental protection and the development of benefitsharing arrangements with L...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Society & Natural Resources
Main Authors: Tysiachniouk, Maria, Henry, Laura A., Lamers, Machiel, Tatenhove, Jan P.M van
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2018
Subjects:
Benefit sharing
Russia
corporate social responsibility
illiberalism
indigenous peoples
non-governmental organizations
oil company
Arctic
Arctic Council
nenets
Online Access:https://vbn.aau.dk/da/publications/9408e881-b244-4135-a439-c79586b16fcb
https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2017.1403666
https://vbn.aau.dk/ws/files/272421653/Tysiachniouk_et_al_2018_Society_Natural_Resources_1_.pdf
http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85043522683&partnerID=8YFLogxK
Description
Summary:How can indigenous communities in illiberal regimes benefit from oil production? This paper compares the experience of two indigenous peoples in the Russian Arctic, the Nenets and the Komi-Izhemtsi, in their quest for environmental protection and the development of benefitsharing arrangements with Lukoil, a Russian oil company. The Nenets people, recognized by the Russian state as indigenous, are marginalized political actors who identified a route to receiving compensation for loss of land and damage to the environment as well as economic benefits under the auspices of Russian law and Lukoil’s corporate policies. In contrast, the Komi-Izhemtsi, despite indigenous status in global institutions including the United Nations and the Arctic Council, are unrecognized as indigenous domestically and initially received no compensation. Their path to benefit sharing was more challenging as they partnered with local nongovernmental organizations and global environmentalists to pressure Lukoil to sign a benefit-sharing agreement. Ultimately, the comparison illustrates how transnational partnerships can empower indigenous people to gain benefits from natural resource exploitation even in illiberal political systems.

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