The Arctic – The ‘Weather Kitchen’. Key Quotes

The study by World Wildlife Fund deals with the availability and completeness of data about forests in the regions of Russia. The openness of such data is seen as an important tool for informing the society about the state of the forests and the activities of the forest management authorities. The study aims to increase the level of openness of the forest data and involve the public in forest management.ф

The report was prepared as a result of the event «Russian-Canadian Cooperation in the Field of Sustainable Development in the Arctic Region» as part of the ThinkArctic Project, organized by the Roscongress Foundation, the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies, and the Analytical Center for the Government of the Russian Federation.

The stress on the earth’s natural systems caused by human activity has considerably worsened in the 25 years since the 1992 Rio Earth Summit in Brazil. As a result of the "great acceleration"1 in human economic activity since the mid-20th century, research from many earth system scientists’ suggests that life on land could be entering a period of unprecedented environmental systems change.

The Strategy for the Development of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation and National Security up to 2020 defines the basic mechanisms, ways and means to achieve the strategic goals and priorities for the sustainable development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation and the national security.