U.S.- U.S.S.R. Cooperation in Arctic Biological and Environmental Research

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The US-USSR Agreement on Cooperation in the Field Environmental Protection has had several sustained Arctic activities since its beginning in 1972. Area V deals with Biosphere Reserves and specific projects on northern wildlife, marine resources, and plants. Five projects under Area X, Arctic and Subarctic Ecosystems, were formally agreed to at the January 1990 US-USSR Joint Committee meeting in Washington D.C. These include protection of the environment under oil and gas development, regional planning, ecological and cultural monitoring, cryospheric processes, and joint activities adjacent to the Bering Sea. This Interagency Agreement will facilitate exchange of personnel during 1990 under Areas V and X of the Agreement. These activities deal with Alaska, the Soviet Far East and Siberia. A Soviet group will visit Alaska in June to exchange information on environmental and operational practices associated with gas and oil developments. And several small teams of scientists will participate in field investigations including visits in the Noatak Biosphere Reserve, Alaska, and Taimyr Peninsula, Siberia. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be responsible for the technical administration of the joint activities. The Arctic Staff of the Division of Polar Programs co-chairs Area X with the U.S. Geological Survey. Soviet groups include several Institutes of the Academy of Science, Gas Ministry, and the State Committee for Nature Protection. The U.S. interagency cooperation fulfills U.S. Arctic Research Policy developed under the Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984, to pursue mutually beneficial international activities. It also fulfills a growing concern to protect the Arctic environment.