Russian Arctic National Park’s regime may be extended to Franz Josef Land

MOSCOW, August 23. /TASS/. The Russian Arctic National Park’s regime may be extended to the Franz Josef Land archipelago, which joined the national park in 2016, reads a draft order of Russia’s Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology, published on the federal portal of draft legal acts.
The Russian Arctic National Park was established on June 15, 2009. In 2016, the Franz Josef Land archipelago (lands in the Arkhangelsk Region’s Primorsky District) joined the national park.
According to the draft order, the national park unites two clusters. The northern cluster of more than 7.35 million hectares is the Franz Josef Land archipelago with an adjacent water area. The southern cluster includes the park’s initial territory – the northern part of the Severny Island of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago with adjacent islands. Its area is more than 1.4 million hectares.
The draft document states as prohibited any activities in the national park that may damage the natural complexes and flora and fauna, cultural and historical sites, and that contradict with the national park’s goals and objectives, including mining and road or pipeline construction.
The national park is divided into five zones: protected, specially protected, recreational, cultural and economic. The document specifies regimes and restrictions, as well as permitted activities for every zone.