Mobilizing Benefit-Sharing Through Transportation Infrastructure: Informal Roads, Extractive Industries and Benefit-Sharing in the Irkutsk Oil and Gas Region, Russia

Abstract

Road infrastructure development is an existing, but not a frequent element of extractive industry benefit-sharing frameworks in remote northern regions. However, it is often at the center of extractive activity and inflicts major impact on environment and communities. This paper examines the benefits and impacts derived from development of informal roads, i.e., vehicular roadways beyond the current publicly-governed road networks constructed, maintained and/or used by various entities and individuals based on private, special purpose and/or informal practices and regulations. Based on several field studies, GIS analysis of road networks and examination of secondary sources, the article investigates the use of informal roads as a form of benefit-sharing and details their impact on mobilities, environment and livelihoods of local and indigenous communities in the Irkutsk Oil and Gas region, Russia. We argue that construction, maintenance and use of the industry-built roads can be a part of benefit-sharing agreements, albeit mostly semi-formal and negotiated. The gains and problems stemming from ‘trickle-down’ (i.e., unintended) effects of the road networks are the most significant. The community-relevant implications of informal roads go far beyond immediate impacts on surrounding environment, but deeply affect subsistence activities, mobility, food security, personal safety and even consumer preferences of the indigenous residents.

Combining community observations and remote sensing to examine the effects of roads on wildfires in the East Siberian boreal forest

“…The village of Tokma has seasonal transportation access by an official 100-kilometer long municipal winter road connecting the village with the federal winter road "Mirninskii". However, the region is experiencing a boom of extractive industrial development (oil and forestry) which significantly changed the landscapes by developing new infrastructure, including informal roads (Kuklina et al 2020). To cope with the lack of public infrastructure, each of the forest users developed a distinct system of roadways which co-exist in space and may overlap, although such overlappings are rare.…”

“…In the boreal forest, road networks are formed by a variety of road types, most prominently forestry roads and subsistence trails. In addition, linear clearings that accompany extractive industrial development can also serve as local roadways and as such become the major component of infrastructure (Kuklina et al 2020). Most roads in the forest are informal, i.e.…”

Study of Socio-Economic-Cultural Impacts and Community Health Due to Oil and Natural Gas Exploration Activities in the Tuban Oil and Gas Field

“…Figure 5. Public perception related to the benefits and the losses experienced due to oil and gas activities road constructions (Kuklina et al, 2020), are necessary. This can be achieved by researching differences before and after the establishment of an oil and gas company in the area observed.…”

Neglected Transportation Infrastructure

“…They may cover infrastructure, local procurement, employment and business opportunities, environmental and social impact mitigation, education and training, revenue sharing (such as royalty payments or equity shares), and community participation in planning (Wilson and Istomin 2019). In our case study, payment is on a voluntary basis and there are no formal impact and benefit agreements in place, as there are elsewhere in Russia (Kuklina et al 2020; or in Canada or Australia (Prno and Bradshaw 2010). Tysiachniouk et al (2018: 3) draw on a comparison to CSR in saying: benefit sharing incorporates social justice to overcome the discrepancy between those who provide resources and those who benefit Gertrude Saxinger, Natalia Krasnoshtanova, and Gertraud Illmeier from industrial exploitation of these resources.…”