A new Russian federal law, adopted in 2016, enabled any Russian citizen to request a hectare of land in its Far East Federal District (FEFD). The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), which comprises part the FEFD, actively sought to mitigate this perceived threat to its authority. It advocated for several amendments to the draft law, facilitated priority implementation of the law among its residents, used other laws protecting Indigenous rights to exempt a sizeable territory from allocation, and modified republican law to allot additional hectares solely to its residents. Faced with an unwelcomed federal law, Yakutia deployed legal tactics to assert some power over its territories. This study demonstrates that even in this increasingly autocratic, centralized state there is still space for regional agency in legal processes – a space that is actively utilized.

The Natural Resources & Environmental Studies Institute (NRESi) at UNBC hosts a weekly lecture series at the Prince George campus. Anyone from the university or wider community with interest in the topic area is welcome to attend. Presentations are also made available to remote participants through Livestream (Channel 1). Go to http://www.unbc.ca/nres-institute/colloquium-webcasts to view the presentation remotely.

Past NRESi colloquium presentations and special lectures can be viewed on our video archive, available here.