Fresh groundwater, as an essential component of global water resources and a special type of mineral wealth, has a whole set of features that affect social infrastructure, the economy and the environmental well-being of the population. At the same time, groundwater is vulnerable and limited despite its replenishable nature and vast reserves. Recently, in some countries, the practice of extracting groundwater resources by private individuals on their territory has been actively spreading, but not in all states. This is considered acceptable and is enshrined in national regulations. Uncontrolled exploitation of aquifers by small water users can affect the safety of ecosystems and the depletion of drinking groundwater reserves. In this regard, the state policy and system for regulating access to groundwater resources for all subsoil users should be based on a well-thought-out concept. This article is devoted to the organizational, economic, and regulatory issues of groundwater extraction by individuals for their own needs in the Russian Federation. A comparative analysis of the state approach to groundwater extraction by private individuals in other states (mainly in the example of Germany and China) is made. The latest trends in legislation in this area are analyzed, shortcomings in the system of state regulation of groundwater use are identified, and mechanisms for legalizing the activities of individual water users are proposed. Global groundwater regulation should be based on rationality, control, safety, protection, sustainability, and future generations’ care.

Groundwater belongs to the category of strategic minerals, along with hydrocarbon resources, so the supply of drinking water will become one of the urgent problems of modern society. The management of groundwater resources and their protection is a very complicated task, especially in border areas where neighboring states jointly exploit aquifers. The problem of transboundary water resources management, in particular groundwater, has been considered at the international level for more than 30 years. However, despite the adoption of a number of conventions, agreements and programs, both at the global and in the format of interstate relations, an understanding for the approach of a universal solution to the transboundary water issue has not yet been formed. An attempt to study the possibilities of applying the principles of unitization on the example of transboundary oil and gas fields in comparison with groundwater cross-border deposits is made in the paper for the first time. As a successful example, the unitization agreement between Norway and the UK for the development of the Frigg field was chosen. It is established that unitization agreements concluded by states in the joint development of transboundary mineral deposits, actively used in regulating the activities of transboundary oil and gas fields, can be used as one of the possible models of international agreements on the extraction of groundwater in transboundary territories.

Decline of the international price of some minerals, such as coal, has changed the living standards of the Arctic population leading to its considerable out-migration because of the drop in profitability not only in mining, but also in related industries. Being essential for the sustainable economic development, the highly qualified specialists are currently a crucial issue in the Arctic. This research employs demographic and economic indicators to address the gap in the study of demographic challenges for the Arctic administrative-territorial entities. Special attention is paid to the comparative analysis of the population dynamic in the Russian and global Arctic regions. As part of this study, the impact of the demographic factor on the economic indicators of the region was assessed on the basis of GRP data calculation. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the major trends in the Arctic labour market. Based on the results of the assessment, an increase in GRP was determined with the simultaneous decrease in the Arctic population. The current demographic situation in the Arctic regions in the context of gender factors was reviewed. It should be noted that the article contains exceptions and the causes of the phenomena described. The results of the research may contribute to better understanding of regional variation and trends in socio-economic development of the Arctic as well as the stabilisation of the Arctic population.

Groundwater resources at all times have provided and continue to provide a significant impact on the economic, social, and often political activities of any state, especially if the reserves of this strategic resource are limited. Coordinated groundwater resources management is one of the main conditions for the sustainable development of countries’ transboundary basins, affecting all aspects of human activity, including water supply, agriculture, industry, hydropower, water transport, environment, and the very quality of human life. Modern international trends in the field of transboundary groundwater resources management is undergoing significant changes. This article dwells upon the features of groundwater as a mineral, the structure of state groundwater management in the Russian Federation, the regulation of transboundary groundwater use, and protection at the international and domestic levels are analyzed. The system of management of the transboundary aquifers of Kazakhstan and Belarus is considered in more detail. The unitization approach used for coordinated development of oil and gas fields can, to some extent, serve as a model for managing common groundwater aquifers located on the border of neighboring states. Dogmatic and comparative legal methods consisting of analyzing the applicable legal regulations on the use and protection of groundwater were used. Several recommendations for improving the system of state sustainable management of groundwater resources at the global level are proposed.

The intensive exploitation of water resources negatively affects the ecological situation in many international water objects. The problem of a shortage of drinking water is aggravating, water bodies are subject to pollution by domestic and industrial wastewater, and the water quality in the basins of international water courses continues to deteriorate. This situation primarily requires legal regulation. Until recently, despite a significant number of existing international treaties on the use of transboundary waters, there was no universal international legal act to systematize the basic principles and norms of behavior of the states in this area. The most important direction for improving public administration in the field of use and protection of transboundary groundwater bodies is the development and expansion of international cooperation and the legal consolidation of the rights and obligations of states through the adoption of legislative acts on various levels. Modern international policy in the field of transboundary groundwater resources management is undergoing significant changes. The very concept of a transboundary territory in relation to groundwater extraction was adopted both in Russia and in Europe in the early 2000s. However, the main criteria for the definition of a transboundary territory have not yet been formulated anywhere. This gives rise to the need to define a transboundary aquifer in international legislation, as well as to limit the size of this aquifer. This paper is devoted to the analysis of approaches to the definition of “transboundary aquifer”, emerging problems in this area, the legal framework, and conflicts in the field of transboundary regulation of groundwater. The zone of responsibility in groundwater extraction at the transboundary territory of neighboring states is defined.

DOI: 10.31897/PMI.2021.6.2 Groundwater, as a source of water supply, the most important mineral and geopolitical resource, , is often the only source of high-quality drinking water that is protected from pollution under conditions of increasing deterioration of surface water quality. Transboundary groundwaters are the focus of hydrogeological researchers for a number of...