An experience of ethnological expertise in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia)

The article presents the results of the research conducted at the request of industrial companies developing mineral resources in the deposits of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia). Such research provides materials for submission of company’s documents for obtaining the State commission judgement on ethnological expertise. The experience of assessing the impact of industrial resource development on the ethnological environment obtained in the course of research is a scientific result for the formulation of state industrial policy. The article is aimed at discussing the problems of applying the methodology for calculating the damage to the ethnological environment, developed and approved by the order of the ministry of regional development of the Russian Federation dated December 9, 2009 no. 565. It is revealed that the methodology is excessively focused on the quantitative aspects of damage, leaving aside the issues of public health and quality of life, as well as it is poorly equipped with normative support of indicators taken as the main elements of the calculation model. It is proposed to make significant improvements to the mechanism of determining the damage to the ethnological environment, including the development of the standards to be used in calculations in order to reduce the factor of uncertainty and free interpretation of quantitative indicators, which significantly affects the final amount of compensation.