Strategic environmental assessment and environmental legislation for coastal zone of the Russian Federation

The development of human activities was associated with marine and ocean coastal zone in all the times. Territorial development of economy and trade has been based in the coastal zone since the ancient times. As early as then time, for example, a trade fleet had used harbors and approach channels, like strategic elements of trade, which had been situated in the coastal areas and adjacent waters. Nowadays, coastal zone is one of the most exploited and attractive investment areas in the world economy with a huge pressure on the environment. Authors made the comparative evaluation of common international methods of strategic environmental assessment, analysis of their applicability to the coastal zone of the Russian Federation, proposals for the improvement and adaptation of the described methods for the Russian conditions. In this paper was shown that Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) (that is zoning of marine space) tool is one of the ways to sustainable exploration the coastal zone. In this stream the comparison of basic Russian and Finnish laws, decrees and other normative acts on ecological and environmental protection as the neighboring and marine countries was made. The elaboration of common principles and approaches will lead to environmental conservation and sustainable environmental and ecological-friendly development of the coastal zone of the Russian Federation.