D.Pant presentation during the Distant Light Forum 'What Russia Can Give to the World', 27 Nov 2009 Презентация Д.Панта "Россия в следующих десятилетиях" на Форуме Дальний Свет "Что Россия может дать миру" 27 ноября 2009 г.

1. RUSSIA, in the Next Decades Global Leadership in the Sustainable Development in the Extreme Lands Prof. Dipak R. Pant ( [email_address] ) Head, Interdisciplinary Unit for Sustainable Economy Università Carlo Cattaneo ( www.liuc.it ) Corso Matteotti 22 - 21053 Castellanza (VA) - I T A L Y Tel.: +39 0331 572 277 (direct), 572 315 (research staff), 572 275 (secretary) Interdisciplinary Unit for Sustainable Economy UNIVERSITA’ CARLO CATTANEO (WWW.LIUC.IT) Prof. D.R. Pant

2. Russia and the Eurasian Mega-continent Interdisciplinary Unit for Sustainable Economy UNIVERSITA’ CARLO CATTANEO (WWW.LIUC.IT) Prof. D.R. Pant

3. Heart-land (the ‘extreme lands’) Hinterland (the peri-urban and rural interior) Rim-land (the urbo-industrial mainstream) New Geo-economics Interdisciplinary Unit for Sustainable Economy UNIVERSITA’ CARLO CATTANEO (WWW.LIUC.IT) Prof. D.R. Pant

4. The ‘extreme lands’ surveyed Prof. D. R. Pant Tropical Andes (Venezuela), 2007 Xizang (Tibet)-Qinghai high plateau (China), 1998 Buryatia (Russia) 2008 Central Andes (Perù, Bolivia) 2005 Western Alps (Italy) 1995-2007 Southern Caucasus (Armenia) 1999-2005 Himalayas (Nepal, India) 1988-1990, 2002-2004 South Pacific Coastal desert (Peru, Chile) 1996-1997 Sertao (Savannah) of Piaui, Brazil, 2006 Umatilla Indian Reservation, Blue Mountain, north-western slopes of the Rocky (Oregon, USA) 2006 Steppes and desert of Mongolia and China and Mongolia 2006-2008 Lapland (Northern Scandinavia) 1999-2000 Desert of Xingjiang (China) 1998 Interdisciplinary Unit for Sustainable Economy UNIVERSITA’ CARLO CATTANEO (WWW.LIUC.IT) Prof. D.R. Pant

6. Strategic relevance of the ‘extreme lands’ Prof. D. R. Pant The communities inhabiting the extreme lands are vulnerable and, if not properly supported, they tend to leave (particularly the younger generations). There are serious concerns as in some cases no one may be left to protect the valuable traditional know-how, native inventory of the local biodiversity and local cultural resources. Peace and prosperity in these areas are strategically important for security and stable inter-state relations because these areas usually fall outside the national socio-cultural and political mainstreams, are mostly populated by ethnic minorities, and are often located in the borderlands shared (or claimed) by many different states. Interdisciplinary Unit for Sustainable Economy UNIVERSITA’ CARLO CATTANEO (WWW.LIUC.IT) Prof. D.R. Pant

10. Unità di Studi Interdisciplinari per l’Economia Sostenibile (Interdisciplinary Unit for Sustainable Economy) Università Carlo Cattaneo ( www.liuc.it ) Corso Matteotti – 22, 21053 Castellanza (VA), I T A L Y Tel.: +39 0331 572 277 (direct), 572 315 (research staff), 572 275 (secretary) Fax: +39 0331 572 382 Thank you for your kind attention Interdisciplinary Unit for Sustainable Economy CARLO CATTANEO UNIVERSITY (WWW.LIUC.IT) Prof. Dipak R. Pant