OREANDA-NEWS. Lomonosov Moscow State University hosted a conference of the International Geographic Union (IGU) “Geography, Culture and Society of Our Future Earth,” which was visited by over a thousand of participants from across the globe. Special attention was paid to the issues of Arctic studies and development, social and economic development of the region, as well as interdisciplinary research. The conference was organized by The Russian Geographical Society and the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Rosneft provided extensive support to the event. The Company presented to the participants of the conference a unique Atlas of Hydrometeorological and Ice Conditions of Russian Arctic Seas. This is a geographical publication that hardly has any Russian or international counterparts.

Over 90 countries are now IGU members. This Moscow conference is regarded as one of the largest events of the geographical world and coincides with the 170th anniversary of the Russian Geographical Society.

Rosneft and the Russian Geographical Society, RGS have a successful cooperation practice. In 2014, the company together with the RGS held a number of round tables pertaining to the Arctic’s scientific exploration. During the events, the parties discussed an interdisciplinary comprehensive program, the tailoring of which specialists from the country's largest oil company and scientists related to the RGS could be involved. Participants of the roundtable – leading Arctic researchers representing different areas of Arctic science approach – said that the program aimed at the scientific exploration of polar areas by Rosneft and the RGO would allow to incorporate the gained knowledge into a system as well as to ensure safe development of the shelf.

The company also provides charitable aid to the departments of the Russian Geographical Society, including the Siberian Tiger Center and the Komi Republican branch as part of the Integrated Pechora Expedition program. In 2015, the Marine Mammal Council and Russian Geographical Society released a report on the current status of marine mammals and polar bears in the Kara Sea, which is based on Rosneft’s expedition findings in the Arctic.

Rosneft conducts comprehensive research to explore the Arctic region. Between 2012 and 2015, the company arranged six major research expeditions, namely Kara-Leto (Kara-Summer) and Kara-Zima (Kara-Winter). The 2015 winter expedition was the largest one in the world in terms of scope of work over the past few decades.