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HISTORY OF RUSSIAN ZAPOVEDNIKS

Felix Shtilmark's book History of Russian Zapovedniks 1895-1995 represents a departure for RNP - its first academic translation. It is the standard history of the Russian and Soviet zapovednik system - zapovedniks being strict nature reserves, a form of protected area of immense importance for global ecological monitoring. Only the Russians (and formerly Soviets) have developed a comprehensive system of such reserves, and they have more than a century's experience in doing so. Shtilmark's study is a comprehensive history of the subject, supported by his involvement in the system over many years and his own extensive archive collection. The text is readable by anyone with a general interest in the subject, and the author's technical notes and the translator's notes are found at the back. There are also appendices (lists of actual and planned zapovedniks), the original reference list (in Russian), and an index. Illustrations include maps, portraits of the main characters mentioned, diagrams of vegetation zones, and drawings of typical habitats preserved in the reserves. To see some scanned pages of the book, click on Google, go to Advanced Book Search, and enter 'russian nature press' under 'Publisher'.

Contents Zapovednost & literature review 1. 1895-1917 Zapovedniks in the Russian Empire 2. 1918-25 The Lenin period 3. 1926-33 Compromise or capitulation? 4. 1934-40 Zapovedny management takes off 5. 1941-45 The war years 6. 1946-51 'With particular ends in view' 7. 1952-60 Zapovedny game farms 8. 1961-69 Ministries compete 9. 1970-76 Time of searching and hope 10. 1977-85 'The child has grown out of its clothes' 11. 1986-91 Quantity and quality 12. 1992-95 Zapovedniks at a new threshold 13. In retrospect 14. Like a phoenix from the ashes Appendices References Notes Index

RECENT INFORMATION:

(1) Nikolay Maleshin reports in Russian Conservation News no.32 (Spring 2003), p.31 that Vitaliy Artyukov, Minister of Natural Resources, created a new Department of Protected Areas & Biodiversity Conservation in December 2002. Vsevolod Stepanitskiy, who worked 1991-2001 as Director of the Dept of Protected Areas Management, was appointed Deputy Director of the new department in February 2003, after two years with WWF Russia Programme Office.

(2) In the same article, Maleshin mentions that there are currently 100 zapovedniks and 35 national parks in Russia. Four more zapovedniks (Ingermanlandskiy, Kologrivskiy Forest, Sailyugemskiy and Yuzhnotayezhnyy Pikhtovyy: see zapovedniks page) and eight more national parks are planned for 2003-06.

(3) Sad news: Feliks Robertovich died in a Moscow hospital on 31 January 2005, following a heart operation.