Nature Protection and Nature Reserves in Imperial, Soviet and Post-Soviet Russia

The chapter starts by reviewing three motives for protecting nature: conservation of scarce natural resources; preservation of sites deemed to be of aesthetic value; and for purposes of scientific research. Each of these motives played a part in the development of a network of nature reserves in Imperial, Soviet and Post-Soviet Russia, but it was the last, scientific research, that was the most important. The second part of the chapter considers the history of three nature reserves in Russia that have been visited by the author in recent years.