Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Preserved Embassy Foundation
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Natalya Romanovna Danilina, President of the Nature Conservation Embassy Foundation and Director of the Nature Reserves Ecocenter, spoke at the general meeting of the Interregional Public Organization "Expert Council on Nature Conservation." The meeting, held at the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, focused on the Council's work for 2025, the state of nature conservation in Russia, and the challenges facing the professional expert community in territorial nature conservation.
Over the course of the year, the Expert Council worked on legal regulation of nature reserves, the conservation of biological and landscape diversity, the protection of protected areas, and the preparation of proposals on strategic issues related to the conservation and development of protected areas. Natalya Romanovna Danilina also played an active role in the organization's work: she has been a member of the Expert Council since its inception and is a member of the Council's Bureau.
"In the three years since our Expert Council's existence, it has grown into a powerful and far-reaching force. And I understand that many progressive things are being accomplished with its help, especially legal ones. A tremendous amount of work is being done, which simply inspires admiration and pride in our involvement," said Natalya Romanovna.
The General Meeting was addressed by Elena Sharoykina, Chair of the Commission on Ecology and Sustainable Development of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation; Viktor Danilov-Danilyan, Co-Chair of the Expert Council on Nature Reserves, Doctor of Economics, Professor, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Scientific Director of the Institute of Water Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Vsevolod Stepanitsky, Co-Chair of the Expert Council on Nature Reserves and Honored Ecologist of the Russian Federation; and other Council members.
Natalya Romanovna Danilina devoted her speech to proposals for expanding and developing the Expert Council's activities in the coming year. She drew her colleagues' attention to a crucial issue: insufficient continuity is being cultivated in modern Russian nature conservation, with young professionals entering the field without fully understanding its specifics or absorbing its values.
"A journalist recently objected to me in a conversation: young people are joining chemical manufacturing, the nuclear industry, and elsewhere, and it doesn't matter that they have no connection to the old guard. Why is this important in nature conservation? Because, I told him, and I want to repeat this answer now, nature conservation isn't a technocratic thing that can work well simply by writing down a plan or establishing strict rules. Empathy for conservation, an understanding of the importance of protected areas, and deep-seated values that are ingrained in a person's soul play a crucial role. We had this, and it was literally lost in recent decades. Perhaps because this continuity is lacking, we see an insufficient number of young employees, a high turnover rate, and management problems…," the expert emphasized.
According to Natalya Romanovna, this attitude toward nature isn't unique to Russia. The need for this empathy and deep engagement in conservation has been recognized in many countries around the world. And where this is true, the world's strongest protected area systems are established.
Natalya Romanovna Danilina recalled, in particular, her participation in the congress of young specialists of the Protected Area "Reserved People" in Kamchatka, which was held for the first time in March 2025.
"We've seen a lot of passionate conservationists there, people who are able and willing to work, and they enjoy it all, but most of them are also disconnected from their roots and haven't inherited the knowledge and values of previous generations of conservationists. Therefore, I believe that reviving this kind of continuity is crucial. This, I believe, could be one aspect of the mission of the Expert Council on Conservation. I propose that we actively pursue this next year," she said.
Furthermore, the President of the Nature Conservation Embassy Foundation drew attention to the declining resource base and the role of science in protected areas. She called for the creation of a working group within the Council that would lobby for the interests of nature conservation science and assist scientists working in protected areas.
"The tools that existed before, the powerful tools that existed in Soviet times—the Commission for Scientific Research of Nature Reserves at the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Methodological Commission for Science at Glavokhota—supported science in protected areas and helped it develop. But today, there are no comparable structures. I propose that the Expert Council for Nature Reserve Management try to strengthen this area somehow," Natalya Romanovna added.
During other presentations, meeting participants examined the most pressing current challenges in the field of nature conservation, including the growing pressure on protected areas through legislative changes, economic development, and management decisions that contradict their mission, and discussed the position of the professional expert community regarding these challenges.
The speakers emphasized that the Expert Council on Nature Reserves plans to continue responding to threats to protected areas of all levels and categories. The Council provides expert, methodological, and advisory support to government and public bodies advocating for the protection of natural heritage, biological, and landscape diversity, monitors and conducts expert assessments of draft regulations affecting nature reserves, and facilitates the legal and methodological support for monitoring and oversight activities in federal and regional protected areas.
Today, the Expert Council consists of 141 members, including 4 academicians and 11 corresponding members of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 27 professors, 42 doctors of science, 55 candidates of science, 20 honored ecologists of the Russian Federation, 3 honored scientists of the Russian Federation, 1 honored geographer of the Russian Federation, and 13 laureates of prestigious Russian and international prizes and awards in the field of environmental protection.
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