Presentation of the Red Data Book of Nature of
St. Petersburg

The presentation of the Red Data Book of Nature of St. Petersburg was held on November 2, 2004, in St. Petersburg. This Red Data Book was published under the auspices of the Finnish-Russian Development Programme on Sustainable Forest Management and Conservation of Biological Diversity in Northwest Russia (NWRDP) and the Program of Cooperation between the Ministry of the Environment of Finland and the Committee for Nature Use, Environmental Protection and Ecological Safety of St. Petersburg for 2002-2004.

Leading specialists from St. Petersburg State University, the Botanical and Zoological Institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Lake Science Institute, the Finnish Environment Institute and the Finnish Forestry Service took part in the preparation of the Red Data Book of Nature of St. Petersburg for publication.

The Red Data Book of Nature of St. Petersburg contains three sections:

1. Protected areas in St. Petersburg (existing and planned).
2. Animals.
3. Plants and fungi.


This 416-page publication contains a vast amount of scientific material and illustrations. In total, there are 982 illustrations and 311 articles in the book. Descriptions of rare animal and plant species are accompanied by maps of their distribution on the territory of St. Petersburg, sketches and photos.

The book has been published in Russian (with English translations of the forewords to the chapters), with a print-run of 2,000 copies.


The Red Data Book of Nature of St. Petersburg is devoted to the protection of biological diversity on the territory of a large city. At present, the main challenge is to develop appropriate measures for protection, control and reproduction of flora and fauna species within the city, and to attract attention to biodiversity conservation issues at all levels. In order to achieve this goal, it will be necessary to undertake a wide range of city-planning, administrative and educational measures. Attention should be focused on the conservation of natural biotopes which provide suitable habitats for animals and plants. For this reason, a priority task for the city of St. Petersburg is the setting up of new protected areas. Proposals from the city's Committee for Nature Use concerning the extension of the PA network have been included in the master plan for city development. This master plan envisages the preservation of St. Petersburg's natural heritage and the creation of a series of nature reserves, nature monuments, and nature theme parks. These activities will be an important milestone in the development and improvement of the city's PA network. In the future, the regional Red Data book should acquire an official status and data contained therein should be updated on a regular basis.


The presentation of The Red Data Book of Nature of St. Petersburg, which was held in the Museum Palace on the Yelagin Island, was attended by over 70 people, including the authors of the publication, representatives of the scientific community, committees of the City Government, higher educational establishments, the mass media, etc.

The Finnish side was represented by:

Tapio Lindholm, co-chair of the Finnish-Russian environmental working group, Finnish Environment Institute

Jaakko Henttonen, Environmental Consul of the Finnish Consulate General in St. Petersburg

The Red Data book was presented by its editor-in-chief, Professor G. A. Noskov from the Biology Research Institute of St. Petersburg State University. Speakers included:

Oleg Krupnov - Deputy Chair of the Committee for Nature Use, Environmental Protection and Ecological Safety of the Government of St. Petersburg

Alexander Alimov, Director of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Vasily Yarmishko - Director of the RAS Botanical Institute

Tapio Lindholm - expert of the Finnish Environment Institute

Tatyana Rymkevich - Biology Research Institute of St. Petersburg State University

Vladimir Khrabry - RAS Zoological Institute

Dmitri Geltman - Deputy Director of the RAS Botanical Institute