Elena Koroleva
Department of Geography, Moscow State University
Moscow 119899 Vorobyovy Gory
RUSSIA
TEL: (095)939-41-17
FAX: (095)932-88-36
In the Russian Federation in 1993 more than 500 nongovernmental ecological organizations were engaged in activity which concerned environmental preservation at the local, regional, inter-regional and international levels. The activity of ecological organizations touches on problems associated with defending wildlife in general and specific elements of nature, ecological impact statements, monitoring of environmental laws, preparation of ecological personnel and environmental information.
The ecological movement covering practically the entire country in 1989, developed in different ways in different regions. The great scope and strength of the environmental movement was attained in areas that are especially unsafe ecologically in the industrialized oblasts of Russia: the Volga basin, the Urals, Lake Baikal, the Aral Sea and the Aral Sea region.
The green movement in Russia is a new factor on the social-political scene. Organizations of a certain type arose in 1988 first in Estonia and Lithuania, and then in several other former Soviet republics. This massive alternative movement has a significant influence in these regions, so far as considering that the indissoluble geographic, historical, cultural and ecological connections, are aspects of national rebirth. The range of interests of greens are unusually broad from preservation of nature to the restoration of cultural values. Another characteristic is equality in movement activities through a lack of formal membership, dues and hierarchical leadership.
The activities of ecological organization have shown strong influence on other social structures, including the women's movement. In 1990, a significant number of women were included in the movement for environmental protection and became an integral part of it.
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