Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 August 2009
Large natural preserves, known as zapovedniki, represent the main territorial entities employed in biosphere preservation in the Soviet Union. In the past decade, a large expansion of the zapovedniki system has taken place, 35 new preserves totalling 4,477,000 ha having been created. In all, the system totalled (in 1976) 107 preserves covering about nine million hectares. The period since 1970 has also seen the creation of the U.S.S.R.'s first three national parks, one in each of the three Baltic republics.
Both zapovedniki and national parks in the Soviet Union are still in the process of having uniform administrative policies formulated for their management, which represents a difficult task in view of the fact that they have traditionally been managed by a wide variety of concerned agencies.
The zapovedniki network represents one of the great biosphere preservation systems of the world, and remaining problems associated with ecosystem management, tourism, economic uses, and administrative coordination, are being given thoughtful attention.