International environmental organizations in Russia. International public organizations for nature protection Main environmental organizations

The number of environmental organizations both in Russia and around the world is constantly growing due to the emergence of new environmentally oriented movements. Some of them are specifically designed to protect environment, the latter perform separate protection functions.

The need for the existence of environmental organizations

Socio-ecological academy

This all-Russian organization engages in research and development in the field of ecology, promotes the formation of socio-economic policy, participates in the development of environmental education. It also supports the most significant and promising research in the field of ecology. Promotes the preservation and revival of national cultural values.

A significant contribution to the solution of environmental problems is made by international environmental organizations in Russia. All the principal organs and specialized agencies of the United Nations are involved in environmental activities. United Nations Environment Program - UNEP. UNESCO's main subsidiary body, in existence since 1972, promotes the maintenance of peace and international security. Deals with issues of interstate cooperation in the fields of education, science, culture. FAO deals with issues related to food resources, development Agriculture to improve the living conditions of the people.

WHO

World Organization Healthcare was established in 1946. Its main goal is to take care of people's health, which, of course, is connected with protection and is engaged in the study of the Earth's ozone layer, the assessment of the transfer of pollutants. In addition, environmental activities are carried out by the following environmental organizations not under the auspices of the UN: the European Economic Community, the European Council, Helcom, Euratom and others.

An international organization established in 1962. The work of the fund is aimed at stopping the destruction of the environment, attracting finance to protect nature and save some species of animals from the complete extinction and extinction of plants.

Many environmental organizations, including the independent international organization Greenpeace, are engaged in the protection of nature and peace on the planet. Greenpeace's main goal is to find a way out of international environmental troubles, drawing the attention of both society and the authorities to this. This organization exists solely on donations from supporters, does not accept any financial assistance from either state structures or from the municipality, political parties and business representatives.

Challenges for Environmental Organizations in Russia

The work of environmental organizations in Russia is hampered by such factors as distrust of the authorities, accusations of organizations of espionage, limited and difficult access to information.

The work of environmental organizations in Russia is necessary, but not all enterprise managers share this opinion. The environmental management system was created to find the balance between economy and ecology, which is so necessary. Its essence is in a clear organizational structure, the purpose of which is to achieve the position indicated in the environmental policy through programs for the protection of the living environment that comply with the international standards ISO 14 000. Enterprises that apply an environmental management system have a number of advantages. This is a favorable image of the company due to the greening of production, membership in environmental unions, attracting investors. This is what the work of environmental organizations is designed for.

A significant disadvantage is a narrow understanding of the essence of environmental management on the part of the top management of commercial enterprises. As a rule, Russian enterprises pay insufficient attention to environmental activities, which is highly disapproved of by environmental organizations in Russia. This is explained by excessive costs for environmental protection measures. Russian companies it is worth gradually introducing an environmental management system into production because of its necessity, usefulness, importance and profitability. The state is able to help and contribute to these processes by introducing unified system accreditation, and the work of environmental organizations in Russia will be more efficient.

1. All-Russian Society for the Protection of Nature (VOOP)

Back in early 1924, employees of the nature protection department of the People's Commissariat of Education of the RSFSR set about creating an environmental community, but not as a government structure, but as a voluntary Society for the Protection of Nature. The first years of the Society was mainly engaged in the promotion of respect for nature; members of the organization gave lectures, created exhibitions and conducted eco-excursions for Soviet citizens.

The main concern of the Society in post-war years gardening of Soviet cities and the protection of water bodies, including such world-famous ones as lakes Baikal and Seliger, began. Yes, at the beginning of August regional office The Irkutsk region invited the townspeople to get together and spend several hours cleaning the shores of the most beautiful reservoir in the world from debris. By the way, today VOOP has its offices in every region of the country.

2. World Foundation wildlife(WWF or World Wildlife Fund)

The world's largest non-profit environmental organization, which has gathered under its banner more than five million supporters. WWF was founded by British biologist and businessman Julian Huxley shortly after he visited East Africa while serving as Director General of UNESCO. Huxley was amazed at the speed with which the local flora and fauna were being destroyed in this region, and immediately began to "sound the alarm" by publishing disturbing articles. His call was heard, and on September 11, 1961, the WWF charity organization was officially registered, headquartered in Switzerland.

Over the decades of its existence, representatives of the World Fund have managed to implement many projects. So, in the year 200, within the framework of the Altai-Sayan project, they fought for the preservation of the unique diversity of plants and animals in Southern Siberia, and in 2002 they launched the Save the Leopard! campaign, aimed at protecting one of the rarest predators on earth - the Far Eastern leopard. By the way, a rare animal listed in the International Red Book, the giant panda, has also become a symbol of WWF.

3. Greenpeace

The reason for the creation of this organization was nuclear tests, which America so often "sinned" in the sixties and seventies. The first unofficial action of the still formally non-existent society took place on October 16, 1970 in Vancouver as a protest against nuclear tests of increasingly powerful bombs. And already on September 15, 1971, environmental activists sent a ship to Alaska in order to stop dangerous tests in an earthquake-prone region. By the way, initially this ship was called "Phyllis Cormac" and only then was renamed "Greenpeace".

One of the most popular methods of fighting "Greenpissians" is actions and protests. So, at one time, the “greens” opposed commercial whaling, drew attention to the destruction of the planet’s ozone layer, and launched a campaign against genetically modified foods. But the image of the organization last years seriously spoiled by all sorts of scandals and provocations on the part of "green" activists. Suffice it to recall, for example, the incident with the Brent Spar oil platform, when several activists made their way onto it and chained themselves. Thus, they protested against the flooding of the platform, which, as it turned out after, was the most environmentally friendly way to get rid of the structure that had served its purpose.

4. International Green Cross

Another environmental organization founded in our country. Its creation was announced by Mikhail Gorbachev in June 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Although he voiced this idea a few years before that moment, in 1990: then the head of the USSR, within the framework of the Global Forum on Environment and Development, brought up for discussion the idea of ​​founding an analogue of the International Red Cross, which would solve not medical, but global ecological problems beyond the competence of individual countries. In 1993, the Soviet organization merged with the Swiss "World of the Green Cross", and in 1993 formed the International Green Cross known to us today.

Branches of the Green Cross can be found in thirty countries of the world, and the programs of the organization are aimed not only at saving certain types animals. Thus, the domestic Green Cross is implementing the programs "Heritage", aimed at the safe destruction of chemical weapons accumulated in the country, and "Renewable Energy", engaged in the search and development of alternative energy sources.

5 BirdLife International

In 1922, British ornithologists founded an organization that specialized in the protection of birds and the protection of their habitats. More than seventy years have passed, the society received its current name and turned into an international organization, which today has one hundred and twenty-one representative offices in different countries peace. By the way, prerequisite when joining a new state to the "protectors of birds" is the observance of the principle "one country - one representation".

In Russia, the Union for the Protection of Birds of Russia or SOPR is responsible for the safety of birds, which not only takes care of the welfare of wild birds living in the country, but also organizes various specialized competitions, for example, Bird of the Year or Nightingale Evening in Moscow. And the international organization itself launched a major project in 2007, the main goal of which was to save endangered bird species. By the way, today BirdLife International is headed by a member of the Japanese imperial family, Princess Takamado.

Greenpeace

WILDLIFE FUND (WWF)

International Social and Ecological Union (ISEU)

International environmental organization "Bellona"

International Association "Green Cross"

International Union for Conservation of Nature and natural resources(IUCN)

All-Russian Society for the Conservation of Nature (VOOP)

Center for Environmental Policy of Russia (CEPR)

Russian environmental movement "The Greens"

V.I.Vernadsky Non-Governmental Ecological Foundation

Russian Regional Environmental Center (RREC)

All-Russian public organization "Green Patrol"

Russian Green Cross

Nature Conservation Movement (DOP)

Ecological organizations of the world

Greenpeace

Greenpeace is an international public environmental organization founded in Vancouver, Canada on September 15, 1971 by David McTaggart.

The main goal of the organization is to achieve a solution to global environmental problems, drawing the attention of the public and authorities to them.

Greenpeace exists only at the expense of donations from supporters and fundamentally does not accept financial assistance from government agencies, political parties or businesses.

Greenpeace is against violence in any of its manifestations, all actions do not accept any form of violence as a method of achieving goals.

Official site in Russia: http://www.greenpeace.org/russia/ru

Wildlife Fund (WWF)

The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international public independent organization working in the areas of conservation, research and restoration of the environment.

The organization has more than 5 million supporters worldwide, operates WWF in more than 90 countries and supports about 1,300 environmental projects worldwide.

The mission of the World Wildlife Fund is to prevent the growing degradation of the planet's natural environment and achieve harmony between man and nature. The main goal is to preserve the biological diversity of the Earth.

Official site in Russia: http://www.wwf.ru/?referer=wwforg

International Social and Ecological Union (ISEU)

The International Socio-Ecological Union is an international environmental organization founded in December 1988.

On this moment MSEU is more than 10 thousand people from 17 countries.

The main idea behind the creation of MSEU is to bring together under one roof people who care about what will happen to the Earth, its nature and culture, its people, our children and grandchildren.

All-Russian Society for the Conservation of Nature (VOOP)

The All-Russian Society for the Protection of Nature (VOOP) was founded in 1924 as a voluntary Society for the Protection of Nature.

Today, VOOP is an all-Russian, public, cultural and educational environmental organization.

Preservation of the environment, maintaining the diversity of flora and fauna.

Preservation and strengthening of public health.

The main activities of the Company:

Rendering assistance to public authorities and administration in ensuring sustainable environmentally safe development of the country.

Environmental education, education and upbringing of the population.

Scientific, technical and practical environmental activities. Consulting activity of subjects of nature management.

Conducting environmental monitoring of territories on their own and by accredited companies.

Implementation of modern high-precision technologies in order to implement effective state environmental control

Center for Environmental Policy of Russia (CEPR)

The Center for Environmental Policy of Russia was established in 1993 as a professional public environmental organization for expert support of the environmental movement and development of recommendations for the legislative and executive authorities.

Organization website: www.ecopolicy.ru

Russian environmental movement "The Greens"

In 1994, on the basis of the environmental movement "Kedr", the Russian Ecological Party "Green" was created, in 2009 the activity of the Political Party was terminated, and the organization itself was reorganized into the All-Russian Public Movement "Russian Ecological Movement "Green".

The goal of the environmental movement "The Greens" is to change the attitude of the state and society to the environmental problems of Russia and humanity as a whole by organized and strong-willed political actions.

Russian Regional Environmental Center (RREC)

The Russian Regional Environmental Center was established in 2000 by the European Commission and the Academy public service under the President Russian Federation.

The RREC is part of the network of regional environmental centers operating in Eastern Europe, in the Caucasus and Central Asia to support cooperation between government structures, the business community and civil society in the field of environmental protection.

The mission of the center is to promote and implement advanced ideas, standards and methods for the environmental well-being and sustainable development of Russia through the organization of an information dialogue and the implementation of practical activities.

The supreme governing body of the Russian Center is the Board of Founders, the collegiate governing body is the Board of Governors, and an advisory body is formed - the Advisory Board.

The eight members of the Board of Governors represent various sectors of the society: government organizations of the Russian Federation, foreign organizations, Russian public organizations, business structures and scientific communities.

Russian Green Cross

To the beginning of the document

International organizations make it possible to unite the environmental activities of interested states, regardless of their political positions, highlighting environmental problems from the totality of all international problems. Russia actively participates in the work of many international environmental organizations.

Intergovernmental environmental organizations

The United Nations makes a great contribution to solving environmental problems. All its main bodies and specialized institutions participate in nature protection activities.

United Nations specialized agencies in the field of environmental protection:

• UNEP(from English UNEP - United Nations Environmental Program - The UN Environment Program) has been carried out since 1972 and is the main subsidiary body of the UN. Through the Economic and Social Council, UNEP reports annually on its activities General Assembly UN.
• UNESCO(from English UNESCO - United Nations Educational , Scientific and Cultural Organization - the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) has existed since 1946 to promote peace and international security, cooperation between states in the field of education, science and culture. The most famous direction in activity is the scientific program "Man and the Biosphere" (MAE), adopted in 1970.

• FAO(from English FAO - Food and Agricultural Organization UN - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), founded in 1945, deals with issues of food resources and agricultural development in order to improve the living conditions of the peoples of the world.
• WHO(World Health Organization) , established in 1946, has the main goal of caring for people's health, which is directly related to environmental protection.
• WMO(World Meteorological Organization) - established as specialized agency UN in 1951, whose environmental functions are primarily related to global environmental monitoring, including:
  • assessment of transboundary transfer of pollutants;
  • study of the impact on the Earth's ozone layer.

• ILO(The International Labour Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations. Created in 1919 under the League of Nations with the aim of creating safe conditions labor and reduce pollution of the biosphere, which often occurs due to neglect of the production environment.
• IAEA(International Atomic Energy Agency) was established in 1957. It operates under an agreement with the UN, but is not its specialized agency.

International regional organizations non-UN environmental protection organizations: Euratom, European Council, European Economic Community, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Asian-African Legal Advisory Committee, Helsinki Committee for Conservation Baltic Sea(Helcom), etc.

Non-Governmental International Organizations

At the end of the 1990s, there were several hundred (according to various sources, 200-500) non-governmental international organizations who have included environmental protection measures in their activities, as well as showing interest in environmental problems.

• International Union for Conservation of Nature- IUCN (from the English IUCN International Union for the Conservation of Nature) - established in 1948 in Fontainebleau (France). The work of IUCN contributes to the implementation of the Washington Convention on international trade wild species of fauna and flora (CITES). IUCN is the initiator of the Red Data Books.
• WWF(from the English WWF - World Wide Fund for Nature) is the largest private international environmental organization, established in 1961, unites 27 national branches around the world (the Russian representative office was opened in 1994), as well as about 5 million individual members. The Fund's activity consists mainly in providing financial support to environmental protection measures; more than $12 million has already been invested in Russia's environmental projects.
• International legal organization(MOJO), established in 1968, pays great attention to the development of legal issues of environmental protection.
• Roman club(RK) is an international non-governmental organization that has made a significant contribution to the study of the prospects for the development of the biosphere and the promotion of the idea of ​​the need to harmonize relations between Man and Nature. The main form of its activity is the organization of large-scale research on a wide range of issues, mainly in the socio-economic field.

Membership in the Club of Rome is limited (100 people). These are people who do not hold official government posts and do not represent the interests of any country.

The Club of Rome initiated work on the study of problems called "Global Problems". To answer this question, a series of "Reports to the Club of Rome" under the general title "Difficulties of Humanity" was commissioned by a number of prominent scientists of that time. The results of forecasting the prospects for the development of the world using computer models were published and discussed throughout the world.

The first in 1972 was the report of the D. Meadows group "The Limits to Growth".

Between 1973 and 1980 (the heyday of the activity and international influence of the Club of Rome) several more reports were prepared, including J. Tinbergen (1977), E. Laszlo (1977). In 1978-1980. the problems of waste processing, energy use, organization of society, achievement of abundance and well-being were discussed. An important role was played by the report of Botkin with co-authors "There are no limits to learning" (1980).

In 1994, E. Weizsacker and co-authors prepared a detailed report "Factor Four", which outlined the main ways to solve energy conservation problems. Research is currently ongoing by the Club of Rome state of the art a world in which fundamental changes have taken place, especially in geopolitics, while the ecological situation on the planet continues to deteriorate.

Our outstanding compatriots have participated and continue to participate in the work of the Club of Rome. At various times, full members of the club were academicians D.M. Gvishiani, E.K. Fedorov, V.E. Primakov, A.A. Logunov, Ch. Aitmatov, honorary members - M.S. Gorbachev and B.E. Paton.

International Environmental Court(MES) was established on the initiative of lawyers at a conference in Mexico City in November 1994. In the practical environmental activities of the world community, disputes arise that require appropriate competent resolution. The panel of judges includes 29 environmental lawyers from 24 countries, including a representative from Russia.

Disputes in the International Environmental Court are considered on the principles of arbitration. The parties themselves decide to apply to the court and choose three or more judges from among its composition to consider the case, which is conducted on the basis of the international law of the OS, the national legislation of the parties and precedents.

By the early 1980s, more than a dozen large-scale models of the development of the world had been created. The most famous models are J. Forrester, D. Meadows with co-authors, Mesarovic-Pestel, Global 2000, Latin American, British, Japanese and world (UN).

GREENPEACE(Greenpeace - "Green World") - an independent international public organization that aims to prevent environmental degradation, was established in Canada in 1971. It has about 1.5 million members, 1/3 of which are Americans. Greenpeace has the status of a full member or an official observer in a number of international conventions for the protection of the environment; has branches in 32 countries of the world, including in Russia, its official representative office has been operating since 1992.

Most international non-governmental organizations deal with the protection of individual natural objects or types of natural resources. These include International Council for the Protection of Birds, the International Federation for the Conservation of the Alpine Regions, the European Federation for the Conservation of the Waters, etc.