What opportunities do those who want to implement an environmental project in Russia have today? Where can one find support for research, educational initiatives, or volunteer programs? The answers to these questions were presented at the “Big Projects for a Big Country” section of the All-Russian Conference on Environmental Education organized by the Vernadsky Foundation. Representatives of leading foundations, social movements, and educational platforms spoke about specific tools to support environmental initiatives, from grant competitions to expedition programs.
Yana Fedosova, Director of the Youth Department of the Russian Geographical Society (RGS), opened the discussion. She recalled that the Russian Geographical Society, which was at the origin of the creation of Russia’s first nature reserve, continued to develop the tradition of involving young people in environmental activities. The key project for volunteers over the age of 18 is the “Nature Reserve Business”, which combines scientific research, environmental education and media activities.
“This project promotes finding and supporting talented young scientists and provides them with a platform for their self-realization”, underscored Yana Fedosova.
Volunteers have already helped create the concept of a new protected area “Beregovoy Ustup” (Coastal Ledg) in the Kaliningrad Region, developed sketches of equestrian ecological paths in the Daursky Reserve and monitored animal populations from the Solovetsky Islands to the Republic of Bashkortostan. A children's version of the project with educational games and field research is being implemented for schoolchildren.
Elena Knizhnikova, Vice President of the “Zapovednoye Posolstvo” Foundation and Chairman of the Friends of Protected Islands Movement, presented a unique methodology that had been helping to create strong bonds between people and protected areas for 25 years: “We decided that environmental education should have a specific effect. Moreover, this effect is not only gaining knowledge, but also changing attitudes and behaviors. Our effect was to create a movement of friends. Friendship is forever.”
Unlike event-based volunteering, subsidiaries and affiliates are aimed at long-term “custody” of natural territories. To support the activists, the Movement has developed a versatile set of tools: “Conservation Lessons”, board games, online marathons and creative contests.
The final block of the session was presented by the moderator of the section Natalia Ryazanova of MGIMO University. She introduced the audience to the new Presidential Foundation for Nature, which has allocated ecology as a separate area of funding. According to the results of the first competition in 2025, 164 projects totaling 1 billion rubles were supported.
"I would like to draw your attention to the fact that there are five areas in which you can submit your projects: conservation of rare species, study and monitoring of biodiversity, human resources, educational projects and projects in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation," said Natalia Ryazanova.
The Section “Big Projects for a Big Country” demonstrated that any format of participation was possible in the field of ecology today. Moreover, this choice is in fact great: geographical expeditions, friendship with protected islands, or scientific research with serious funding. The main thing is that novice environmentalists can build their trajectory gradually, moving from simple forms of participation to more complex ones, finding support at every stage of their professional development.