Russian Nature

Jonathan D Oldfield is Lecturer in the Human Geography of Post-Communist States, in the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, and is Associate Member of the Centre for Russian and East European Studies, both at the University of Birmingham, UK.

• Contents: Introduction; The Soviet environmental legacy; Economic restructuring and the wider environment; Governing the environment: the place of the environment in Russia's political-administrative structure; The changing state of the Russian environment; Concluding remarks; Appendix; Bibliography; Index.

’Nuanced and rich in detail, Oldfield's book is probably the most up-to-date presentation of Russian environmental regulation in the literature. Avoiding the common pitfalls of presenting Russian nature as either just catastrophic or in transition to a better future, Oldfield probes into Russian environmental thought and bureaucratic tradition. This book is warmly recommended.' Dr Geir Hønneland, The Fridtjof Nansen Institute, Norway ’Anyone interested in Russian environment and its management will benefit by reading this book, which highlights the complex nature of Russia's contemporary environmental situation. This timely contribution moves beyond simplistic accounts of Russian environment and its management both during the Soviet period and the Russian post-communist transformation.’ Professor Petr Pavlinek, University of Nebraska at Omaha, USA ’Oldfield skilfully weaves political, economic, and historical analyses to explain why the demise of the Soviet economic system did not result in long-term environmental improvements in the Russian Federation, as expected. This succinct volume will provide students of Russian environmental affairs with an excellent overview, and a wealth of source material, relating to environmental trends in Russia during the critical 1991-2003 period.’ Dr Philip R. Pryde, San Diego State University, USA