History

About the Society
     The St. Petersburg Society of Naturalists founded in 1868 is one of the oldest naturalist societies in Russia. It belongs to the glorious pleiad of societies organised in universities of the Russian Empire. It was organised by the decision of the Second Congress of Russian Naturalists and Doctors that took place one year earlier. The Society is historically connected with St. Petersburg University and has been its division for years. In 1992, the Society was reregistered as an independent regional social organisation.
The goal of the Society is to facilitate the development of natural science and application of its achievements, as well as to encourage the creative abilities of its members.


Priority activities include support of science-oriented communication among naturalists of St. Petersburg, comprehensive study of nature of the Russian North-West, and communication with youth.

In order to achieve its statutory goals, the Society caries out a range of programs, such as public plenary meetings, publishing activity, research papers contest, personal student scholarship contest, Bachelor’s and Master’s graduation papers contest.
The current structure of the Society reflects both its historical and its recent development.
Historically, the St. Petersburg Society of Naturalists (SPbSN) had been composed of sections of Botany, Zoology and Physiology, Geology and Mineralogy. Later on, the Society developed a complex system of sections, which reflected increasing specialisation of natural science and the emergence of new interdisciplinary fields of activity. At present, there are 19 sections and formations in the capacities of sections.The Executive Body of the Society is the General Assembly is gathered at least once in five years At intervals between General Assemblies, control is taken over by the Academic Council chaired by President of the Society.