Development of environmental legislation in pre-revolutionary Russia (1649–1855)

Abstract

The development of environmentally significant legislation in Russia is studied for the period from the Council Code (promulgated in 1649) of Tsar Aleksei Mikhailovich to 1855. We analyzed 1231 legislative acts related to environmental issues. Many features of this legislation have not lost their topicality and must be taken into account in modern legislative activity. Environmental restrictions were imposed not only on the state-owned lands but also on estates transferred into private ownership. Over the entire period considered, the state regulated the private trade in natural resources. Special attention was paid to the conservation and restoration of forests, protection of water reservoirs and their watershed lines, and animal life. The environmental laws were differentiated geographically and ethnically.