In our struggle for wildlife, it is important to cherish people of fundamental importance. Unfortunately, people pass away, and no one knows how much time is given to each of us! Therefore, every loss is a lesson to all: we must not waste time, and while our hearts are beating, we must fight for Life, for nature, for our future generations.
Sadly, on September 21, 2025, our ally in the defense of nature, the outstanding scientist Valery Vladimirovich Akatov, passed away at the age of 67, 44 of which he devoted to studying and preserving the Caucasus Nature Reserve. He was one of the few who, as an expert, helped defend the Lago-Naki plateau in the Western Caucasus from greedy attempts by big business and authorities to seize protected land. It was Valery Akatov who advised the UNESCO mission on the biological value of the plateau and was one of the first to sign the scientists’ letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin against the destruction of Lago-Naki.
Valery Akatov was a Doctor of Biological Sciences, professor, ecologist, and botanist of world renown. Today there are practically no such specialists left — he was, above all, a field researcher, one who works “on the ground,” representing the old school of people with incredible strength of spirit and character!
Next, I quote our allies:
“In recent years, together with his wife Tatyana Vladislavovna and daughter-in-law Yulia Sergeevna (both botanists, Candidates of Biological Sciences, and staff members of the reserve), he carried out a large-scale study of the alpine meadows of Lago-Naki. It was determined that, despite certain problem areas, the vegetation of the plateau had recovered after the grazing of the Soviet period.”
“We were fortunate to meet Valery Vladimirovich and even work with him on several field trips. And today we pay tribute to this truly Great man of wildlife and the history of the Caucasus, who, despite the modest salary of a reserve researcher, never retreated from his convictions, never succumbed to the temptations of market capitalism and its profiteers, and remained to the end a Scientist and a Man with a capital letter. Now his immortal Soul, having left our vain earthly world, will join the guardian spirits of Lago-Naki and the Caucasus…”
Our long-time allies in the defense of Lago-Naki published a separate post in their VKontakte community. They decided to support the family of Valery Akatov in this difficult time, and the information is available at the link below.
Separately, in memory of the scientist, I would also like to quote the Caucasus Nature Reserve:
“For more than 40 years of his life, Valery Vladimirovich devoted himself to studying the patterns of plant communities in the reserve. He rather quickly defended his Candidate dissertation, and later his Doctoral dissertation. And not only that. Able to find common ground both with ordinary people and officials, he could always clearly and accessibly explain the goal and potential outcome of any project related to the development of protected areas, and convince others of the need for additional research in problem areas. ‘An amateur is always certain, a professional always doubts’ — this was his approach to any work, one that left no room for quick and therefore often false and dangerous conclusions. To his achievements one can also add his defense of restrictions related to determining quotas for hunting species of wild animals in areas adjacent to the reserve.”
“An engaging, attentive, and passionate interlocutor, throughout his career he was not only a mentor to every young researcher but also brought new young scientists into the reserve, who successfully defended their theses related to the reserve. He still remains their constant teacher! Valery Vladimirovich was a generator of ideas, tirelessly inventing new original research methods that did not require complex equipment. A notebook and a pencil — those were his main tools for solving the most serious tasks.”
Such kind words about a remarkable scientist who is no longer with us! His struggle is over, but ours continues. Let us continue to defend nature. Do not waste time — dedicate yourselves fully to the fight for Life, so that the destinies of those who have already departed do not dissolve on the pages of history. Upon the experience of Valery Vladimirovich and other field scientists, specialists, and fighters for Life, we build our own experience — passing it on to our children and all descendants.
Strength of spirit to the family of Valery Vladimirovich! From all of us.
© Pavel Pashkov
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The destruction of nature has become planetary in scale: over the past 50 years, wildlife populations have declined by 73%, forests are being cut down, rivers are polluted, and ecosystems are degrading. The last remaining nature reserves are isolated and increasingly under pressure from states and corporations. To stop this crisis, the global protected-area system must be urgently changed. We propose a concrete plan — the Territories of Full Ecological Tranquility (TFET) — and are setting out on expeditions to develop their future boundaries.
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