At the origins of the Penza region nature reserve system: two archival documents

The article contains two archival documents, the authors of which are two famous Penza botanists: E.K. Shtukenberg (1925) and B.P. Satserdotov (1960). They trace in detail the stages of formation of the system of specially protected natural territories of the Penza region, including the Penza (later - the Sredne-Volzhsky, Kuibyshevsky) Nature Reserve. Four stages of the formation of the Penza region's conservation system have been identified. 1) pre-revolutionary, 2) the formation, functioning and liquidation of the Penza Nature Reserve, 3) the formation of a network of specially protected natural areas (protected areas) based on new legislation, 4) the continuation of the construction of a network of protected areas after the change of the state system. I.I. Sprygin and his associates proposed to create a whole network of small reserves each of which would protect unique and well-preserved natural objects. Thus, they stood at the origins of environmental protection activities in the Volga region. The history of the organization of the protection of individual sections of this system is very difficult challenging. The published documents make it possible to clarify the specifics of the environmental protection process in the region in many ways. The documents are provided with the necessary comments.