Dr Alexander SHESTAKOV is an
Environmental Law Officer at WWF Russian Program Office. At this position he is
responsible for analysis and drafting the federal and regional environmental law
in Russia; communications with relevant governmental authorities; co-ordination
of work under biodiversity related international conventions (CBD, CITES, Ramsar,
world heritage). He is also a senior researcher at the Institute of Geography of
the Russian Academy of Sciences, where he conducts research in environmental
management and mapping. He was appointed to the Highest Ecological Council of
the Committee on Ecology within the Russian Parliament (State Duma). He also was
a secretary of the National Committee of Russian Geographers (1996-2000) and has
participated in numerous international conferences and environmental projects
including those of The World Bank, EBRD and TRAFFIC International. A. Shestakov
was working for international consultancy companies carrying EIA and environment
audits. He is teaching the Environmental Management course at the Faculty of
Geography, Moscow State University.
A. Shestakov has worked in Botswana and India on environmental and global
ecological projects and has published about 60 works including 'The World Map of
Ecological Problems', 'Mapping of risk areas of environmentally-induced
migration in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), 'Migrations induced
by desertification and drought in CIS member states'. He is interested in using
international environmental legislation as a tool to promote sustainable
development, environmental management and global governance. He was the member
of the official Russian delegations to COP and SBSTTA meetings for CBD and CITES.
He has a Ph.D. in geography and master's degrees in geography as well as in
environmental law, all from Moscow State University.