Askhat Abdurakhmanovich Kayumov (born September 20, 1961, Gorky) is a Soviet and Russian ecologist, public figure, human rights activist, and leader of the Volga Region environmental movement.[1] He graduated from the Faculty of Biology of Nizhny Novgorod State University in 1983.[1]

Environmental Work

Before beginning his public work, Kayumov worked as a senior hydrochemical engineer at the Gorky Fish Processing Plant, as a senior instructor at the regional council of the All-Russian Society for Nature Conservation, and as a school biology teacher.[1] In 1989 he founded and headed the Dront environmental center (from May 22, 2015 to August 31, 2017, it was listed in the registry of nonprofit organizations acting as foreign agents).[1] In 2011 Kayumov was awarded a certificate of honor by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation as head of the Dront environmental center, which addresses environmental and socio-environmental problems and consolidates the activities of the region's environmental nonprofits.[1] From 1989 to 1992 Kayumov served as coordinator of the Council of the Nature Protection Brigades Movement.[1] He is one of the organizers of the Volga Region environmental movement "Help the River".[1]

Since its founding in December 1988, Kayumov has been a member of the International Social-Ecological Union; from 1993 to 2003 and again since October 2010, he has been a member of the organization's Council.[1] Since 1991, he has been a co-chairman of the Operational Action Council of the Russian Social-Ecological Union; from 2008 to 2010 and again since 2013, he has been a co-chairman of the Russian Social-Ecological Union itself.[1] He is one of the founders of the newspaper Beregynya.[1] He is a member of the central council of the Russian Bird Conservation Union.[1]

In 1993, at the suggestion of Nizhny Novgorod Region Governor Boris Nemtsov, Kayumov organized and headed the Department of Nature Conservation and Natural Resource Management in the Region administration. In 1998, he left the administration.[1]

Kayumov is the author of more than 350 publications in the mass media and about 50 scholarly works.[1] His principal works include Environmentally Clean Energy (Gorky, 1990), "The Cheboksary Hydroelectric Station: 30 Years of Trouble" (2013), "The Ecological and Social Consequences of Raising the Level of the Cheboksary Reservoir to the 68-Meter Mark" (2018), and the collective monograph "The Current State of Biodiversity in Nizhny Novgorod Region" (N. Novgorod, 1999).[1]

Public and Political Activities

In June 2016, Kayumov, together with Slavina Irina and Andrey Khomov, headed the list of the Yabloko party in the elections to the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region.[1] In 2017, he served as coordinator of the "Ecology" track of the 5th All-Russian Civic Forum "The Future of Russia: Federation, Regions, Cities," held in Moscow.[1] Since 2017, he has been a member of the Public Chamber of Nizhny Novgorod; during the preliminary selection stage for the chamber, he topped the list of candidates by the commission's scores.[2][1] The chamber was formed on August 25, 2017, at the first "Active Nizhny" forum of urban communities; its membership included 33 activists.[2] In 2018, he became a member of the expert commission for selecting candidates for the post of Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Nizhny Novgorod Region.[1]

Awards and Recognition

  • The title "Honorary Worker of Nature Conservation," with presentation of a chest badge.[1]
  • Nizhny Novgorod Region Prize in Environmental Protection named after V. V. Naydenko — for making a significant contribution to the development of the regional economy and to cultural and public life.[1]
  • Certificate of Honor of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation for many years of fruitful nature conservation work (2011).[1]
  • Certificate of Honor of the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region.[1]

Links

At the Nizhny Novgorod Expert Club

He spoke at the Nizhny Novgorod Expert Club — a round table where each speech was posted as a separate entry listing the speaker's position and the topic of the session. Speeches preserved: 2.

  • July 25, 2012 — "The Effectiveness of the System of Government in Emergency Situations," thesis: "There are no systemic solutions" (described as "head of the Dront eco-center") · entry (archive)
  • February 19, 2014 — "Parks for Residents or Parks for Business," thesis: "Developers must be burdened with obligations" (described as "head of the Dront ecological center") · entry (archive)

Sources

  1. Wikipedia (ru) — Kayumov, Askhat Abdurakhmanovich (archive)
  2. V gorode N — The members of the Public Chamber have been approved in Nizhny Novgorod (archive)
  3. Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region (archive)
  4. FederalPress (archive)

Legal status

On May 22, 2015, the Ministry of Justice entered the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Public Organization "Environmental Center 'Dront'" in the register of non-profit organizations performing the functions of a foreign agent; the basis was Article 32 of Federal Law No. 7-FZ of January 12, 1996, "On Non-Profit Organizations."[5] On August 31, 2017, the organization was removed from the register.[5]

The notation when the organization is mentioned is based on this decision and refers to its legal status, not to an assessment of the center's work or its director.

Sources

  1. minjust.gov.ru — Ministry of Justice of Russia (archive)