Vladimir Sokolov (scientist)

Vladimir Sokolov (February 1, 1928 – April 19, 1998) was a Russian scientist in the field of zoology and ecology. He was a member of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Russian Academy of Science and the Brundtland Commission. He was one of the pioneers of the Russian environmentalism movement and one of the early global sustainability advocates.[1]

Vladimir Sokolov
Born
Vladimir Evgenievich Sokolov

(1928-02-01)February 1, 1928
Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
(now Russia)
DiedApril 19, 1998(1998-04-19) (aged 70)
EducationDoctor of Science (1964),

Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences,

Professor
Alma materMoscow State University (1950)
Scientific career
FieldsBiology
InstitutionsMoscow State University

Sokolov was professor and head of the Department of Vertebrate Zoology at the Faculty of Biology at Moscow State University; director of the Institute of Evolutionary Animal Morphology and Ecology at the Russian Academy of Sciences; and deputy chairman of Chemical, Technological and Biological Sciences at the USSR Academy of Sciences.[2]

He is the grandfather of Evgeny Lebedev, owner of The Evening Standard and Independent newspapers (with and after his father, Alexander Lebedev, ex-KGB officer).

Life

Sokolov was born in Moscow, the son of a zoology professor.

He graduated from Moscow State University in 1950 with aspirations to become a mammalogist.[3] He then became a senior lecturer and head of postgraduate Studies at the Moscow Institute of Fisheries (1953–1956); professor and head of the Department of Soil and Biology Faculty at Moscow State University (1956–1967) and later director of the Institute of Evolutionary Morphology and Ecology of Animals. He was member of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1967–1998) and also the International Academy of Science, Munich.[4] In 1990 Sokolov became a foreign honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

His research focused on ecology, morphology, electron microscopy and histology, the hydrodynamics of swimming and environmental physiology, bionics and telemetry, radio-ecology and ecotoxicology and ground-based environmental monitoring. He showed great interest in environmental law and wildlife management issues, conservation of biodiversity and rare species, the history of zoology and environmental education.

During his work Sokolov organised numerous zoological expeditions in the Soviet Union, as well as abroad to Bolivia, Cuba, Ethiopia, Mexico, Mongolia, Peru and Vietnam. His research interests were diverse. He studied radiobiology in the wake of the Chernobyl disaster, as well as the ethology and the systematics of mammals.

A species of rodent, Cricetulus sokolovi, was named after him. Also, a species of legless lizard, Ophisaurus sokolovi, was named in his honour.[5]

Sokolov was also one of the first authors to write about the concept of biosphere reserves.[6]

Awards

Selected publications

Sokolov published about 1000 scientific papers.

  • V.E. Sokolov: Nature Reserves of the USSR: National Parks and Reserves (Zapovedniki SSSR) (Russian Edition) (Russian) Hardcover – December 31, 1998.
  • V.E. Sokolov: The Rare Animals of Mongolia Paperback – May, 1998.
  • V.E. Sokolov et al.: Ecological and Genetic Consequences of the Chernobyl Atomic Power Plant Accident. Plant Ecology September 1993, Volume 109, Issue 1, pp 91–99, Springer.

References
  1. "СОКОЛОВ Владимир Евгеньевич" (PDF). Cnshb.ru. Retrieved 2017-03-17.
  2. "Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future" (PDF). Un-documents.net. Retrieved 2017-03-17.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-18.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. "Selection of IAS-ICSD East Europe Members" (PDF). Ias-icsd.org. Retrieved 2017-03-17.
  5. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. ("Sokolov", p. 248).
  6. "Vladimir E. Sokolov: 1928–98 | Oryx | Cambridge Core". Journals.cambridge.org. 2009-04-24. doi:10.1046/j.1365-3008.1998.d01-54.x. Retrieved 2017-03-17.
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