Veterans and employees of the Ministry of Ecology remember the First Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Tatarstan A. I. Shchepovskikh
Anatoly Ivanovich would have turned 80 years old these days. He was born on January 15, 1945 in Orenburg region, Buzuluksky district, village of Sukhorechka. In 1974, he graduated from the Moscow Institute of Petrochemical and Gas Industry. Anatoly Ivanovich Shchepovskikh began his career as an ordinary rural mathematics teacher, after which he served in the ranks of the Soviet Army.
Anatoly Ivanovich devoted 25 years of his life to the city of Leninogorsk and the Leninogorsk district of Tatarstan, where he worked his way up from an instructor at the city committee of the CPSU to chairman of the executive committee of the Leninogorsk City Council of People's Deputies. On April 25, 1993, Anatoly Shchepovskikh was appointed Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of the Republic of Tatarstan, the main environmental protection body of the Republic, by Decree of the President of Tatarstan. Under the leadership of the Shchepovskikh, the creation of a unified system for the protection of Tatarstan's nature began.
In his work, Shchepovskikh relied on the knowledge of scientists and environmental specialists, which predetermined his success in such a difficult government post and allowed him to gain credibility among professionals. In the very first years, Anatoly Ivanovich decided to establish a science and technology council under the Ministry with expert and advisory functions to review and objectively assess the priority of scientific and technical projects. This council is still successfully working for the benefit of our republic.
Anatoly Ivanovich was always full of ideas and in the last year of his life he thought about preparing a book about the history of nature conservation in Tatarstan since the time of Peter I. It appeared only in 2013, the Year of Environmental Protection in the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tatarstan. 111 specialists, environmental scientists and photo masters of the republic, colleagues and friends of Anatoly Ivanovich Shchepovskikh, were involved in writing the book.
Since 2010, Anatoly Ivanovich has been involved in environmental protection issues as an adviser to the head of the Nizhnekamsk municipal District. For about twenty years, he has been professionally solving the most important tasks of protecting the environment and natural resources, improving their condition and restoring them.
"During the reign of Anatoly Ivanovich Shchepovskikh, a system with clear priorities and an understanding of growth points was created. His work is a source of pride for any resident and leader of the republic. This includes the creation of the Red Book of Tatarstan, the Green Book of Tatarstan, and the publication of the State Register of Specially Protected Natural Territories. Much attention was also paid to field work: operations "Spawning", "Hunting", and "Clean Air" were carried out annually. As a sign of memory and gratitude, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Tatarstan has established a special departmental award "Medal named after A. I. Shchepovskikh" Award, which is awarded for special merits in environmental protection, and since 2015 the All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference "Industrial Ecology and Safety" has been named after Anatoly Ivanovich Shchepovskikh," said Olga Manidicheva, Deputy Minister of Ecology.
He was a sympathetic person and very tough to all those who opposed the nature and ecology of the Republic. A man who always had a kind word for his colleagues. He will remain such a man forever in our hearts...