Аннотация:Considering the attention paid to nature protection throughout the history of economics, it wouldbe worthwhile to evaluate the scientific thought in the Russian Empire, the USSR and Russiaconcerning an environmentally oriented economy. The review presents an analysis of researchworks on this topic — from Vernadsky’s concept of the biosphere and environmentally orientedmanagement in the USSR to the modern scientists’ ideas. In the USSR, economics of natureconservation studied the strongest interconnections between society and the ecological environmentfor further depleting and preventing pollution. The study identifies the leading researchers andoutlines the main concepts of how the economy can reflect environmental protection and supportsustainability.