Director of the Russian Arctic National Park and the Franz Josef Land State Federal Nature Reserve, Ph. D. in Biology (2008), ecologist.

Mr Yershov was actively involved in establishing the Russian Arctic National Park, and has authored and co-authored over 50 research papers primarily dealing with specially protected nature territories. He has participated in over 20 expeditions to the Franz Josef Land State Federal Nature Reserve and the Russian Arctic National Park. As state inspector, he has regularly visited the North Pole aboard an icebreaker.

Born June 10, 1982 in Velsk.

2004: Graduated from the Arkhangelsk State University of Technology with a degree in forest and forest-park engineering and received an excellent mark in defending a graduation paper on the commodity value of aspen forests strands at the Velsk forestry enterprise and a project for their comprehensive use.

2006: Graduated from the Arkhangelsk State University of Technology with a degree in law and jurisprudence and received an excellent mark in defending a graduation paper on terminating social employment contracts.

From 2004: Daytime postgraduate student specializing in ecology, worked as junior research associate, research associate, and then senior research associate in the laboratory of ecology of biological populations and communities at the Institute of Environmental Problems of the North, part of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Ural Branch.

2011: Appointed Director of the Russian Arctic National Park by an order from the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

2008: Awarded a Ph. D. in Biology by the Research Papers Council at the Research and Development Institute of Plant Protection for the defense of a thesis dealing with aphyllophoric mushrooms on aspen trees, their habitats and harmful influence on the northwestern sector of the Russian Plain. The thesis was completed at the environmental biology laboratory at the Institute of Environmental Problems of the North at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Ural Branch.

2011: Completed training in the practical management of specially protected nature territories of federal significance.

2013 - present: Member of the Expert Council of Directors of Leading National Specially Protected Nature Territories, heads a working group on the specially protected nature territories of the Russian high seas and coasts at national meetings of the heads of nature reserves and national parks.

Married, with a son and a daughter.