Bitsevski Forest is the only forest typical to the Moscow-region which has managed to survive in the city setting. Its close location to the metropolis has contributed to the defining characteristics of this forest and it is as if these two distinct areas are living one life. The global changes that have taken place in Moscow life can be seen in the existence of forests. It was at the beginning of the 1990s that Bitsevski Forest became a specially protected area. It was at this time that citizens began to fear that Moscow might swallow up this green area. Residents of neighbouring areas came to the forest’s defense, helping to develop an environmental advocacy organisation with the forest receiving the status of «natural-historical park» in 1994.