The Imperial St. Petersburg Society of Naturalists, which was founded in 1868 by the Royal decree of the Emperor Alexander II, is one of the oldest Russian natural-science societies.  It belongs to that honored and famous group of scientific societies founded in the 1870s under the leading universities of the imperial Russia.  For many years the Society was historically connected with St Petersburg University as its structural subdivision, but since 1992 it was registered as an independent regional public organization "Saint Petersburg Society of Naturalists" (SPbSN).

The main goal of the Society is to advance science, practical application of its findings and to develop and realize the scientific creative interests of its members.  The Society is particularly concerned with promoting knowledge integration in natural science and development of pressing problems of natural science where its various disciplines overlap with involving the younger generation in the solution of these problems.

The long history of the Society used to have periods of vigorous activity and temporary stagnation but in spite of the difficulties, it kept functioning without a break. Since the middle of 1980s, the Society experiences a period of creative activity upsurge. The former directions of research are being refreshed and new ones are being created. However, support of the scientific communication between the naturalists, in-depth study of  northwest Russian nature and youth outreach is still the highest priority for the Society.