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The network of the Integrated background monitoring (IBMon) stations have operated in Russia for 40 years more. Many years ago the IBMon stations were the hallmark of the biosphere reserves (BR) in the USSR. Nowadays they are sometimes perceived as a rudiment of the USSR era, something antique, out of modern realities. This article describes the chronology of the development and functioning of the IBMon system in Russia, and also presents the scientific achievements obtained owing to the creation of this system. There were 16 IBMon stations created in 13 biosphere reserves of the USSR and Russia in total for 1978-1998, and after 1998 there are stations in 5 biosphere reserves only in Russia at present time: at Altaisky BR, Astrakhanskiy BR, Voronezhskiy BR, Kavkazskiy BR and Prioksko-Terrasnyi BR. The paper provides monitoring data on pollutant concentrations in the air, atmospheric precipitation, surface waters, soils and plants in the biosphere reserves, where the IBMon stations operate. The discussion is devoted to topics on reasons and goals of the IBMon station network creation in the USSR, what kind of scientific role they had played and why this activity direction is relevant today and should be developed in modern Russia.

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