The network of specially protected natural areas (SPNA) of St. Petersburg includes 15 protected areas of regional significance – 8 nature reserves and 7 natural monuments, with a total area of 6143 hectares, or 4.3 % of the area of St. Petersburg. Specially protected natural areas of Saint Petersburg have not only environmental, but also recreational and educational functions. The categories of SPNA are identified according to the degree of conservation of natural landscapes and the performed functions. The recreational functions of protected areas, recreational loads and measures to regulate recreational loads, especially the creation of ecological routes, are considered. The article analyzes the increasing role of protected areas in the functioning of the largest city, including the increasing attractiveness of residential areas adjacent to protected areas. The conflicts of nature management arising during the development of the network of SPNA are considered. It is shown that city-dwellers, feeling the direct importance of protected areas for their quality of life, are increasingly supporting their creation. Taking into account the prospects for the development of a network of SPNA, their role in shaping the urban environment will increase in the coming decades.