Upon the invitation of the founder and head of IDEA Public Union Leyla Aliyeva, on 19-22 October 2015, the Director of Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) - part of the University of Oxford’s Department of Zoology - and a world-renowned expert on conservation of biodiversity Professor David Macdonald was on a visit to Azerbaijan.

In the course of the visit, Professor Macdonald met with the representatives of IDEA Public Union and the Azerbaijan office of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and held discussions regarding the activities of both organizations.

D.Macdonald also had a meeting with H.E. Mr. Huseyngulu Baghirov, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and was acquainted with the state policy of Azerbaijan in the area of protection of the environment.

Furthermore, on October 19^th, Professor Macdonald gave a comprehensive lecture on biodiversity conservation at ADA University.  D. Macdonald touched upon activities carried out and problems faced with regard to biodiversity conservation, and talked about the work of the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, particularly projects implemented by WildCRU in different countries.

The comprehensive lecture was attended by more than 100 IDEA volunteers and ADA University students, whose education focuses on environment and sustainable development. The lecture has enjoyed a great interest of the students and served to deepen their knowledge of the relevant fields. Interactive discussions were held with the participants after the presentation.

Founded in 1986 by Professor Macdonald, WildCRU is recognized as the leading university-based institute for wildlife conservation research. WildCRU’s approach is to combine field research with conservation actions rooted in sound science. Currently, around 50 scientists from WildCRU are heading projects on wildlife conservation carried out in various countries around the world.