Initial visit to Arazboyu State Nature Reserve and Bəsitçay Sanctuary

After approximately 30 years of occupation, and following acts of ecological vandalism committed by the Armenian armed forces and illegally settled civilians while leaving the liberated territories of Azerbaijan, IDEA’s founder, Leyla Aliyeva, proposed high-priority restoration plans.

On January 28, the IDEA team, together with the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, made an initial visit to Azerbaijan’s long-occupied specially protected areas, namely the Arazboyu State Nature Reserve and the Basitchay Sanctuary. The visit was carried out within the framework of a long-term program aimed at assessing and restoring the environment of the liberated territories, which had suffered from decades of neglect and exploitation, and at directly and actively involving international organizations, partners, and local youth in the restoration process. Our representatives, familiarizing themselves with the scale of the damage, began the first steps to give new life to Karabakh’s nature and forests by planting seeds and trees.