The next cleanup campaign was held on the Kura River.

On September 9, 2017, IDEA Public Union, the world-renowned organization specialized in marine environment “Blue Marine Foundation” (BMF), and the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources organized a cleanup campaign in the Neftchala district, in the delta of the Kura River, under the slogan “Clean Kura – Pure Nature!”.

About 100 volunteers from IDEA Public Union, local youth, and members of the public participated in the campaign. Equipped with sanitary-compliant tools and special boats, the youth cleaned the Kura River and its shores from various household waste and synthetic fishing nets that caused mass fish mortality. As a result, nearly 1 ton of collected waste was delivered to the Neftchala District Landfill using special transport vehicles. During the campaign, local residents were also informed about the pollution of the river with waste and the harmful effects of using destructive fishing tools on the environment and fauna of the Caspian Sea and the Kura River. At the conclusion, certificates were presented to the campaign participants.

The main goal of the campaign was to prevent pollution and littering of the Kura shores, to maintain cleanliness in these areas, and to raise public awareness about the damage caused by disposed household waste to the Kura River and, consequently, to the Caspian fauna.

The “Clean Kura – Pure Nature!” campaign was organized within the framework of IDEA’s Caspian Sea fauna restoration program. It is well known that, alongside practical measures to address environmental problems, public campaigns and awareness activities are of particular importance. Taking this into account, IDEA Public Union, together with local and international partners, regularly organizes such cleanup campaigns along the Caspian shores, including rivers, with the aim of preserving, increasing, and protecting the Caspian Sea’s bioresources.

IDEA expresses gratitude to all individuals who participated in the campaign and to the organizations that supported the event, demonstrating attention to environmental protection. The Public Union calls on everyone to be careful with nature, our flora and fauna, and to keep the shores of the Caspian Sea and our rivers clean.