A meeting was held between Leyla Aliyeva and the Director of WildCru, Professor David Macdonald.

On October 21, Leyla Aliyeva, the founder and head of the IDEA Public Union, received Professor David Macdonald, Director of the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCru) operating under the Department of Zoology at Oxford University, and the organization’s researcher Don Burnham.

During the meeting, Leyla Aliyeva provided extensive information about the activities of the IDEA Public Union, particularly initiatives aimed at the conservation and restoration of Azerbaijan’s endemic fauna species. It was noted that within the framework of the “Re-introduction of Gazelles to Historical Habitats” project implemented by the IDEA Public Union, 150 gazelles were released into their natural habitats in Azerbaijan and Georgia.

In addition, the IDEA Public Union, together with international and local partners, is working on a project to restore the population of leopards in Azerbaijan. Leyla Aliyeva expressed her concern over the news of a leopard being killed in the Astara region earlier this October. This incident once again underscored the necessity of strengthening the protection of this rare fauna species.

In addition to protecting endangered animals, the IDEA Public Union also plans to reintroduce extinct species in order to enrich biodiversity.

In turn, Professor Macdonald noted that he follows and appreciates the work of IDEA. He mentioned that WildCru conducts research and conservation projects for endangered animal species across six continents. Over its 30 years of activity, WildCru has become one of the world’s leading scientific research centers in the field of wildlife conservation.

During the meeting, prospects for cooperation between IDEA and Oxford University were discussed. In this regard, an agreement was reached for one Azerbaijani student to study biodiversity at Oxford University next year.