Leyla Aliyeva visited the Gizilaghaj National Park

On April 30, Leyla Aliyeva, Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and founder and head of the IDEA Public Union, visited Gizilaghaj National Park.

Familiarizing herself with the park’s territory and its rich fauna and flora, Leyla Aliyeva later discussed with Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Muxtar Babayev the future development prospects of specially protected natural areas, including coastal and marine reserves.

During the visit, Leyla Aliyeva participated in a ceremony for planting Eldar pine trees within the National Park to support the release of juvenile fish into the Small Gizilaghaj Bay of the Caspian Sea, as well as to promote the expansion of the country’s greenery and forest areas.

It should be noted that Gizilaghaj National Park, established on September 26, 2018, encompasses the Gizilaghaj State Nature Reserve and the entire Gizilaghaj Bay and is considered the first protected marine area in the Caspian Sea. Protection of the water area belonging to Gizilaghaj National Park is essential for the survival of the world’s most endangered fish species.

According to a joint presentation by the IDEA Public Union and the Blue Marine Foundation, in November 2019, the National Park was designated as a Hope Spot for saving the world’s waters.

Hope Spots are ecologically unique marine areas announced under the international conservation campaign of the Mission Blue organization. The main purpose of declaring Hope Spots is to support the global movement for ocean conservation and to achieve protection of larger marine areas.

As is known, in recent decades, the natural populations of fish species in the country’s water bodies have reached the brink of extinction due to the negative impact of human activities.

In this regard, on the initiative of Leyla Aliyeva, a number of significant initiatives have been implemented for the conservation of aquatic fauna in Azerbaijan and the Caucasus region, as well as for the protection and restoration of the country’s inland water bioresources.

One such initiative is the “Rich Waters” project, jointly implemented by the IDEA Public Union and the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources since May of last year. The project envisages sustainable and consistent measures to increase the natural populations of fish species in lakes and rivers across the country, reduce pollution in inland water bodies, and promote legal and responsible fishing.