"Responsible hunting – on guard for biodiversity" project framework within a seminar was held

On February 15, 2017, at the initiative of the IDEA Public Union, a seminar was held at the Zira Cultural Center – Eco Park within the framework of the project “Responsible Hunting – On Guard of Biodiversity”.

Representatives of the State Support Council for Non-Governmental Organizations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Regional Development Public Union, the Military Hunting Union under the Special State Protection Service, the Azerbaijan Representative Office of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), independent environmental experts, and amateur hunters from various regions participated in the seminar.

The seminar participants delivered presentations and held discussions on the essence of the project, hunting seasons and hunting laws, the nature of Azerbaijan, illegal hunting and the penalties applied, ethical rules in hunting, as well as animal species included in the Red Book and animals of hunting significance.

It should be noted that the public awareness project titled “Responsible Hunting” was launched in June 2016 at the initiative of IDEA, with the support of the State Support Council for Non-Governmental Organizations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and in partnership with the Military Hunting Union under the Special State Protection Service and the Regional Development Public Union.

The main objective of the project’s implementation is to promote responsible behavior towards nature among hunters and to prevent cases of killing prohibited fauna species and environmental pollution resulting from hunting activities.

Within the framework of the project, extensive public awareness activities related to responsible hunting were carried out among the public, especially among hunters. In this regard, it should be noted that IDEA prepared a promotional video dedicated to encouraging responsible hunting, reflecting the country’s hunting traditions, the importance of protecting our nature and biodiversity, and environmental conservation values. In addition, in order to inform the public, especially hunting enthusiasts, the project partners prepared and distributed booklets containing general hunting rules, rules for the use of fish and other aquatic bioresources, and extracts from the Red Book.