Day of Reserves and National Parks
By Laman Ismayilova
January 11 is marked as Day of Reserves and National Parks. By the 1997 initiative of the Biodiversity Conservation Center and the World Wildlife Fund, this date began to be celebrated.
The 2017 year is announced to be a Year of Specially Protected Areas and a Year of Ecology.
Environmental protection problems are always at the center of attention of the Azerbaijan government.
The country's nine national parks, 11 state parks and 24 state reserves are home to a wide variety of wildlife including eagles, gazelles, bears, wolves, deer, and wild boar.
Total protected areas amount to 10.3 percent of Azerbaijan's land mass, including 3.7 percent of national parks.
Goygyol State Reserve was first in Azerbaijan. The reserve was established in 1925 in order to protect and study ecologic systems of middle mountainous, forest and partly subalpine areas, as well Goygol, Maralgol, Zeligol and other mountain lakes.
The national parks serve to the purposes of environmental protection, educational, scientific, cultural researches, etc. protecting environment and serving the educational, scientific and cultural.
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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova
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