Azernews.Az

The IDEA Public Union was established to respond to environmental challenges in Azerbaijan and around the world.

Azernews reports that, this was stated by Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and founder and head of the IDEA Public Union, in an interview with Euronews.

The TV channel prepared a report on IDEA’s activities in the fields of ecology, climate change, and biodiversity conservation.

“From the very beginning, we understood that ecology is far more than saving individual species or combating climate change alone. It is about our lifestyle, our culture, and how each of us affects the environment. Unfortunately, while many countries are losing their protected areas, Azerbaijan continues to expand them. In recent years, two new national parks have been established, and others have been expanded.

Next year, we expect the opening of the Garabagh National Park, after which protected areas in Azerbaijan will account for nearly 30 percent of the country’s territory. Today, we are focusing on new and pressing challenges, particularly the situation in the Caspian Sea - declining water levels, pollution, and growing threats to marine life, including the Caspian seal. This is a crisis that no country can solve alone. We must act together and treat the Caspian as our shared national treasure.

I believe we have reached a point where ecology is no longer about words, but about action. We have spoken enough about it, which is, of course, important, but nature no longer needs words - it needs our actions. What matters most is to remain optimistic and understand that everyone, even individually, can make a difference. Together, we can achieve miracles,” Leyla Aliyeva said.

The report emphasizes that environmental protection efforts in Azerbaijan go far beyond biodiversity conservation alone. It notes that national institutions and companies, particularly IDEA, are working to protect the environment both on land and at sea. One of the most visible outcomes of these efforts is the expansion and protection of national parks across the country.

Speaking to Euronews, Arzu Babayeva, Deputy Head of the Biodiversity Conservation Service at Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, said: “There are many environmental problems in the world, including biodiversity loss, climate change, and ecological pressure. Now is the time to act. The work we do is not for ourselves, but for the world, nature, and future generations.”

She noted that the first protected area was established in 1910, after which the network of such areas expanded: “Currently, we have 12 national parks, 9 state nature reserves, and 24 state wildlife sanctuaries. These areas are home to endangered and rare species such as the imperial eagle, mountain gazelles, brown bears, white-tailed eagles, and many others.”

The report highlights that while the government works on establishing national parks, the efforts of local organizations such as IDEA are particularly impactful. The organization has contributed to the reintroduction of bison to northern regions of Azerbaijan, as well as to the protection of the Caspian Sea, one of the country’s most important natural assets.

In comments to the TV channel, Elshad Asgarov, Director of WWF Azerbaijan, said that the bison, a symbol of the Caucasus region, lived in Azerbaijan in ancient times: “We started the project in 2018, and this area was selected as one of the places where the bison could still be restored. We then found animals in European zoos that still carried Caucasian bison genes. Therefore, we brought here only individuals with the genetic traits of the Caucasian mountain bison. They now live in the wild- spending summers in the alpine zone and descending into forested areas during the cold season to overwinter.”

The author notes that IDEA has applied the same approach while working on projects in the Caspian Sea. “Microplastic pollution is another major issue facing the Caspian Sea. Large amounts of plastic pollution originate from other countries and are carried to the Caspian shores by currents. Under IDEA’s leadership, a number of initiatives are being implemented to clean plastic waste from the Caspian coastline,” said Elnur Safarov, coordinator of the Caspian Integrated Scientific Network (CASPISNET) program at the Institute of Geography.

The report concludes that these environmental threats are raising increasingly broader issues - from partnership and responsibility to the future of the planet itself.